Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen pitched Taiwan as the hinge of regional peace to a room of top global executives, a neutral-to-positive signal for anyone watching Taiwan's political direction and supply-chain risk.

• Lu spoke by video link to the 2026 Global Flashpoints Roundtable, the only speaker invited from Asia.
• She was introduced as a likely future leader of Taiwan, and fielded questions about how a 2028 leader should handle Beijing.
• Her line on China: no provocation, no surrender, stay prepared — build up defense while keeping talks open.
• She pushed a "Trust, Worth, Nexus" civil-defense idea, arguing national security should sit above party politics.
• The closed-door forum is run by New York consultancy Ergo, with Apple, Google, BlackRock, Meta and Boeing in the audience, so her remarks land straight in corporate and investor planning.

Outlook: Expect Lu to be treated increasingly as a 2028 presidential contender, with her cross-strait posture scrutinized by both Washington and Beijing.