A forum in Taipei on Friday discussed the future of the nation’s New Southbound Policy in a post-COVID-19 world.
The policy, introduced in 2016, aims to boost interactions between Taiwan, ASEAN and South Asian nations in human resources, industry, investment, education, culture, tourism and agriculture.
Taiwan should find ways to enhance its strategic importance in the Indo-Pacific region, in addition to attracting economic investment and encouraging talent exchanges, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) told the forum, which was initiated by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation and hosted by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times).
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The New Southbound Policy should be more compatible with policies enacted by other countries in the region, especially as the international community turns its attention toward the Indo-Pacific region amid growing concern about stability in the Taiwan Strait area, he said.
ASEAN policies are focused on strengthening its bloc, while Taiwan’s regional policies are geared more toward trade, education and fostering talent, Tien said, adding that it is perhaps time for Taiwan to discuss how to broaden its scope and view in the region.
Citing how the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in March included climate change, vaccines and emerging technologies, he said that regional policies should not become overly focused on military issues.
“It is of utmost importance that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy find ways to connect with this trend,” Tien said.
One option is to expand Taiwan’s Global Cooperation and Training Framework collaboration with the US and Japan, he said.
Taiwan has worked with the US under the framework since 2015, holding more than 30 international seminars in fields such as public health, law enforcement, disaster relief, energy cooperation, women’s empowerment, the digital economy, cybersecurity and media literacy, attracting 2,500 attendees from more than 90 countries, he said.
Such fields correspond with the government’s New Southbound Policy, he added.
Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) said that Taiwan could attract students from the 18 countries included in the policy, to mitigate the impact of the nation’s declining birthrate.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s relaxation of regulations for the medical industry could also lead to growth, especially with innovations in telemedicine, he said.
Taiwan should also step up its investments in Southeast Asia to benefit from the reorganization of the global supply chain, he said.
Non-governmental organizations such as the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation can play a role in the policy’s influence, as foundations have a wider reach than the government, Deng said.
Foundation chairman Michael Hsiao (蕭新煌), who is also a presidential adviser, said that government units and the private sector, led by the foundation, should meet at the end of this year to discuss a new direction for the policy.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Former Taiwan People’s Party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) may apply to visit home following the death of his father this morning, the Taipei Detention Center said. Ko’s father, Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發), passed away at 8:40am today at the Hsinchu branch of National Taiwan University Hospital. He was 94 years old. The center said Ko Wen-je was welcome to apply, but declined to say whether it had already received an application. The center also provides psychological counseling to people in detention as needed, it added, also declining to comment on Ko Wen-je’s mental state. Ko Wen-je is being held in detention as he awaits trial
RSS