Taipei: Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Matt Schlapp, who previously served as the political director for United States President George W. Bush, are among the key speakers slated to address a security forum in Taipei on Wednesday, as announced by the event's organizers on Monday. Morrison, who held office as the 30th Australian prime minister from 2018 to 2022, alongside Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, will be accompanied by other former American officials, including Van D. Hipp Jr., a former U.S. Army deputy assistant secretary, and Peter Su, the former Taiwan country director at the Pentagon's Office of Secretary of Defense.

According to Focus Taiwan, the 2025 Taipei Security Dialogue is organized by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) and aims to gather experts and leaders from countries such as the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Australia. The forum will focus on the threat posed by China to peace in the Indo-Pacific region, as stated by the Taiwan military-funded think tank.

The one-day seminar in Taipei will also feature Takahiro Sasaki, a retired rear admiral of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force; Karsten Schneider, a retired rear admiral of the German Navy; and Peter Olive, a former commodore in the Royal Navy. The event will cover a variety of topics, including social resilience, defense deterrence, and the impact of new technologies like AI and Unmanned Aircraft Systems as instruments of warfare.

The scholars and opinion leaders participating in the seminar are expected to provide insights and suggestions on how democracies can collaboratively build consensus and strengthen cooperation to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.