Holding international forums in Taiwan and launching a shoe donation program are among efforts by President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration to cement ties with democratic partners, amid China’s attempts to downgrade Taiwan’s international status, a source said.
It is crucial to reinforce bilateral partnerships with non-allied nations through cooperation in areas such as economic industries, public health, defense resilience or national security, as Taiwan holds a pivotal position in the first island chain, but has long been marginalized by China, a source with knowledge of foreign affairs said.
Prominent international events, including the Halifax International Security Forum, RightsCon, and the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, held their first forums in Taiwan this year, attesting to the nation’s strategic position and ties with democratic allies, they said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Lai at those events said Taiwan is willing to deepen mutual strategic partnerships to maintain cross-strait peace and stability, the source said.
He also instructed his staff to launch a shoe donation program for children in Tuvalu, one of Taiwan’s Pacific region allies, after he visited the Nauti Primary School and found that most students in the country walked outside barefoot, they said.
As most Tuvaluan children cannot afford shoes, and as the country is rainy, they often have to walk barefoot through puddles, the source added.
Breathable, waterproof shoes made in Taiwan were delivered to Tuvalu, with shoe manufacturers offering to bear half of the costs to contribute to national diplomacy, they said.
Photos showed that Tuvaluan children were excited to try on the new shoes, the source said, adding that the children made heart-shaped gestures at the camera to express thanks.
The program is a strategic move to cement friendship with diplomatic allies and strengthen democratic bonds in the first and second island chains amidst the authoritarian expansion of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, they said.
Taiwan’s allies in the Pacific region, such as the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, have over the past few years been targeted by China due to their vital roles in blocking its expansion and influencing the US-China competition in the Indo-Pacific region, the source said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s former diplomatic allies stolen by China were not treated well, they added.
Honduras severed ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China in 2023, but it did not reap the economic benefits it expected, the source said.
Its trade deficit with China widened, with its white-leg shrimp exports plunging to a record low, leading to a domestic economic slump, they said.
China’s attempts to expand by poking a hole in the first island chain has become one of the greatest challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, the source said.
On the other hand, Taiwan adheres to “value diplomacy” and upholds the idea of coprosperity in its collaborations with allies, they said.
“Taiwan is a small country with a small population, but we are a good country, and our people are good,” the source said.
While China repeatedly took unilateral provocative actions, Taiwan would continue to earn respect from the world slowly, but surely, they added.
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