On Wednesday, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) attended the opening ceremony of the Taiwan Digital Defense Consortium, an alliance formed by more than 100 digital defense enterprises.
Speaking at the event, Hsiao highlighted the constant and increasing risks of cyber attacks that Taiwan faces. Combined with Taiwan’s position as a core part of the global advanced technology supply chain, Hsiao pressed the importance of digital defense and the need to develop talents in this field in Taiwan. She said that only by strengthening its digital defense can Taiwan effectively safeguard the global advanced technology industries.
During a pre-recorded video speech for the event, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) insisted that without a safe internet environment, it is impossible to protect national security and push for digital transformation as well as innovation development in the economy. The alliance of the Taiwan Digital Defense Consortium is an important step for Taiwan to boost its capability, with the mission of turning digital defense into a convoy for national security, Lai said.
President Lai also promised concrete actions to promote the digital defense industry, making it a flagship sector in his Five Trusted Industry Sectors policy. Lai proposed the policy in his presidential inaugural address, aiming to develop semiconductors, AI, military, security and surveillance, and next-generation communications.
VP Hsiao further explained that digital defense is the basic core of all sectors in the Five Trusted Industry Sectors without which, those sectors can not be trusted. Hsiao said the digital defense alliance’s three arrows - initiating global connections, training information security talents, and creating industrial clusters - can help bring together industry, government, academia, and research sectors, thus integrating digital defense into every corner of society.