President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) delivered the opening speech at the 7th Yushan Forum which kicked off on Wednesday. The theme for this year’s forum is “Start A New Blueprint for Asian Development.”
Organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, the forum invites academics, government leaders, and experts from like-minded countries to exchange views. This year, President of the Republic of Nauru Russ Joseph Kun, former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, former U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N. Kelly Craft, and Chairman of the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council Furuya Keiji were among those in attendance.
In her speech, Tsai said the Yushan Forum has become an important platform for collaboration. She said it provides opportunities to explore the role of Asia and the Indo-Pacific region in the global economy as well as strengthen regional cooperation. She added that the international community faces many challenges and this year’s forum can foster dialogue on how Taiwan and partner countries in the region can meet these challenges together.
Tsai also said that the forum provides a platform for discussions around Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. She says Taiwan’s relations with countries in the region have been strengthened by the policy. Tsai says two-way trade with New Southbound countries reached US$180 billion in 2020, 88% higher than in 2016. The value of exports also increased 64% from 2016, reaching US$96.9 billion in 2020.