Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) hosted a U.S. cybersecurity business development mission on Monday, emphasizing that cybersecurity is a national security issue and Taiwan wants to share its experiences with others. other democracies.
Led by Laurie E. Locascio, director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the mission includes representatives from 13 U.S. companies active in cybersecurity.
In her welcome speech, Tsai said that since taking office, she has viewed cybersecurity as a national security issue and has facilitated various collaborative efforts between Taiwan and the United States to address the issue.
“For example, in April, a delegation from Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs traveled to the United States to participate in the RSA (information technology security) conference, where they also met with representatives from NIST ” Tsai said.
In May, the first Taiwan-US science and technology cooperation dialogue was held, marking the first high-level political exchange on the topic since the signing of the science and technology cooperation agreement in late 2020, added Tsai.
Tsai also welcomed the deepening economic and trade partnership between the two countries.
“The first agreement under the Taiwan-US 21st Century Trade Initiative was signed in June, marking a new milestone in our economic and trade relations… We (also) look forward to the signing of the agreement to avoid double taxation as soon as possible. This would enable even closer industrial collaboration,” she said.
Locascio said representatives from the 13 companies participating in the mission looked forward to meeting their counterparts from Taiwan’s leading critical infrastructure and information and communications technology security providers to foster increased business engagement.
Praising Tsai’s commitment to the issue of cybersecurity since the start of her presidency, Locascio said she looked forward to meeting with Minister Audrey Tang (唐鳳) of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, which Locascio said created , is proof of Tsai’s unwavering efforts in addressing cybersecurity issues.
Locascio stressed that all economies have “an inherent interest in cybersecurity and the protection of their citizens as well as the public and private sectors against unwanted hacking, surveillance and theft of proprietary and personal data.”
The Biden administration released the National Cybersecurity Strategy in March this year, which prioritizes international engagement with like-minded partners and friends, the NIST director said.
During her visit, she said she hoped to discuss with officials and businesses ways to strengthen “collective cybersecurity capabilities” and further encourage private sector adoption of proven standards, guidelines and practices in terms of cybersecurity.
NIST has developed cybersecurity standards, guidelines and best practices and other resources to meet the needs of industries, the U.S. government, international partners and the general public, according to the director.
She welcomed engagement with Taiwanese experts on the updated NIST Cybersecurity Framework, released last month, to ensure it continues to be a useful tool for all to manage cybersecurity risks.
The mission is expected to participate in US Business Day, a cybersecurity forum, as well as meetings with government and business officials to discuss ways to address cybersecurity challenges.
Monday’s meeting at the Presidential Office was also attended by U.S. Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Asia Pamela Phan, Taiwan Vice Foreign Minister Remus Li-Kuo Chen (陳立國) , the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, Sandra Oudkirk, and the Taiwan National Security Council. Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄).
