TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) met with a delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy on Monday to discuss regional stability across the Taiwan Strait, according to a press release.

Founded in 1974, the NCAFP is a nonpartisan organization focused on conflict resolution in areas that affect US interests. The group brings together scholars and foreign policy experts for forums and publishes the bimonthly journal, American Foreign Policy Interests.

Hsiao told the delegation that Taiwan faces escalating external challenges and threats and will respond by increasing its defense budget and pursuing institutional reforms to strengthen self-defense. She said she hopes the international community will continue to highlight the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

She thanked the group for its long-standing attention to security in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region, saying the NCAFP has long understood the dangers of poor communication and has worked to support dialogue among all parties.

Hsiao added that she has taken part in NCAFP-organized dialogues for many years and values each exchange. She said every invitation provides an opportunity to communicate and reduce miscalculations and misunderstandings.

The vice president said Taiwan is facing unprecedented challenges, citing rising external threats as Chinese military activities increasingly target Japan and the broader South China Sea. She noted continued gray-zone incursions, as well as legal, psychological, and cognitive warfare, which she said have raised international concern.

Hsiao reiterated that Taiwan remains committed to self-defense. She pointed to President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) announcement of an increased defense budget and efforts to push necessary reforms within the military.

The NCAFP delegation included Susan M. Elliott, the group’s president; Susan A. Thornton, director of the Asia-Pacific Security Forum; and Raymond F. Burghardt, director of the Pacific Century Institute. Hsiao was joined at the meeting by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺). The meeting was held at the Presidential Office.