President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) welcomed former United States Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger and former staffer at the National Security Council Ivan Kanapathy at the presidential office Thursday morning. Pottinger came to Taiwan to promote his new book The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan along with co-author Kanapathy.
President Lai expressed his gratitude for the visit during his welcoming speech. Lai said he looks forward to further exchanges regarding regional security issues in the Indo-Pacific and Taiwan-U.S. relations. Lai also thanked Pottinger for the U.S. government’s continued support toward maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Lai pointed to the four pillars of peace action plan in his welcoming remarks to the visiting guests. He most recently described the plan in his inaugural address on May 20. The plan underscores the importance of defense capability, economic security, partnerships with other democracies, and a stable and consistent cross-strait policy. Lai said his government will continue to work with like-minded countries like the U.S.
Pottinger said during his speech that Taiwan’s security is related to Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and many other countries. He mentioned one lesson learned from the Russia-Ukraine war is that deterrence is key. Pottinger said he believes Lai’s government has the vision and skill needed to maintain regional peace.