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TAEF BRIEF
June 9th, 2023
No. 112 |
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CONTENT
-TAEF Updates
-TAEF Media Gallery
-TAEF Commentaries
-New Southbound Policy News
-Regional Headlines |
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The Open Boat: Asian Artists Exchange Program |
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May 30, 2023
After three years of pandemic hiatus, the Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF) will host the Asian Artists Exchange Program, with its 2023 iteration taking the theme of "The Open Boat". In collaboration with the National Culture and Arts Foundation, the Mekong Cultural Hub, and the Taiwan Art Space Alliance, TAEF is inviting 5 artists from the Mekong Delta countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam to engage in what is sure to be an enlightening discussion.
The program will facilitate cross-cultural dialogue between artists from Taiwan and Mekong Delta countries, encompasses diverse artistic expressions, and aims to reestablish connections in the post-pandemic era.
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2022 Yushan Forum | Interview: Minister of Culture |
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Organized by TAEF, the annual Yushan Forum: Asian Dialogue for Innovation and Progress provides a prominent platform for facilitating regional dialogues and showcasing both governmental and non-governmental cooperation between Taiwan and its neighboring partner countries. By doing so, the Yushan Forum helps foster stronger social connectivity for the region's youth by encouraging innovation, progressive ideas, and diverse regional partnerships.
For the 2022 Yushan Forum, TAEF was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview the Minister of Culture Mr. Lee Yung-Te. In the interview, Minister Lee discusses the achievements of the Ministry of Culture in promoting the New Southbound Policy. The Ministry has facilitated artist and cultural exchanges, organized art festivals, and provided subsidies for cultural exchanges. Regarding NGO collaboration, the Ministry has set up intermediary institutions to support connections between NGOs. In terms of the post-COVID-19 recovery of the cultural sector, the Ministry emphasizes the role technology has in facilitating online and long-distance collaborations, while acknowledging the continuing importance that physical performance and interaction will have in Taiwan's mutual exchange of culture with the region.
TAEF is excited to share with you the full interview with the Minister of Culture.
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DW
G7 vs. China: United against Beijing's growing power?
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May 18, 2023
-Dr. Sana Hashmi, Postdoctoral Fellow, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
Commenting on the G7 meeting hosted by Japan in Hiroshima last month, Sana Hashmi, a postdoctoral fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, points out that there is no coordination between the G7 and other democratic nations on China policy. While the sub-groups and the G7 share similar concerns about China, they are not aligning their agendas. This lack of coordination underscores the need for greater collaboration among democratic nations to address the challenges posed by China.
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NEW SOUTHBOUND POLICY NEWS |
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The Manila Times
Taiwan eyes 320K Filipino tourists
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June 5, 2023
Taiwan is launching marketing and promotional efforts to attract 320,000 tourists from the Philippines in an attempt to regain pre-pandemic arrival figures. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office noted that Filipino visitors to Taiwan have been increasing rapidly since the country opened its borders to tourists on October 13, 2022. To encourage tourism, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and the Taiwan Amusement Park Association organized a promotion conference in Manila, inviting Filipinos to explore the various amusement parks across Taiwan. The bureau's promotional efforts also extend to highlighting Taiwan's night market delicacies, cityscape, and other popular tourism products.
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Taipei Times
Southbound policy needs tweaking
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June 3, 2023
The New Southbound Policy, aimed at strengthening ties with countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia, has faced scrutiny regarding its performance. The government released figures to showcase the record-high two-way trade of US$180.3 billion with target countries, emphasizing export numbers. However, these figures do not capture the whole picture, as they neglect data on imports and trade surplus. Taiwan's trade surplus with New Southbound countries decreased by 40% from 2016 to 2021, indicating a decline in the policy's economic contribution. While the policy has seen positive developments in areas such as academic exchanges, budget allocations and administrative support have declined. With the upcoming presidential election, there is a need for a more innovative and sustainable version of the New Southbound strategy to be proposed.
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Taiwan News
Taiwan's Foxconn to begin producing iPhones in India
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June 2, 2023
Foxconn Technology Group is set to establish an iPhone production facility in the state of Karnataka, India. The Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development in Karnataka confirmed that Foxconn will begin operations in the state and start production by April 2024. The project is estimated to cost around NT$506 million (US$16.5 million) and is expected to create approximately 50,000 jobs in the region. Foxconn aims to initially produce 20 million Apple products per year at the facility.
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Focus Taiwan
New Zealand lawmakers impressed by Taiwan's resilience
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May 31, 2023
Visiting New Zealand parliamentarians have expressed their admiration for Taiwan's resilience and development. Brooke Van Velden, the deputy head of the ACT New Zealand party, highlighted the strong bilateral trade agreement between Taiwan and New Zealand, which has fostered cultural connections between the two countries. James McDowall, the party's spokesperson for various areas including defense and tourism, praised Taiwan's economic and overall development despite international isolation and ongoing military threats from China. The lawmakers, known for their concerns about human rights violations in China, engaged in discussions with Taiwanese officials during their visit.
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Nikkei Asia
No China-U.S. talks, NATO in Asia: 5 takeaways from Shangri-La summit
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June 5, 2023
The Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's largest security summit, concluded with tensions between the U.S. and China in the spotlight. Defense chiefs from both countries did not meet face-to-face, despite efforts to rally support for their regional policies.
The dialogue featured heated debates on pressing security issues such as Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the war in Ukraine. Key takeaways include the lack of progress in China-U.S. relations, the Philippines strengthening ties with the U.S., Japan, and Australia to counter Beijing's influence, concerns over North Korea's missile capabilities, Ukraine dismissing Indonesia's demilitarized zone proposal, and NATO's increasing role in Asia.
The summit emphasized the importance of dialogue and managing relationships between major powers to ease tensions in the region.
Read more
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Nikkei Asia
Shrinking Myanmar military struggles to quash resistance
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June 2, 2023
Two months after the dissolution of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, Myanmar's military continues to face resistance from armed pro-democracy groups.
The military is experiencing a shortage of personnel, with an estimated 21,000 losses, including battlefield deaths, defections, and desertions, since the coup. Previous estimates of the military's total personnel at 300,000 to 400,000 are now considered overstated, with some analysts suggesting the number is closer to 150,000. The military is compensating for the decrease in numbers by mobilizing fighter jets and helicopters in its fight against pro-democracy resistance.
Pro-democracy rebels, collectively known as the People's Defense Force, have organized into armed groups and are launching guerrilla attacks against military targets. The conflict has escalated, resulting in the death of thousands of civilians. The National Unity Government, led by the pro-democracy movement, is working with ethnic minority insurgent groups in their fight against the military.
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The Wall Street Journal
China, India kick out nearly all of each other's journalists as rivalry escalates
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May 30
, 2023
The relationship between India and China has deteriorated further as they have expelled each other's journalists, resulting in limited media access and deepening tensions between the two nations.
New Delhi denied visa renewals to the last two remaining Chinese state media journalists in India, while China has likewise denied credentials for Indian journalists. This reciprocal move is likely to increase acrimony between the two countries, whose relationship has been strained since a deadly clash on the Sino-Indian border in June 2020.
The bilateral dispute has also been evident in various other actions, such as India's ban on Chinese mobile apps and China renaming features in the Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The expulsion of journalists further reduces exchanges and visibility between the two nations, affecting their already fraying ties. Journalist accreditation has become a geopolitical issue in recent years, with governments considering journalists as extensions of their countries' foreign policies.
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