TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Experts from various fields convened on Tuesday (July 4) at the Deep Water Geostrategy Forum, facilitating an insightful exchange about Taiwan's security outlook and regional stability. The comprehensive discussions encompassed China's global projection of power, critical technologies, geopolitical risk, and the enduring facets of Taiwan's democracy and resilience.
Columnists, research fellows, CEOs, and founders of enterprises from diverse sectors shed light on technological investments and discussed Taiwan's geopolitical significance in the face of China's imminent threat.
Former Legislator Jason Hsu hopes through the discussions, ideas from a wide range of perspectives around the world can create a conversation on Taiwan's security, and discuss building up resilience capabilities for Taiwan, to safeguard regional stability and democracy.
During the panel discussion, experts emphasized that Taiwan could come under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) without an actual war. They highlighted how the CCP exploits democratic principles, such as freedom of speech, to manipulate public opinion and sow divisions within Taiwanese society, particularly leading up to the upcoming presidential election 2024.
Regardless of which party assumes power, one thing remains clear: Xi Jinping has his agenda, and Taiwan must prudently evaluate the CCP's progress to safeguard its democracy.
In an interview after the forum, Fu-kuo Liu, an international relations research fellow at NCCU, emphasized how Taiwan is currently at a critical moment leading up to the election, with public opinion leading toward peace and considering the different timeframes across the Taiwan Strait.
"Many Taiwanese are considering the time pressure is on our side; we need to quickly direct in the right direction, while China is more comfortable, they can wait. The time is on their side, Liu said. "But basically, they are waiting for political transformation in Taiwan."
Regarding the tech industry and startup companies, Jeremy Hitchcock, Co-founder of New North Ventures, said in an interview after the forum that companies in the semiconductor ecosystem want to be in Taiwan "because there is that level of expertise." But it's harder to say whether or not that comes with the political side of safety. And startups are more "thoughtful" of geographic politics.
"I think it's naive to say that companies can ignore all the political aspects that take place, they know on the contrary, they need to be better prepared, they need to be thoughtful about what types of events can happen," Hitchcock said.
