Taiwan is deepening law-enforcement ties with the US, Japan and Southeast Asian neighbors to fight drug trafficking, a neutral but notable step in regional security cooperation.

• Taiwan held its fifth annual cross-border anti-drug forum, bringing together its six main enforcement agencies and partners from the US, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines.
• Senior officials attended, including Taiwan's justice minister and the head of the American Institute in Taiwan, along with a US Drug Enforcement Administration director.
• Sessions covered drug-crime trends, cybercrime, dark-web markets and tracking dirty money and crypto payments used in online drug sales.
• One case study highlighted a joint Taiwan-US bust that seized 430 kilograms of cocaine, showing the payoff of shared intelligence and joint investigations.

Outlook: Taiwan plans to push a third-phase anti-drug strategy with more technology and international cooperation, extending its enforcement reach beyond its borders.