President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) received a delegation from the U.S.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) at the Presidential Office on Thursday, September 24. Lai thanked FDD and its visiting members for their continued attention to Taiwan’s whole-of-society defense resilience and strong support for Taiwan through concrete action.

Lai welcomed FDD’s China Program Chairman Matt Pottinger, who served as a deputy national security advisor during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term. Pottinger delivered a closing keynote address at the recent international forum organized by the Presidential Office’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee. In it, he argued that seeking peace through strength is a necessary condition for sustaining Taiwan’s freedom and prosperity.

Lai said that Pottinger’s argument reflects exactly the direction in which Taiwan continues to push. He noted that the country’s freedom and prosperity affect not only the future of its people, but also the peace and stability in the entire Indo-Pacific region and the world at large. He said Taiwan has always believed that a stronger, more secure nation can make a greater contribution to the world.

Lai stated that Taiwan looks forward to future experience exchanges with its democratic partners to jointly enhance defense resilience. The country will continue building a diverse, decentralized communication system with backup capabilities and will work to deepen international partnerships.

In his remarks, Pottinger said he agrees with President Lai’s point that peace depends on strength, strength depends on resilience, and resilience depends on unity. He said the delegation’s visit, as well as a tabletop exercise they participated in, allowed them to see how Taiwan uses creative and resilient methods to maintain a secure communications environment, with training that is increasingly grounded in realistic scenarios. He noted that the training also incorporates practical resilience exercises involving broader public participation, helping to build confidence and strengthen deterrence. He expressed his eagerness to further engage with Taiwan on these topics in the future.