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TAEF BRIEF
April 22, 2022
No. 88 |
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CONTENT
-TAEF Updates
-TAEF Commentaries
-New Southbound Policy News
-Regional Headlines |
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TAEF Upcoming Event: 2022 Asia Disaster Prevention Forum |
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Date of Event: April 27, 2022
Co-organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF), the Taiwan Association of Disaster Prevention Industry, and Messe Frankfurt Taiwan Branch, the “2022 Asia Disaster Prevention Forum” will take place next Wednesday, April 27th at the Nangang International Exhibition Center in Taipei. The theme of this year's forum is "Public-Private Partnership and Regional Resilience Rebuilding under Climate Crisis".
The forum is inviting Vice-Premier of the Executive Yuan Mr. Shen Jong-chin, Director Wu-Tai Wu from the Office of Disaster Management of the Executive Yuan, Ambassador-at-Large Lin Chia-lung, and Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang of the National Fire Agency to deliver keynote speeches on pertinent topics such as disaster reduction, digital transformation, technology for disaster prevention, and international collaborations. The forum will be highlighted with a round-table discussion on regional resilience participated by representatives from Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Australia, who will not only share their unique experiences in disaster prevention but also visions for regional resilience building.
The forum will be live-streamed on TAEF’s Facebook page. Stay tuned!
For more information, check out our Facebook.
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The Economic Times
Foxconn Looks to Ramp Up Workforce on Higher Apple Orders, Key Licence |
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April 19, 2022
-Dr. Sana Hashmi, Visiting Fellow, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
Foxconn Hon Hai, the Taiwanese contract phone maker for Apple, plans to nearly double the headcount at its Chennai plant amid higher orders from the iPhone maker that is expected to post record numbers in 2022. Meanwhile, Apple has got the government’s clearance for denotifying 40 acres inside Foxconn plant premises near Chennai, which would allow the company to ramp up production for the domestic market.
Foxconn’s interest to scale up investments in India is in line with other Taiwanese companies that are eyeing other Southeast Asian countries, apart from China, to expand their manufacturing footprint, foreign policy expert Sana Hashmi told ET. “India is part of Taiwan’s new southbound policy,” she said. “The current lockdown in China is definitely hurting Taiwanese companies but the tension between China and Taiwan is the larger issue.”
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How can India and Taiwan Think Tanks Work Closer Together? |
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April 12, 2022
- Dr. Alan H. Yang, Executive Director, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
- Dr. Sana Hashmi, Visiting Fellow, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
Recent geopolitical alterations at regional and global levels have led to greater synergies between India and Taiwan, motivating them to reach out to each other. While India’s Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific vision include countries beyond East Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has launched a systematic and well-designed ‘New Southbound Policy’ to engage South and Southeast Asian countries, including India.
Yet hurdles remain in advancing the India-Taiwan ties—the absence of diplomatic relations deprives the two strategic communities of a long-term channel of communication. This is where think tanks could come into play.
The COVID-19 pandemic and China’s rising aggression, including the Galwan clashes, prompted the Indian strategic community to initiate meaningful discussions on India-Taiwan relations. Over the past two years, India and Taiwan felt the need to understand each other better; and, convened several webinars and dialogues. The problem is these think tanks events and conferences become standalone interactions. There is a strong need to formalize a network of think tanks where the thought leaders could communicate on a regular basis.
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Free Press Journal
"India Has Made It Apparent That QUAD is Here to Stay and India is An Indispensable Part of It"
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March 18, 2022
-Dr. Sana Hashmi, Visiting Fellow, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict has put the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly referred to as QUAD, under the limelight. Recently, Dr. Sana Hashmi, the Visiting Fellow at TAEF, sat down with Srikanth Thirumalai Kumara, an IB Diploma Programme student of Economics and Global Politics at Jamnabai Narsee International School in Mumbai, and discussed the real prospects of this revived strategy in helping India to rebalance its relationship with the US, China, and countries in the region.
In summary, Dr. Sana Hashmi thought that one has to understand that QUAD is not another Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) or G20-alike instrument; QUAD is a minilateral grouping that has been revived after a hiatus of ten years. Nor is QUAD an ‘anti-China’ alliance, as QUAD leaders have made it clear that they have come together with the very reason to maximize common interests and address their shared concerns—so does India. Against this backdrop, India’s non-alignment will not stop the country from cooperating with like-minded countries or discredit its commitment to regional peace and stability.
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NEW SOUTHBOUND POLICY NEWS |
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Taipei Times
Foundation to Bring Healthcare to Policy Countries
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April 20, 2022
A group of medical organizations inaugurated Medical Excellence Taiwan (MET) on April 19th, a foundation that aims to bring healthcare to countries included in the government’s New Southbound Policy.
Funded by 12 medical institutions, three associations, and four companies, MET was created to promote Taiwan’s medical services on the global stage. At the inaugural ceremony, Vice President William Lai expressed his hope that Taiwan’s medical industry could expand into the nations covered by President Tsai Ing-wen’s New Southbound Policy.
Medical institutions in Taiwan have treated over 510,000 people from policy countries since 2018, taking the initiative to provide health services and demonstrating Taiwan’s medical ability. As policy countries have strict regulations on medications and medical devices, it is difficult to gain approval from local medical entities without setting up medical institutions there to provide services directly. Therefore, Lai said that Taiwan should continue to improve its medical services, expand capacity, and deepen ties with other nations through medical services to help the industry expand into policy countries.
Read more
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Focus Taiwan
Greenpeace Protests for Distant Sea Migrant Fishermen Rights in Taiwan
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April 9, 2022
Global environmental campaigning network Greenpeace held a rally in front of the Fisheries Agency in downtown Taipei on April 8th to demand better pay and labor conditions for distant seas migrant fishermen working on Taiwan-owned boats.
According to Fisheries Agency data, Taiwan's distant-water fishing (DWF) fleet employs nearly 20,000 migrant fishermen, mostly from Indonesia and the Philippines. However, unlike fishermen employed in coastal and offshore fishing, the minimum monthly wage for migrant fishermen on DWF vessels is only US$450 -- nearly half the NT$25,250 (US$873.15) minimum for workers covered under Taiwan's Labor Standards Act, which does not currently cover migrant fishermen. Furthermore, according to Yuton Lee, oceans campaigner from Greenpeace East Asia's Taipei Office, migrant fishermen on DWF vessels are not fully entitled to the rights protected by international conventions, and measures to prevent forced labor on fishing vessels are inadequate.
Read more
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Nikkei Asia
Biden to Host ASEAN Leaders Summit at White House in May
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April 17, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden will host leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Washington next month for a summit.
The summit will commemorate 45 years of relations between the U.S. and the ASEAN nations. The gathering follows Biden's participation in an October 2021 summit where he announced $102 million in new initiatives to help these countries with COVID-19 and health security, climate change, economic growth, and gender equality.
"It is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration to serve as a strong, reliable partner in Southeast Asia," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
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Nikkei Asia
Indonesia's Russia Dilemma Raises Doubts About G20's Future
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April 13, 2022
Indonesia is in a tricky spot over the Group of 20.
If Russian President Vladimir Putin attends when the group's leaders meet in Bali in November, his counterparts from the United States and Europe are threatening to boycott. Even if they do turn up, the summit of major global economies will almost certainly be overshadowed by animus between Russia and those nations critical of its recent invasion of Ukraine.
In its role as chair, Indonesia has spent recent weeks scrambling behind the scenes to stop the G-20 meeting from falling apart. So far, its strategy mostly appears to be to deny there is a problem, saying it still plans to invite Russia.
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The Diplomat
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines Consider Expanding Sulu Sea Trilateral Patrols
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April 19, 2022
Last month, the defense ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines reiterated the potential for expansion of trilateral patrols in the Sulu Sea.
The Sulu-Sulawesi Seas – the one-million square kilometer tri-border area between the southern Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia – has been the focus of intensifying defense cooperation in order to stem transnational organized crime and terrorist threats. Following a spate of kidnappings by militant groups in mid-2016, the three countries forged a Trilateral Cooperative Agreement (TCA) in 2017 and into 2018, with maritime and air patrols and the setting up of hubs for operations in each country.
As the initiative took off, it sparked conversations about future ways to intensify aspects of the TCA.
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