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TAEF BRIEF
November 11, 2022
No. 99 |
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CONTENT
-TAEF Updates
-TAEF Commentaries
-New Southbound Policy News
-Regional Headlines |
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TAEF Hosts "Forum on Enabling the International Migrant Workers: Implications for Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy" |
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November 7, 2022
On November 7, TAEF organized the 2022 Forum on Enabling the International Migrant Workers: Implications for Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy at our office. Representatives from the government, non-profit organizations, and non-profit recruitment agencies were brought together to exchange perspectives on advancing the protection of migrant workers’ rights and interests.
In his opening remarks, Chairman Hsiao of TAEF emphasized that the main purpose of this forum was to gather insights from different stakeholders to facilitate constructive communication. As both the public and private sectors have the same goal—to provide better protection and fair recruitment to migrant workers, Chairman Hsiao stressed that the public and private sectors do not necessarily have to stand in opposition; they can instead synergize with each other via partnerships.
Iweng Karsiwen, Chair of Kabar Bumi (Families of Indonesian Migrant Workers, Indonesia), then opened the panel by first introducing the work of her organization, which mainly focuses on promoting the awareness of labor rights among migrant workers and also their families. Based on her experience as a migrant worker and also in helping the migrant workers on the frontline, she also outlined a few policy recommendations.
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TAEF x KAS: “A Better (Re)Start: The Future of Work for Young People”Closes Successfully |
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November 4, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has largely complicated our lives. But even before that, megatrends such as automation, digitalization, and globalization are already transforming the way we work and live. In this case, it is noteworthy that the youth are especially and disproportionately affected.
Given these circumstances, TAEF and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s (KAS) Regional Economic Programme Asia (SOPAS) jointly organized the conference “A Better (Re)Start: The Future of Work for Young People” on November 4 to explore in depth the trends, challenges, and opportunities within the youth education and labor environment in Asia.
The session was opened by Ms. Rabea Brauer, KAS Country Representative for Japan and SOPAS Director and Dr. Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao, Chairman of TAEF.
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An Exclusive Interview with Dr. Alan H. Yang by TAEF and Butrint Berisha |
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October 27, 2022
On October 27, an exclusive interview with TAEF’s executive director, Dr. Alan H. Yang, was held virtually by TAEF and Butrint Berisha, a doctoral student of University of Tartu, Estonia, from Kosovan, who is visiting Taiwan at the moment.
Berisha’s project explores the role that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Taiwan play internationally. He is also the first Kosovan to do research on subjects related to Taiwan. This interview brought Kosovo and Taiwan together and opened a door for TAEF to act as a bridge between Taiwan and Europe.
In this interview, Dr. Yang stressed the importance of TAEF in Taiwan and in Southeast and South Asia. He stated that TAEF is very unique, not only in Taiwan but also around the world, because we are committed to implementing one specific, clear policy, that is, the New Southbound Policy, and to branding Taiwan with an international and dynamic image.
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The Quint
Amid China-US Spat, Can India And Taiwan Set New Milestones in Tech and Trade? |
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November 7, 2022
-Dr. Sana Hashmi, Postdoctoral Fellow, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
Engagement with Taiwan is more relevant now when India is building semiconductors and a display fab ecosystem.
Growing exchanges between Taiwan and other countries have made China so insecure that it has been attempting to shrink Taiwan’s international space since Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2016. Meanwhile, with a greater divide between China and the US and the sustained focus of the US on Taiwan under both Donald Trump and Joe Biden's administrations, Taiwan is increasingly becoming a subset of the China-US great power rivalry.
Even though the US is a key defense partner of Taiwan, it is vital for Taiwan to manage the situation and focus on diversifying its relations for reducing economic dependence on China and limiting the impact of China-US strategic rivalry. In this context, advancing ties with India seems to be a viable option for Taiwan. Then, why must India have a Taiwan policy?
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Institut Montaigne
An Alternative Supply Chain in India? Taiwan’s Experience |
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October 26, 2022
-Dr. Sana Hashmi, Postdoctoral Fellow, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
India is a relatively new story from the perspective of Taiwan’s business diversification. Between 2000 and 2017, Taiwan’s FDI in India represented only 0.07% of total FDI in India.
From this very low base, a trend is finally picking up, highlighting the importance of speeding up diversification away from China among governments and companies. As of April 2022, with more than 100 Taiwanese companies in India employing 65,000 Indians, Taiwan’s investment in India amounts to US$ 1.5 billion. A large part of it is driven by Taiwanese ICT supply chain and semiconductor investments in India.
However, the expansion of Taiwanese companies is not free of challenges. One major setback was the riots in a Wistron manufacturing plant in Narasapura in South India. There was also a strike at Foxconn's Chennai plant in 2021.
The issue is bigger than those specific cases – it points to the investment environment in India, but also to huge cultural differences and language barriers, and the need to focus more on promoting people-to-people ties.
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NEW SOUTHBOUND POLICY NEWS |
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South Morning China Post
Amid Chill in China Ties, India and Taiwan Look to ‘Deeply Engage’ in Electronics, Chips and Green Tech |
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November 5, 2022
Declaring intentions to “deeply engage” with India, Taiwan’s deputy economic affairs minister announced the signing of at least 20 memorandums of understanding between business groups from the island and India in New Delhi on November 3 during the 2022 India-Taiwan Industrial Collaboration Summit.
Extending support to New Delhi’s Make in India policy and expressing hopes for a possible free-trade agreement, Chen Chern-chyi, who visited India with top business leaders from the island, described the country as “very fertile ground” for Taiwanese companies.
The minister vowed to “emphasise” India in Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy, a regional strategy to develop comprehensive relations with Asean, South Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand to minimise its economic dependence on China.
Among a series of memorandums signed during the two-day visit, three pertained to strengthening cooperation in electronics production, including memory chips, and green technology. Details of the agreements are pending.
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Taipei Times
Taiwan’s Contributions to Indonesia |
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November 3, 2022
Following President Tsai Ing-wen’s implementation of the New Southbound Policy in 2016, Taiwan and Indonesia’s bilateral ties have significantly increased.
According to an annual report issued this year by the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board, Taiwan ran 458 investment projects with a total value of US$316.9 million last year, a dramatic rise from US$149.1 million in 2016. During the period, the total value of trade between both countries also increased from US$7.07 billion to US$11.31 billion.
In the absence of official diplomatic relations, Taiwan uses public diplomacy and exercises soft power to engage with Indonesia. But its positive image concentrates only on particular areas of the archipelago.
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The Diplomat
Ukraine Boosts Southeast Asia Ties With Peace Accord
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Novemrber 11, 2022
Ukraine signed a peace accord Thursday with Southeast Asian nations, a largely symbolic act that comes as Kyiv seeks to shore up international support in isolating Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba signed the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) as the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) got underway in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital.
The ASEAN summit kicks off a series of three top-level meetings in Asia, with the Group of 20 summit in Bali to follow and then the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bangkok. They come as Russia seeks new markets for its energy products to avoid Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.
As a group, the ASEAN nations, with a combined population of nearly 700 million, have been reserved in their stance toward the invasion, condemning the war but generally trying to avoid assigning blame.
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The Diplomat
Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar Goes to Russia
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November 11
, 2022
India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar was on a two-day visit to Russia earlier this week. He was in Moscow primarily to co-chair the meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC).
After meeting with his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, Jaishankar tweeted, “Just concluded comprehensive discussions with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Reviewed the entire gamut of our steady and time-tested relationship.”
The Indian minister reportedly said that the key goal of his visit was to “sit down with Russian foreign minister Lavrov and Deputy PM Manturov to assess how we are doing. There are challenges, that we need to address and prospects that we are exploring.”
Even as the India-Russia relationship is characterized as “steady and time-tested relationship,” it has not been in good health for a while now. As Moscow develops a closer and more strategic relationship with Beijing, New Delhi has felt the need to get more realistic about the strategic consequences of that partnership for India.
Read more
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Nikkei Asia
Pay for Climate Change, Pakistan and Others Tell Rich Nations
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November 9, 2022
Leaders of developing countries unleashed a torrent of criticism against rich industrialized nations over unkept promises on climate action, demanding payments for the resulting economic losses in speeches at COP 27 on November 8.
The world has seen another year of extreme weather, from droughts to heat waves to floods, since last year's climate meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. Still reeling from catastrophic flooding that cost it an estimated $30 billion-plus, Pakistan made a powerful plea for compensation from the developed world for "loss and damage."
Calling the floods a "man-made disaster," Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country became "a victim of something for which we had nothing to do."
The flooding submerged a third of the country, affecting 33 million people, and reportedly killed up to 1,700.
Describing the "billions" that the government is spending to provide food and shelter to the millions affected, he asked: "How on Earth can one expect from us, that we will undertake this gigantic task on our own?"
This year's conference, known as COP27, will see loss-and-damage funding discussed as part of the formal agenda for the first time.
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