TAIPEI (Kyodo) -- Taiwan President Lai Ching-te vowed Monday to stand with democratic partners to "boost long-range supply chains and digital solidarity" to respond to the threats and challenges posed by expanding authoritarianism.

Lai told a two-day international forum in Taipei, "Through international cooperation, we hope to build an even more inclusive, resilient, prosperous Indo-Pacific, while jointly defending the democracy, freedom and peace we so firmly believe in."

The leader of the self-ruled island, which is claimed by mainland China, said in his speech to the Yushan Forum that Taiwan's strength in the semiconductor and other tech industries enables the territory to "play a key role in restructuring global democratic supply chains and economic order."

Lai, who has been condemned by Beijing as a separatist, has advocated the building of "non-red" supply chains with democratic partners to counter the threat of the China-led "red supply chain."

Since the two sides were separated in 1949 in a civil war, Communist-led China has considered Taiwan as an inalienable part of its territory and has been stepping up military pressure on the island.

Keiji Furuya, the head of a cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers dedicated to strengthening Tokyo-Taipei relations, told the forum that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are very important for global supply chains and security.

"In order to protect a free and open Indo-Pacific, we will continue to check China and safeguard peace in the Taiwan Strait with like-minded countries," Furuya said.