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The 2025 Asia Disaster Prevention Summit, co-hosted by the Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF) and the Taiwan Association of Disaster Prevention Industry (TADPI), was successfully held today at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center as part of the Secutech 2025. Centered around the theme “Enabling the NSP Resilience Corridor – Prospects and Actions,” the event brought together stakeholders from government, international organizations, and the private sector to share practices and collaborate on future disaster resilience strategies across the region.
Opening Ceremony
The summit opened with remarks by Dr. Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao, Chairman of TAEF, followed by speeches from Director-General Huanzhang Hsiao of Taiwan’s National Fire Agency and Fire Chief Superintendent Wilberto Rico Neil A. Kwan Tiu of the Philippines’ Bureau of Fire Protection.
Dr. Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao, Chairman of the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF) emphasized the urgent need for cross-border collaboration to address increasingly complex and transboundary natural disasters driven by climate change. “Disaster risk reduction is no longer the responsibility of a single country—it is a shared duty,” they stated. Under this year's summit's theme, Taiwan reaffirmed its commitment to deepening regional partnerships through the NSP+ framework, which encompasses disaster governance, humanitarian assistance, health, technology, and sustainability. Citing Taiwan’s advancements in GIS mapping, early warning systems, and drone surveillance, the speaker called for joint action to build a Resilience Corridor—one grounded in trust, shared expertise, and inclusive transformation. “True resilience is rooted in long-term support among partners,” they concluded, calling on all sectors to shape a safer and more sustainable Indo-Pacific together.
Director-General Huanzhang Hsiao of Taiwan’s National Fire Agency emphasized that natural disasters are not only a pressing local concern but also a shared global challenge that demands international cooperation. “We must work together,” he noted, “to strengthen disaster preparedness and response through joint efforts.” He highlighted Taiwan’s existing collaboration efforts, including the training center in Nantou and ongoing discussions with Indonesia for joint training and exercises. Recalling this year’s engagement in Yilan and the regional tsunami threats linked to Japan, he expressed hope to host international experts in Taiwan for future joint exercises. Citing the 2023 Türkiye earthquake, he underscored the importance of cross-border coordination in rescue operations and aligning training with operational frameworks under shared legal principles. “Taiwan’s emergency management systems are robust, particularly at the local level,” he added, “but we must continue to seek the best solutions and enhance our collaborative capacity.” He concluded by pledging to share Taiwan’s best practices in training exercises and thanking participants for their engagement.
Fire Chief Superintendent Wilberto Rico Neil A. Kwan Tiu of the Philippines’ Bureau of Fire Protection, expressed gratitude to Taiwan for its continued support in capacity building and regional cooperation. “We are the ones grateful to Taiwan for enabling our agency to engage in this important platform,” he stated. Highlighting the Philippines’ vulnerability as part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, he emphasized shared regional threats such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons—citing disasters in Japan, Nepal, Myanmar, and Taiwan. He underscored the role of national legislation like PD 1566 in strengthening disaster response at both national and local levels, including community engagement. Kwan Tiu also outlined the Philippines’ global collaborations with partners including the United States, EU, Japan, Korea’s Gyeonggi-do, Singapore, and CRDF Global.
Thematic Sessions
The forum proceeds to feature four key thematic sessions. Dr. Alan Hao Yang, Executive Director of the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF), opened the thematic sessions emphasizing the need to translate vision into action under this year’s theme, “Prospects and Actions.” “We prioritize action over prospect,” Dr. Alan Hao Yang stated, outlining a framework for the Resilience Corridor that builds on Taiwan’s eight years of progress under former President Tsai Ing-wen’s multi-framework diplomacy. He highlighted Taiwan’s unique PPPP approach—Public, Private, People, and Partnership—as a cross-sectoral model enabling whole-of-society resilience. “This goes beyond disaster prevention—it’s about public awareness and stakeholder engagement,” he said, aligning Taiwan’s efforts with regional best practices. Dr. Yang also recognized the National Fire Agency Training Center in Zhushan and its expanded role in bilateral cooperation with the Philippines, and praised the integration of smart technology, as introduced by General Manager Cheng. “Today’s venue marks a starting point for deeper collaboration and better practice,” he concluded.
In the session "Firefighting without Borders – Taiwan’s Role in International Disaster Relief," Director-General Huanzhang Hsiao highlighted Taiwan’s expanding global engagement in disaster training and cooperation. He underscored the importance of joint operations, international certification, and cross-sector exchange. ( From Taiwan-Fiji collaborations to upcoming large-scale exercises with Japan in Yilan, Hsiao detailed ongoing initiatives such as the Taiwan-Philippines MOU, Vietnam and Sri Lanka firefighting workshops, and the NFA’s new international training center. Superintendent Kwan Tiu of the Philippines shared regional insights in "International Cooperation & Case Studies: Experiences from the Philippines in Regional Disaster Management," noting that “we share the same challenges and disasters,” from earthquakes in Japan and Nepal to typhoons in the Indian Ocean. He emphasized grassroots capacity-building and boundaryless partnerships with the U.S., EU, Korea, and others. In the session on Industry Development, Secretary-General Shao-Wei Huang stressed the importance of science and innovation, stating, “We cannot prevent disasters from happening, but what we can do is increase our resilience—we can become the center of resilience and expand.” He introduced the Thailand-Taiwan Innovation Alliance and SDG-aligned policy tools. Finally, in the Technology Applications segment, Mr. Hanson Chen, General Manager of Global Power Technologies, showcased AI-powered dashboards, XR training tools, and real-time risk location systems, pushing forward Taiwan’s vision of a smart, tech-enabled disaster response ecosystem.
Roundtable Discussions
Lastly, in a roundtable moderated by Dr. Alan H. Yang, Executive Director of TAEF, experts from government and industry offered actionable insights on advancing the NSP Resilience Corridor. Director-General Hsiao of the National Fire Agency emphasized that “bottom-up is the best way to cooperate in disaster prevention—it’s the way forward,” highlighting the need for locally grounded training systems. General Kwan Tiu echoed the importance of grassroots engagement, stating that “community involvement is key to disaster management,” especially when managed by local governments. Chih Hsien Lee, Representative and Chairperson of the Strengthening and Corporate Resilience Commission, Taiwan Association of Disaster Prevention Industry. underscored the need to “see globally, act locally,” drawing from cross-border training experiences in the Philippines, Myanmar, and Thailand. Emphasizing the role of technology, Mr. Hanson Chen added, “We must adapt our training methods in the AI era,” advocating for the use of AI, XR, and VR to modernize disaster preparedness and enhance data sharing with the public.
The summit this year welcomed a diverse array of participants from various sectors, including representatives from the Taipei Representative Offices in Poland, the Philippines, United Kingdom, Thailand, the Netherlands, Belgium, Brunei, India, and Malaysia. In addition to government officials and diplomatic representatives, the summit also engaged stakeholders from the private sector, emergency response agencies, technology innovators, academic institutions, and civil society organizations.
This inclusive participation underscores Taiwan’s steadfast commitment to advancing the New Southbound Policy (NSP) and enhancing regional disaster preparedness. TAEF looks forward to deepening these partnerships in building a more resilient Asia through the NSP Resilience Corridor.
