December 9th, 2023

Taiwan Center for Security Studies (TCSS) in cooperation with Japan’s St. Andrews University, organized the workshop “The Structural Shift of Geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific: Implications of Japan’s Security Strategy for the Region” on December 9, 2023. More than 20 scholars and experts in the field were invited to engage in the discussion.

Dr. Fu-Kuo Liu, Director of TCSS and Dr. Masahiro Matsumura, Professor of St. Andrews University delivered the opening remarks to welcome friends and colleagues from here and abroad. They emphasized the workshop this year will generate a new path for further cooperation on security policy research and publication. Admiral Yeong-Kang Chen led the discussion on “Intensifying US-China Rivalry: Impacts on Regional Security and Regional Response”. This session focused on Japan’s new national security strategy, emphasizing the need to strengthen defense capabilities and highlighting the importance of the Japan-US alliance, especially in the context of potential challenges in the Taiwan Strait. It also touched upon the Indo-Pacific region’s dynamics, including US-China strategic competition, Taiwan’s security challenges, and the significance of the Japan-US security treaty in the event of a Taiwan contingency.

Further on, Dr. Mignonne Man-Jung Chan opened the second session on the topic of “G7 Summit diplomatic deterrence of China expansion”. The content covered issues including the role of multilateralism and multilateralism in international relations, cybersecurity cooperation possibilities between Japan and Taiwan, Japan’s increasing support for Taiwan’s security, and the implications of G7 dynamics on Taiwan’s global standing.

The last session featured “NATO moving eastward: shaping a new regional security architecture” was moderated by Major General Juichou Richard Hu. The presentations discussed Japan’s evolving alignment with NATO for soft balancing against China amid the accelerating decline of U.S. military hegemony. Raising examples such as Japan’s shift toward hard balancing, its evolving approach in the Indo-Pacific, and explored the challenges and opportunities for India in the context of NATO’s outreach and potential cooperation. The meeting concluded with momentous discussion, both parties agreed to develop future publishing opportunities and further engagement in the years to come.