The 2025 Yushan Forum, themed “New Southbound Policy+: Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific, and a New World,” held its second-day sessions on Tuesday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Remus Chen (陳立國) who chaired the Prospect Asia Roundtable discussion elaborated on Taiwan’s foreign policy as he outlined the challenges in the international landscape. He says Taiwan is committed to strengthening supply chain resilience and regional partnerships as the New Southbound Policy enters a new phase.
Participants included Taiwan's Cyber Ambassador-at-Large Audrey Tang (唐鳳) who discussed Taiwan’s experience using AI to combat misinformation and strengthen civil society.
Former Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations Bilahari Kausikan shared diplomatic approaches of smaller regional nations. He says balancing relations between major powers like the U.S. and China is not a matter of choosing one over the other but rather managing relationships with both simultaneously.
New Zealand Pacific Economic Cooperation Council Chairman Alan Bollard shared his observations of geopolitical shifts following the inauguration of the new U.S. administration. While he acknowledges discussions surrounding economic decoupling, Bollard points out that, historically, many U.S. actions demonstrate ongoing economic cooperation in the region.
Indian National Security Advisory Board member Anshuman Tripathi highlighted potential synergies between India’s software strengths and Taiwan’s hardware expertise, an area Chen affirmed as a key focus for Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy+ initiative.