Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) on Tuesday discussed how the nation could use “cultural diplomacy” to bolster its international visibility. One focus of the meeting was Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, which runs from April 13 to Oct. 13. Lin said Taiwan could work closely with allies to stage events and artistic performances during the expo.
Such initiatives are important as China continues to ramp up pressure on Taiwan and seek to exclude it from a growing number of international events and organizations. Beijing has been on a diplomatic offensive in regions where Taiwan and the US have traditionally had a presence. For example, Japan hosted a Chinese military delegation last month in what the Japan Times called a “rare visit.” On Monday, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown visited Beijing to discuss a strategic partnership between the two countries. In 2022, the Solomon Islands signed a security agreement with Beijing that resulted in concerns that China would build its first military base in Oceania.
Countries in the region have traditionally relied on aid from the US, Australia and New Zealand, but China is increasingly using dollar diplomacy to win over Pacific island countries and push out the US and its allies. Analysts have said it would give China greater power projection capabilities, making it a strategic threat to US bases in the region.
Taiwan, which has lost allies to Beijing’s dollar diplomacy, cannot afford to take on China through spending, particularly now after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party passed widespread budget cuts. US President Donald Trump’s administration is also cutting spending, and has taken aim at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has invested heavily in Pacific island nations. The International Cooperation and Development Fund (Taiwan ICDF) has worked with USAID on some of its projects, but Trump’s cuts would likely limit such collaborations.
However, Taiwan can still pursue cultural diplomacy, even amid these obstacles. For example, the Taiwan ICDF sends teachers to allied and partner nations to host Mandarin-language courses, which offer students invaluable language skills, while also familiarizing them with Taiwanese music, literature and other cultural products. The agency also hosts training courses for young people and female entrepreneurs, and offers scholarships to students from allied countries who come to Taiwan for postsecondary and graduate studies. Such initiatives are significantly less costly than large infrastructure projects, and are also more impactful, with the potential to affect countries’ Taiwan policies. On Friday last week, opposition party candidates in Honduras demonstrated that when they expressed interest in severing ties with China and re-establishing relations with Taipei. China’s loans are often cripplingly expensive for recipient countries, with little benefit to their populations, while Taiwan’s aid results in meaningful exchanges and friendships, and have a lasting effect on aid program participants.
Through cultural diplomacy, Taiwan can differentiate itself from China. Events at Expo 2025 could highlight elements of folk religion, ethnic and linguistic diversity, and historical experiences that are unique to Taiwan. For example, photography or literature exhibitions that describe events such as the Matsu (媽祖) pilgrimage and Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) flying fish festival, or Taiwan’s mix of new and old architecture, including that from early Japanese and European settlers. The government could also feature Taiwanese cooking, or showcase up-and-coming Taiwanese musicians and performers.
Despite budget restrictions and pressure from China, Taiwan can continue to make its voice heard at international events hosted by friendly countries. Through cultural diplomacy Taiwan can stay connected, and “Taiwan can help.”
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