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TAEF BRIEF
April 10, 2022
No. 87 |
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CONTENT
-TAEF Updates
-TAEF Commentaries
-New Southbound Policy News
-Regional Headlines |
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Dr. Sana Hashmi Spoke at Webinar “India-Taiwan: Opportunities for Investment” |
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April 8, 2022
India and Taiwan have a lot in common. Both of them are democracies, and the technology industries are booming. In recent years, Taiwan is exploring its investment destination, and India is fulfilling its “Make-in-India” plan with the help of technology sectors. These factors boost Taiwanese investments in India. Moreover, India is not only a crucial partner in Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy (NSP) but also brings commercial opportunities to deepen bilateral relationships. Dr. Sana Hashmi, Visiting Fellow at TAEF, was invited to contribute her opinions on the above issues at an online webinar “India-Taiwan: Opportunities for Investment” moderated by Konark Bhandari, Carnegie India, and joined by BV Naidu, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, Anku Jain, MediaTek India, and Stanley Wang, Institute for Information Industry.
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TAEF and NCCU Cohosted the 2022 Southeast Asian Film Festival “Reflecting the Homeland” |
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April 7, 2022
Taiwan is an island located in a special geographical position, connecting Southeast Asia. Yet, rather than the familiarity with Western culture, the people who live on this island are so strange to the culture they live with. To promote thinking and debate on Inter-Asia cultural studies in a university setting, TAEF is honored to partner with the International Master’s Program in Inter-Asia Cultural Studies and the College of Communication both at National Chengchi University to cohost a film festival titled “Reflecting the Homeland,” where nine cinematic works from Taiwan and Southeast Asia will be screened and discussed by film directors, film critics, and scholars in Southeast Asian studies.
The films will cover a wide range of topics, including the Lao New Wave in the form of a romantic comedy, the colonial/post-colonial diaspora and identity in the documentaries, the modern nonentity in an experimental film, and interracial and interclass issues in Asia. The films encourage the audience to think again about who we are? How do I define my nation and country? In addition, we can learn from the way the local film industry helps and cooperates with each other by observing the abundant creativity of Southeast Asian countries.
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TAEF Brought NSP to High School Students |
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April 7, 2022
TAEF’s assistant research fellow Vivian Mu-Yi Lee was invited to Taipei Municipal Datong High School to give a speech on the New Southbound Policy (NSP), socio-cultural diversity in the ASEAN, and migrant workers in Taiwan. In her talk, Vivian focused on her recent research at TAEF and previous experience at Refuge, the largest domestic violence service provider in the UK. In familiarizing Taiwan’s high school students with the New Southbound Policy, Vivian explained that such a crucial strategic policy has full potential to go beyond trade and economy, to further its “people-centered” agenda in connecting with the global community, and to address the challenges migrants have been faced within Taiwan. As Vivian suggested, it is crucial for us to rethink our relationship with new immigrants and migrant workers because they will be a key part of Taiwan's future beauty.
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Radio Free Asia
With an Eye on China, Japan Plans 2+2 Talks with Philippines, India |
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April 1, 2022
When Japanese Prime Minister Kishida visited India last month, Japan and India also agreed to hold what would be their second two-plus-two meeting “at an early date.” But the timing of the meeting has not been decided, either, Japan says. Both Japan and India are members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) and important players in the Indo-Pacific so “it is only natural for India to also interact with Japan for two-plus-two,” said Dr. Sana Hashmi, Visiting Fellow at TAEF.
“Two-plus-two talks demonstrate the level of engagement and the willingness to strengthen the partnership by both sides,” Hashmi said, adding: “Of course, China’s aggression is a factor in countries’ willingness to advance ties, but India-Japan relations are multifaceted and two-plus-two dialogue is a part of this multifaceted engagement.” Besides the Philippines and India, Japan has held two-plus-two security talks with the United States, Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Indonesia and Russia.
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Taipei Times
India-Taiwan Ties Need More Focus |
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March 31, 2022
-Dr. Sana Hashmi, Visiting Fellow, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
India-Taiwan relations hold immense potential, but still suffer from a lack of consistent attention. From both sides, there is an acknowledgement of merit in engaging each other, but a sustained focus is missing. Taiwan began to recalibrate its India policy in 2020-2021, and it did pay off. From the use of social media to Taiwan providing aid to India during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan began to engage India meaningfully, and this was very-well reciprocated by Indians. That Taiwan is viewed favorably among Indians is not an overstatement.
First, sending early career diplomats for language training to Taiwan instead of China showcases a change in India’s perception of Taiwan. Second, Indian Representative to Taiwan Gourangagalal Das and the India-Taipei Association have been working tirelessly to strengthen cooperation in areas such as economics, culture, science and technology, as well as civil interactions. Third, India’s strategic community is far more forthcoming toward Taiwan than it has ever been in the past 30 years. More dialogues with the strategic community in Taiwan and efforts to include Taiwan in India’s strategic discourse is a case in point. There is a genuine attempt to understand Taiwan and minimize the China factor.
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A24 News Agency
Taiwan-South China Sea Tensions, Security Issues Bring ASEAN, G7 Closer |
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February 25, 2022
International geopolitics is now facing several changing factors, including relevant countries’ positions towards China. In the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. president Biden was strongly hopeful that Beijing did not engage in Russia. At the G7 summit last December, the seven countries and ASEAN discussed issues sharing their common interests such as South China Sea issue, the Indo-Pacific situation, and infrastructure cooperation. In addition, G7’s relationship with ASEAN countries has attracted the public's attention, showing the rising of anti-China sentiment and insecurity in the region.
Over this issue, TAEF was interviewed by a Dubai-based media A24 News Agency, to analyze the significance of this G7-ASEAN meeting, and the attitudes of Southeast Asian countries towards Beijing. According to Dr. Alan Yang, the Executive Director of TAEF, ASEAN countries, such as Vietnam and the Philippines, have benefitted from trading with China, but these countries still believe that sovereignty prioritizes any other national interests. Therefore, these countries may face threats from China constantly. Dr. Sana Hashmi, Visiting Fellow at TAEF, continued to suggest that the South China Sea issue has lasted for a long time. Although it’s hard to draw any conclusion in the negotiation, this G7-ASEAN summit over the issue is still a landmark.
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NEW SOUTHBOUND POLICY NEWS |
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Taipei Times
E-health Forging New Opportunities
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March 26, 2022
The digital New Southbound Policy is a national strategic plan based on Taiwan’s economic development needs and the principle of diversified development, combining the nation’s strengths in industry, government, academia, and research to increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The information and communications technology (ICT) industry is also one of Taiwan’s strengths, as is healthcare. ASEAN countries also have long-standing problems of insufficient healthcare labor and uneven distribution of health workers between urban and rural areas. These conditions also offer opportunities for Taiwan.
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Taipei Times
Taiwan’s Place in Biden’s Strategy
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March 13, 2022
Is US President Joe Biden’s Taiwan policy a continuation of his predecessor’s vision? Yes, but the US Indo-Pacific Strategy the Biden administration publicized last month communicates a more comprehensive stance on Taiwan. Trump underscored that the US’ “vision and approach in the Indo-Pacific region” closely aligned with Taipei’s New Southbound Policy. This assertion is missing in Biden’s strategy, perhaps because the US aimed to make this grand design more succinct with its promises, objectives and “core lines of effort.”
The Biden administration is expected to bring its Indo-Pacific Strategy more in line with the New Southbound Policy by carving out joint programs to advance cooperation with Taiwan. The US should seek to facilitate stronger ties between Taiwan and India, Australia and Southeast Asian countries, given Washington’s strategy of bolstering ties with these leading partners. Nontraditional security issues, such as climate change, healthcare and technology sharing, are priorities of ASEAN countries, covered in the strategies of Taiwan and the US, and therefore are well worth multilateral cooperation.
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The Manila Times
Close Collaboration Urged between ASEAN Members
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April 10, 2022
Amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd has advocated for strong cooperation among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member countries.
During a series of meetings of Asean Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held Friday, he said the crisis in Ukraine will undoubtedly amplify the dislocations created by the world's two-year battle with the Covid-19 pandemic. It expands the risk horizon and exacerbates supply chain issues.
He said that the situation in Ukraine causes inflationary pressures in all nations, and that the longer the conflict continues, the more pressure there will be for consumer prices to rise in all countries.
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The Diplomat
World Bank Shaves 2022 Growth Projections for Southeast Asia
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April 6, 2022
The World Bank has downgraded its growth projections for Southeast Asia, due to “multiple shocks” in the global economy, including the war in Ukraine. In its latest economic outlook for the East Asia and the Pacific, released yesterday, the World Bank forecast region-wide growth of 5 percent this year, down from a forecast of 5.4 percent in its last outlook in October. Its “low case” scenario foresees growth dipping to 4 percent in 2022.
“Just as the economies of East Asia and the Pacific were recovering from the pandemic-induced shock, the war in Ukraine is weighing on growth momentum,” Manuela Ferro, the World Bank’s vice president for East Asia and Pacific, said in a statement accompanying the report’s release.
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The Interpreter
Youth politics in East
and Southeast Asia
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April 1, 2022
From the “Milk Tea Alliance”, an online pan-Asian solidarity movement of anti-authoritarian activists, to young politicians pushing progressive causes, youth politics in East and Southeast Asia has been on the upswing in recent years. While they operate in very different national contexts, what young activists and politicians across the region share is support for democracy, anti-establishment sentiment, and broadly progressive politics. If they can overcome the challenges they face, including pushback from established political parties, they could become a vital force in the region in the coming decades.
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