Ex-Munich Security Conference chair urges united stance against China

Taipei, March 16 (CNA) Former Munich Security Conference Chair Christoph Heusgen has urged global democracies to stand united to preserve the rules-based international order, given the challenges posed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) to Taiwan and the world.

In an address delivered at a dinner during the annual Yushan Forum, Heusgen said the PRC, Taiwan's large neighbor, "is a challenge" as it repeatedly shows no respect for the rules-based international order.

The PRC's suppression of the Muslim minority of Uyghurs and the minority in Tibet, and its constant coercion against Taiwan and Japan -- including threats to use force -- are clear violations of the charter of the United Nations, he said.

"I would say all countries that share these democratic values and human rights, and that subscribe to the rules-based order, have to stick together," argued Heusgen, who served as Germany's ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2021 before chairing the conference.

"And when we stick together, we will win this and preserve it for future generations," he said.

Meanwhile, Jan Lipavský, the foreign minister of the Czech Republic from 2021 to 2025, said at the same dinner that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing for four years, while the war in the Middle East has continued to escalate since late 2023.

Amid these ongoing conflicts, the world is witnessing that technology "is changing the nature of power at an extraordinary speed, with artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, autonomous systems, and mass-produced drones," Lipavský said.

Economic security and technological resilience have become inseparable from national security, he said, which explains "precisely why Taiwan matters."

"Taiwan is not only a regional actor. It is a leading technological power, a key node in global supply chains, and a vibrant democracy."

Citing his country as an example, Lipavský said the Czech Republic and Taiwan were already cooperating in areas such as semiconductor research, cybersecurity, and democratic resilience to meet security challenges.

"This is also why forums like the Yushan Forum are so important. They bring together partners who understand that security today is built not only through military alliances, but also through cooperation in technology, industry, innovation, and democratic resilience," he said.

Both guests were invited to attend the two-day 2026 edition of the Yushan Forum that opened Monday.

The Yushan Forum, launched in 2017, aims to strengthen Taiwan's exchanges with partners under the New Southbound Policy introduced by former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2016 to boost trade, investment, and people-to-people ties with 18 countries in ASEAN, South Asia, and Oceania.

Over the years, the annual event has expanded to include more global partners.