The newly appointed Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) outlined the direction of the New Southbound Policy at the Legislature on Thursday.
The "Digital New Southbound Policy” will be used to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with friendly countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
In response to questions from Legislator Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲) about specific actions, Minister Lin replied with the concept of the “New Southbound Fund,” which is similar to the Central and Eastern Europe Investment Fund and Central and Eastern Europe Credit Fund proposed by the National Development Council (NDC).
Lin says that launching the “New Southbound Fund” serves to assist in focusing not only on exporting products but also on exchanging experiences with partner countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Australasia. Lin says the government could look to Taiwan's recently expanded collaboration with countries in Central and Eastern Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Lithuania, and most recently Poland, for new approaches to the New Southbound Policy.
Lin also calls for the establishment of an inter-ministerial policy coordination group by the Cabinet to contribute to Taiwan's diplomatic endeavors and international presence collectively.