President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) met with foreign guests participating in the 2022 Taipei Security Dialogue forum. The event kicked off on Wednesday and is centered around the theme of China and the world in crisis.
Tsai says Taiwan will continue to safeguard democracy and freedom in the face of authoritarian threats. She says the country has been developing defensive and asymmetric warfare capabilities for a number of years.
Tsai says Taiwan hopes to strengthen security cooperation with international partners, improve mobilization mechanisms and reservist training. She adds the country will maintain a firm grasp on changes in strategic situations through national-level think tanks.
Former US Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Heino Klinck said during the event that China’s aggressive behavior has intensified following the 20th Party Congress last month. He says China is trying to change the global order to protect its authoritarian system and interests.
Klinck says an alliance of democracies must work together to stop China, to ensure that competition with China does not escalate into a fight. He says the US will continue to support Taiwan and make sure that its future will be decided by its own people without fear of intimidation or retaliation.