Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung attended the opening ceremony of an international conference on security in the Indo-Pacific Feb. 18 in Taipei City.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two-day event was jointly organized by the ministry, the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, National Taiwan University, University of Calgary and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
In its inaugural meeting, the event promoted exchanges between Taiwan, Canada and other regional partners, and provided an overview of regional security concerns. Experts and scholars from Canada, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the Philippines spoke on issues spanning regional, economic and maritime security.
In his opening remarks, Lin stated that authoritarian expansionism continues to mount as a threat to global peace and prosperity, as well as the rules-based international order. He said that strengthening partnerships among democratic countries is more important than ever.
The recent passage of a Canadian frigate through the Taiwan Strait and the joint statement issued after the U.S.-Japan-South Korea trilateral meeting in Munich underscore the unwavering commitment of like-minded partners to taking concrete actions to ensure a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific, the minister added.
At a time when countries around the world are keen to enhance supply chain resilience, Lin said the MOFA steadfastly implements its integrated diplomacy approach in line with President Lai Ching-te’s values-based diplomacy to promote regional peace, stability and prosperity.
Lin and CTOT Representative Jim Nickel both expressed hopes that the conference would continue to serve as a major platform for bilateral academic exchanges and dialogues, the MOFA said. (SFC-E)
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