site.btaForum in Sofia Discusses Disinformation, Supply Chains and Strengthening Taiwan-EU Relations
At a forum here on Thursday, experts discussed disinformation and strengthening resilience in supply chains in relations between Taiwan and the European Union (EU). The international conference was organized by the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria in partnership with the Taipei Representative Office in Greece and the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking at the opening of the forum, Atlantic Club President Solomon Passy said that all democracies are responsible for each other. According to him, this means that Bulgaria is responsible for Taiwan, the EU is responsible for Taiwan, and vice versa. Taiwan is also responsible for other democracies around the world, Passy added.
Calvin Chen-huan Ho, head of the Taiwanese representation in Greece, said that democracy is not just a system: it is a way of life. Taiwan is ready to join the EU to protect this path from the spread of authoritarianism, he also said. Taiwan is a global leader in semiconductors, information and communication technologies, and green technologies. It plays a key role in the semiconductor supply chain and is ready to cooperate with friendly partners to achieve sustainable development goals. This represents a clear opportunity for cooperation between Taiwan and the EU, Calvin Chen-huan Ho commented. Taiwan has suffered a massive information attack from external factors, he went on to say. It is ready to share with the EU the experience accumulated in countering fake news, deepfakes, and manipulation on social media.
Yavor Bozhankov, MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, said that false information, lies and disinformation should be met with an active response. “We must admit that, as politicians, we have limited opportunities to influence. We must seek allies because these types of regimes - Russia and Iran - cooperate with each other. The only way to deal with these problems is to unite,” added the MP.
Vassil Karaivanov, Chair of the Management Board at Sofia Tech Park AD, said that supply chains are very strategic, both politically and economically. He added that the latest report from the European Commission indicates that Europe's production capacity is increasing and currently accounts for around 9% of total global chip production. He emphasized the importance of Europe maintaining good relations and exchanging knowledge and investments to develop more stable and sustainable supply chains.
Brendon Zhan, an analyst at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a reminder how dangerous concentrated dependencies can be. He added that Taiwan is at the heart of the global semiconductor industry and any disruption in the Taiwan Strait would send shock waves through all major supply chains. Countries need to consider how to make their economies resilient enough to withstand such a shock, whether from Russian energy weapons or Chinese economic or technological pressure.
Former MP Dimitar Chukarski said: “It is hard for me to admit, but in our country, a lot of people were pro-Russian. After the war in Ukraine started, they were ashamed to admit it, so 99% of them switched to being pro-China.”
Ruslan Trad, a security researcher at the Atlantic Council said that people talk about disinformation mainly during election periods, but it does not occur only then; it is a constant process. According to him, the budgets for combating disinformation are not that large.
Macroeconomist Arkadi Sharkov said: “We need information about why we rely on Taiwan and why, and then we can start fighting Chinese disinformation.” He added that Russia relies on the hearts and minds of the people because they have been told that Russia liberated Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. He added that young people need to realize how much we rely on Taiwan.
Artificial intelligence expert Miroslav Yanev said when talking about disinformation, cyber and digital security should also be discussed. “We must teach our children digital security,” he added.
/DS/
Additional
news.modal.image.header
news.modal.image.text
news.modal.download.header
news.modal.download.text
news.modal.header
news.modal.text