The Institute for National Defense and Security Research has invited international experts, including a former US ambassador and Australian defense minister, for its conference today to discuss Taiwan’s security amid the global security challenges posed by China’s rise.
Former US ambassador to UN Kelly Craft and former Australian minister for foreign affairs Marise Ann Payne are among the attendees at the event at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, the institute said in a statement.
The event would feature discussions on enhancing resilience against challenges to democracy, China’s long-term global strategy and the risks it represents to world security, and Taiwan’s significant role in global security, it said.
Screengrab from the Institute for National Defense and Security Research Web Site
Beijing’s weaponization of law and use of “gray zone” activities in the Taiwan Strait, the implications of the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts on emerging paradigms of modern warfare and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region would also be discussed, the institute said.
The institute has invited policy experts from the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the Philippines, France and the Czech Republic to take part in the conference, it said.
As the government think tank on security and defense matters, the institute hopes to facilitate discourse on threats to global security and coordinated actions toward defending peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.
UNDERWATER DRONE
Separately, the Hui Lung uncrewed midget submarine on Tuesday and yesterday was seen navigating under its own power in the waters near Port of Suao (蘇澳) in Yunlin County in a rare glimpse of the secretive project.
Jointly developed by the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and Lung Tech Shipbuilding, the Hui Lung underwater drone was nominally built as a demonstrator and test platform, but with obvious military potential.
The uncrewed midget sub was said to be 30m-long and have ‘a displacement of 100 tonnes.
Images obtained by a member of the public submitted to the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times) showed two camera devices each on the bow and stern of the drone, which was partially covered in black textiles, possibly to conceal sensitive equipment.
The uncrewed midget submarine’s hull was painted white with no visible railing or aperture.
The project reportedly delivered this prototype last year, suggesting that the vessel’s acceptance trials have commenced.
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