Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) called for more cooperation in Asia to build a more resilient region in the post-pandemic era at the 2023 Yushan Forum on Thursday.
In this year’s theme, “Start a New Blueprint for Asian Development,” Lai says that the Indo-Pacific region, with half of the world's population and over 65% of global GDP, is of strategic importance to the global community. He emphasizes that Taiwan is committed to working with like-minded countries to achieve peace, democracy, and prosperity, and to achieve these goals the dialogue and cooperation of experts and scholars attending the meeting is required.
Lai points out that Taiwan's New Southbound Policy strengthens cooperation with partner countries in the region, creating an interactive cycle of development. As an example of this cooperation, he mentions Taiwan's efforts in training over 1,300 medical professionals in Southeast Asia and India.
Lai also says that the people are the core of the policy, and will continue to create a blueprint for future mutual development for countries in the region. Taiwan will also pursue innovative economic development, sustainable and just social reforms, and a foreign policy centered on democracy and peace.