Taipei: The Presidential Office is set to host an international forum this weekend, with approximately 500 defense experts, officials, and business representatives gathering to discuss the concept of whole-of-society resilience and assess Taiwan's preparedness in the face of threats from China. According to Focus Taiwan, the event, titled the Resilient Taiwan for Sustainable Democracy International Forum, will be held on Saturday at the Grand Hyatt Taipei.
The forum will address various topics including defense resilience preparedness, civil-military integration, psychological defense, maritime resilience, cybersecurity, gray-zone activities response, and protection of critical infrastructure. Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey is scheduled to deliver the opening keynote on adapting democracies to modern warfare and emerging threats.
American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene and UK Representative to Taiwan Ruth Bradley-Jones will provide insights on Taiwan's efforts to enhance whole-of-society defense resilience. The forum will conclude with a discussion featuring National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu alongside former U.S. deputy national security advisors Matt Pottinger and Anne Neuberger. They aim to evaluate Taiwan's defense readiness and international security cooperation.
Another key focus of the forum is to highlight the efforts by the Taiwan government, civil society, and private sector in promoting whole-of-society resilience against natural disasters, hybrid threats, information manipulation, and critical infrastructure threats over the past two years. The discussions will explore Taiwan's transition into a significant international partner in these domains.
The Presidential Office emphasized the significance of the event, noting the anticipated participation of international security experts and officials ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This participation reflects the international community's commitment to peace across the Taiwan Strait.
International participants 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.