President Tsai Ing-wen says democratic countries must come together to forge a resilient supply chain in the face of authoritarian threats. That came on Wednesday morning when the president met with participants of the 2022 Ketagalan Forum.
The Ketagalan Forum is a security dialogue hosted in Taiwan that seeks to enhance peace and cooperation among participants. This year, the event was attended by representatives from Estonia, Japan, Australia, and France. Among them was former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Japanese lawmaker Suzuki Keisuke, and former Australian defense ministers Christopher Pyne and Kevin Andrews.
President Tsai says the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to restructure its supply chains. As authoritarian countries threaten the democratic way of life, she says the time is right to strengthen supply chain ties among democratic countries. That way, authoritarian countries cannot economically threaten democracies.
Tsai says Taiwan is ready to play its part in this global restructuring. She says Taiwan strictly adheres to international standards set forth by trade blocs, making it a viable trading partner.