Taipei: President Lai Ching-te announced Taiwan's commitment to collaborating with Asia-Pacific partners to enhance peace and sustainable development, alongside a pledge to bolster defense capabilities and economic security.

According to Focus Taiwan, at the 2025 General Assembly of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians' Union (APPU) held in Taipei, President Lai emphasized Taiwan's determination to maintain regional peace. He highlighted the critical nature of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait for the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region. In line with this commitment, Lai revealed plans for defense spending to exceed 3 percent of the nation's GDP in the coming year, with a target to increase it to 5 percent by 2030, pending legislative approval.

President Lai also outlined Taiwan's strategy to strengthen economic ties with the United States, Japan, and the European Union, moving away from its previous economic reliance on China. He noted a significant shift in Taiwan's investment in China, which accounted for only 7.5 percent of total outbound investment in 2024, a dramatic drop from the 83.8 percent recorded in 2010.

In his address, Lai expressed Taiwan's intent to reinforce exchanges with allies and like-minded nations via the APPU and other platforms, while remaining open to equitable engagement with Beijing. The assembly was attended by Taiwanese lawmakers from various political parties and parliamentarians from Japan, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians' Union, originally founded as the Asian Parliamentarians' Union by former Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi in 1965, has since expanded to facilitate cooperation across the Asia-Pacific. Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu described the APPU as an "important bridge" for inter-parliamentary exchange and expressed Taiwan's eagerness to forge closer, mutually beneficial partnerships with member nations.

Han further urged the participating parliamentarians to support Taiwan's involvement in international organizations and events, asserting that Taiwan's inclusion would enhance global capabilities in addressing climate change, health crises, and economic volatility.