In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, APF Canada’s Vice-President Research & Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, sits down with two of the Foundation’s 2025 Indo-Pacific Research Fellows: Dr. Yujen Kuo, Director and Professor at the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies of National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan, and Don McLain Gill, Lecturer at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University in the Philippines.
Together, they explore the maritime security challenges facing Taiwan, the Philippines, and other Indo-Pacific economies, as well as the opportunities for Canada to deepen its engagement in the region through defence agreements and maritime intelligence sharing.
Dr. Kuo touches on Taiwan's security posture, and growing partnerships with Japan, the U.S., and Canada, along with the island’s contingency planning and the reliability of the U.S. as an ally in the region. Dr. McLain Gill highlights the Philippines' challenges with China's actions in its exclusive economic zone, emphasizing the need for robust regional and international attention with a focus on international maritime law and defence industrial co-operation.
The wide-ranging discussion also looks at domestic politics in Taiwan, Canada-Philippines relations, and the forward-looking research priorities of APF Canada’s two outgoing Indo-Pacific Research Fellows as we get ready to welcome a new cohort for 2026.
