Source: Republic of China Taiwan
On the afternoon of July 7, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation from the 2026 Taiwan International Ocean Forum (TIOF). In remarks, President Lai stated that in the face of maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, deepening transnational cooperation and jointly enhancing maritime resilience mark the direction all countries must work toward together. The president said that Taiwan will continue to share experiences with other countries and establish closer and more efficient mechanisms for cooperation in areas such as maritime law enforcement, maritime search and rescue, and the protection of undersea infrastructure to jointly safeguard free, open, and secure oceans.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
The 2026 TIOF will be held tomorrow and the day after. Today, I am delighted to welcome our distinguished guests to the Presidential Office. I would also like to express my gratitude to everyone who traveled from afar to conduct exchanges addressing maritime issues together.
Maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region is now facing unprecedented challenges, including the increasing frequency of gray-zone aggression, the rising number of maritime law enforcement conflicts, and the risk of damage to critical infrastructure such as undersea cables. All of these challenges indicate that maritime security is no longer just an issue for coastal states, but a critical issue closely related to global peace and prosperity. Taiwan sincerely thanks the Group of Seven for reiterating last month the importance of establishing a free and open Indo-Pacific region based on the rule of law, and opposing any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas and across the Taiwan Strait by force or coercion.
To maintain regional peace and stability, and in line with this year’s theme of “Maritime Resilience,” we firmly believe that the direction all countries must work toward is deepening transnational cooperation and jointly enhancing resilience to respond to new types of threats. Taiwan will also actively strengthen various response measures. Last month, our Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee conducted a tabletop exercise at the Presidential Office focused on gray-zone aggression and high-intensity maritime coercion to verify the emergency response capabilities of the government and the private sector. In the future, Taiwan will continue to share experiences with other countries, and work together to establish closer and more efficient mechanisms for cooperation in areas such as maritime law enforcement, maritime search and rescue, and the protection of undersea infrastructure.
Taiwan is an indispensable partner in promoting global ocean sustainability. Regarding the Our Ocean Conference held last month, Taiwan was unable to participate due to unreasonable political interference. I want to emphasize that the ocean knows no borders, and ocean governance should not be constrained by political factors. Taiwan’s determination to engage with the world will not change, and we will continue to contribute our efforts toward promoting cooperation on ocean affairs.
The TIOF is an important link between Taiwan and the world. This year, participants from 15 countries, including over 100 experts from the industrial, government, academic, and research sectors, along with international legislators, will be in attendance. This visit by our distinguished guests represents firm support for Taiwan. In addition to wishing this forum great success, I also hope that we will continue to move forward side by side with other nations, jointly safeguarding free, open, and secure oceans and promoting global peace, prosperity, and development.
Member of the Dutch House of Representatives Jan Paternotte then delivered remarks, saying that he represents not only the Netherlands, but also over 300 Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) legislators from 45 IPAC countries who, like him, are concerned with Taiwan’s security and prosperity. He indicated that this month marks 10 years since the 2016 South China Sea arbitral award, and it is therefore proper and fitting that Taiwan is the host of this week’s forum, as the Taiwan Strait is where freedom of navigation has to be reasserted continuously.
Mr. Paternotte then stated that this year, the world has experienced why freedom of navigation has not just been established as a legal right for all nations for over 100 years, but why it is pivotal to preserve that freedom for the world’s prosperity and energy security. Upholding Taiwan’s status quo, security, and freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait is a priority issue for IPAC, he said, and the delegation is pleased to discuss practical steps during the next day’s forum in line with IPAC’s Operation MIST and Initiative 2758, stressing the importance of strengthening Taiwan’s resilience through international cooperation, including that in maritime security.
Mr. Paternotte said that he is aware that for some of his colleagues, standing here in the Presidential Office carries a cost. He explained that in 2021, APT31, a hacking group associated with Chinese state security, targeted the email accounts of every European Union IPAC member. In addition, he said that Chinese diplomats have pressured legislators not to attend IPAC summits, and that delegations to Taiwan have drawn protests, threats, and sanctions. But they are here anyway, he said, and that is precisely the point.
Noting that President Lai has said that Taiwan stands on the frontlines of the democratic world and is determined to defend democracy, Mr. Paternotte added that the president has also spoken of a democratic umbrella held up together by partners who share this commitment. Mr. Paternotte said that the delegation is here because they hold that umbrella with President Lai and the people of Taiwan.