Taipei: Former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and former Slovenian Prime Minister Ivan Janša are set to speak at the annual Yushan Forum in Taipei, which will take place from Monday to Tuesday, as announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Sunday.
According to Focus Taiwan, other prominent figures to appear at the Taiwan government-funded event include Czech Republic Senator Pavel Fischer, former Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga, and former Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomenas. The forum will also feature former Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement and veteran Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya, who chairs the Japan-ROC Diet Members' Consultative Council.
President Lai Ching-te and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim are scheduled to speak at the forum on Monday. The eighth edition of the Yushan Forum aims to broaden the scope of Taiwan's New Southbound Policy to include more global partners.
The New Southbound Policy, initiated by former President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, was designed to enhance trade, investment, and people-to-people connections with 18 countries that do not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The countries initially targeted by the policy include Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Australia, and New Zealand.
This year's forum will be held under the theme "New Southbound Policy+: Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific, and a New World." MOFA stated that this year's event aims to engage more like-minded partners in discussions about how Taiwan is utilizing smart, digital, and innovative solutions to drive the "Digital New Southbound Policy."
