Taiwan to host security forum with Boris Johnson, François de Rugy

Taipei, Aug. 3 (CNA) Taiwan's government will hold its annual regional security forum next week, featuring speeches by former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-President of the French National Assembly François de Rugy, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

The ninth edition of the annual Ketagalan Forum-Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue, to be held on Tuesday in Taipei, will focus on regional security, whole-of-society defense resilience, and economic resilience, MOFA said in a press release issued earlier this week.

Other than the two keynote speeches to be delivered by Johnson and de Rugy, the one-day event will also bring together 12 political leaders, scholars, and experts from 10 countries, including the United States, Japan, and like-minded countries in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, the statement added.

MOFA did not give a full list of other participating guests.

According to the agenda released by the Taipei-based Prospect Foundation, co-host of the forum, the attendees will include Jason Kenney, 18th Premier of Alberta and former Canadian Defense Minister, and Tomohiko Tanicughi, former special advisor to the Cabinet of late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

According to MOFA, the participants will engage with their Taiwanese counterparts in discussions on "Indo-Pacific security dynamics; gray-zone tactics and countermeasures; and the impact of economic, technological, and industrial diplomacy on global politics."

MOFA has co-hosted the annual Ketagalan Forum with domestic think tanks since 2017. Through this platform, nations in the region make connections and engage in dialogue, to advance peace, security and prosperity.

During last year's forum, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley gave a keynote address during which she called on the U.N. to "stop ignoring" Taiwan and argued that Taiwan deserved to be a "full member" of the international organization.