The seminar on October 24 kicked off the second round of the U.S.-Japan-Taiwan trialogue, which follows the U.S.-Japan security consultations held earlier this year. The four meetings during the first talks were held in Taipei, Tokyo and Washington between 2002 and 2004. The seminar was aimed at finding ways to build a security consultative mechanism among the three countries and exploring opportunities for trilateral collaboration in response to new political and economic developments taking place in the region.
In his opening remarks at the symposium, Secretary General of the Presidential Office Yu Shyi-kun urged the three sides to work together for regional security.
Randall Schriver, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said that in addition to countering China's threat from without, Taiwan must address challenges from within, according to . Specifically, he cited the legislative paralysis caused by inter-party rivalry.
Tomohito Shinoda, a professor at the International University of Japan, gave a speech explaining the changes taking place under the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and the impact that these changes are likely to have on Japan's political development.
Director for Foreign Policy Studies at the Taiwan Thinktank Lai I-chung focused on the economy, outlining recent economic trends in the Asia-Pacific region He proposed that the three nations strengthen economic ties. (Source: Taipei Journal, Nov. 3, 2005).