On February 16, 2025, Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by former White House Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger from the United States. During the meeting, Lai emphasized that Taiwan is facing complex security challenges and urged for joint efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s resilience against various threats. She pointed out that the recent damage and disturbance to Taiwan’s undersea cables serve as a concrete example of hybrid warfare intrusion.
Vice President Lai welcomed Pottinger and expressed her happiness at the release of his book “The Boiling Moat” in Chinese, providing more Taiwanese people with the opportunity to read it.
Lai highlighted that Taiwan is currently facing very complex security challenges, and it is the right of the public to understand and actively engage in the all-society defense resilience advocated by President Tsai Ing-wen. She hoped that under President Tsai’s leadership, more participation from the private sector will be solicited to enhance Taiwan’s resilience against various challenges.
Furthermore, Lai pointed out that the recent damage and disturbance to Taiwan’s undersea cables are a specific example of hybrid warfare intrusion. Given the diverse aspects involved in ensuring the resilience of telecommunications and other critical infrastructure related to social stability and prosperity, it requires the collective participation of the entire population.
“Taiwan is transitioning from past government mobilization to all-society participation. Considering the frequency of natural disasters in Taiwan and the challenges we may face in the future, the government has started to strengthen the resilience of telecommunications. In the past year, during several natural disasters and emergencies, some satellite communication systems have also been activated. The general public is gradually realizing that strengthening the resilience of communication networks contributes to economic prosperity and social stability,” said Lai.
Lai emphasized, “Awareness among the public about defense resilience is gradually increasing, but we still need to expand relevant dialogues and discussions. President Tsai’s invitation for representatives from all sectors of society to participate in the ‘All-Society Defense Resilience Committee’ is a crucial indicator that Taiwan is working to increase civilian engagement and gather professional opinions to continue promoting this important strategic dialogue.”