The 9th Yushan Forum, taking place on March 16 to March 17, returns under the theme “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology, and Resilience.” Co-organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the forum brings together leaders from government, academia, business, and civil society to discuss deeper cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.
On March 16, the first day of the 9th Yushan Forum, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim hosted a high-level luncheon featuring remarks from Lech Wałęsa, former President of Poland, who delivered the keynote address.
Hsiao Bi-khim, Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), opened the luncheon by reflecting on the rapidly changing global landscape. She noted that ongoing conflicts, shifting trade flows, rising economic security concerns, and rapid technological developments are reshaping international relations and supply chains across the Indo-Pacific. Vice President Hsiao emphasized that for Taiwan these developments are not distant events but realities that directly affect its economy, security, and regional partnerships.
She highlighted that the forum’s core themes—values, resilience, and technology—are therefore especially relevant. Drawing on Taiwan’s experience responding to natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, Vice President Hsiao explained how strong emergency response systems and cooperation between national and local governments, alongside civil society, have strengthened Taiwan’s resilience. She noted that such resilience also extends beyond disaster response to include economic disruptions, cyber threats, and information warfare, requiring a whole-of-society approach that goes beyond military preparedness.
Vice President Hsiao further emphasized Taiwan’s central role in the global technology ecosystem, particularly in fields such as AI development, cybersecurity, and next-generation telecommunications. She noted that values, resilience, and technology—the core themes of the Yushan Forum—highlight the strengths Taiwan contributes to regional and global partnerships. She concluded by stressing that shared values build trust, resilience strengthens security, and technological innovation drives prosperity, expressing hope that Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with trusted partners across the region.
Lech Wałęsa, former President of Poland, delivered the keynote address, reflecting on the importance of peaceful change and international cooperation in shaping the global order. Drawing on Poland’s experience during the Solidarity movement and the end of Soviet influence, he emphasized that societies can achieve transformative change through peaceful means rather than violence. Wałęsa discussed how global power structures have evolved from the spheres of influence established after the Second World War to the bipolar order of the Cold War, and later to a more complex international system. He stressed that the world is once again at a critical moment, with major powers reshaping the global balance, and called for open dialogue and cooperation to ensure that the international order continues to be guided by peace, freedom, and democratic values.
The evening will conclude with a diplomatic dinner hosted by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, where Christoph Heusgen, Former Chairman of the Munich Security Conference; Nanaia Mahuta, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand and Board Chair of the New Zealand Centre for Global Studies; and Jan Lipavský, Member of Parliament and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, will deliver remarks, further strengthening international exchanges at the forum.
About the Yushan ForumSince its founding in 2017, the Yushan Forum: Asian Dialogue for Innovation and Progress has served as a core platform for Asian regional discussion on Taiwan’s implementation of the New Southbound Policy (NSP). The forum, hosted by the Taiwan-Exchange Foundation (TAEF), seeks to increase exchange of ideas, talent, technologies and social initiatives between Taiwan and NSP partner countries, and to foster multilateral cooperation between nations in the Indo-Pacific, as well as Australia and New Zealand. To achieve this, the forum brings together important figures in both the public and private sectors of like-minded countries across Asia and the Pacific, including political leaders, policy makers, heads of industry and innovative professionals, providing a space to discuss crucial topics such as regional stability, collective economic growth, and disaster prevention and aid through the framework of the NSP.
Yushan Forum website: https://www.yushanforum.org/