Taiwan has been urged to deepen cooperation with the US and Japan to strengthen resilience against potential security and economic disruptions. A trilateral dialogue in Taipei focused on crisis preparedness, maritime coordination, energy security, supply chains, and whole-of-society resilience amid concerns over growing Chinese maritime pressure.
Taiwan has been called to step up its relations with the United States and Japan to boost its security and economic capabilities in the face of emerging threats. The call occurred during a two-day trilateral dialogue taking place in Taipei between experts and lawmakers on issues of crisis preparedness, political-economic policy simulations and mechanisms for greater cooperation.
Retired US Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery said that Taiwan should cooperate with its partners to build up more international support on crises. The discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities for governments and coast guards/maritime forces to work inter-operably and co-ordinately in emergencies such as a natural disaster or security disruption.
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One of the discussions was on Maritime security, and the participants observed that maritime transport transports about 80% of international trade. They have to ensure that naval and coast guard ships can navigate in waters safely and can help the merchant vessels carrying the necessities during emergencies, Montgomery said.
The talks also touched on scenarios for a compound crisis in the Taiwan Strait, as well as China's more muscular maritime moves. The exercises, which aimed to explore coordination and boost whole-of-society resilience, featured energy, economics, diplomacy, politics and defence experts.
Japanese participants pointed out the points Taiwan can learn from Japan. It was said that Japan had advanced in energy stockpiling capabilities and diversification of supply chains while Taiwan's whole-of-society defence resilience and countering of information and cyber warfare might offer a lesson for Japan.
Former Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff Tomohisa Takei said “the discussion enhanced the common understanding of mutual security and economic security issues.” Japanese Representative Akihisa Nagashima also said that regular exchanges between the Taiwanese and Japanese lawmakers at present, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, were needed.
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The meeting also emphasized the need for cooperation in the face of disaster situations. After big earthquakes, Taiwan and Japan have extended each other's support, and they have provided a chance to enhance communication and understand the support that might be needed in emergency situations in the future.
The trilateral dialogue is a first step in strengthening Taiwan-Japan-USA cooperation. Future exchanges were seen as likely to cover areas such as crisis communication, maritime security, energy resilience and supply chain diversification and wider regional stability, with participants expressing interest in further exchanges in the future.