Presidential Office to hold forum on Taiwan's whole-of-society resilience

Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) The Presidential Office will hold an international forum on the weekend, with around 500 defense experts, officials, and business representatives expected to discuss the concept of whole-of-society resilience and to examine Taiwan's preparedness amid threats from China, according to a press release issued Wednesday.

The second edition of the Resilient Taiwan for Sustainable Democracy International Forum will take place Saturday at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, the Presidential Office said in the press release.

It will cover topics including whole-of-society defense resilience preparedness, civil-military integration, psychological defense, maritime resilience, cybersecurity, response to gray-zone activities, and the protection of critical infrastructure, the Presidential Office said.

Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey will deliver an opening keynote speech on how democracies can adapt to modern warfare and respond to emerging threats, the press release said.

Meanwhile, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene and the United Kingdom Representative to Taiwan Ruth Bradley-Jones will share their observations of Taiwan's efforts to build up whole-of-society defense resilience over the past year, the office said.

The forum will conclude with a discussion between National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and former U.S. deputy national security advisors Matt Pottinger and Anne Neuberger, according to the office.

They will examine Taiwan's overall defense preparedness and its security cooperation with allies and international partners, and seek to answer the question, "Are we ready?" according to the press release.

Another focus of the forum, the office said, is to showcase work undertaken by the Taiwan government, civil society, and private sector to promote whole-of-society resilience over the past two years in response to natural disasters, hybrid threats, information manipulation, and threats to critical infrastructure.

The discussions will examine how Taiwan is transforming from a novice to a full-fledged international partner in those areas, the press release said.

The Presidential Office said that the expected participation of international security experts and officials ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week sends a "clear message" that the international community cares deeply about peace across the Taiwan Strait and represents concrete action in support of it.

The international participants in Saturday's forum will include Japan's National Diet member Hirofumi Takinami, Palauan national security coordinator Jennifer Anson, former Philippine national security adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Foundation for Defense of Democracies Senior Director Mark Montgomery, former Lithuanian Vice Defense Minister Tomas Godliauskas, and former Latvian defense official Janis Karlsbergs, according to the press release.