The French Institute for Strategic Research at the Military School (IRSEM) published a strategic brief last week titled "Smart Power: Foreign Policy Signalling of Taiwan under the Tsai Administration." The report highlights three major diplomatic signals conveyed during former President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, emphasizing Taiwan’s commitment to values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law shared by partners such as Australia, Canada, the EU and its member states, Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. Author Earl Wang stated during an interview on Thursday that this represents the legacy Tsai left for Taiwan.
Wang, a doctoral researcher and adjunct lecturer at the Centre for International Studies (CERI - Sciences Po/CNRS), noted that Tsai maintained a steady approach to diplomacy, effectively combining hard and soft power to earn acceptance and support from numerous countries.
Regarding Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Wang expressed concerns about its impact on Europe’s Indo-Pacific strategy. He pointed out that Trump’s tendency to withdraw from multilateralism may lead to a purely interest-driven U.S. Indo-Pacific policy. Wang argued that this moment presents an opportunity for Europe to step in and fill the ideological and values-driven vacuum.
Finally, Wang highlighted that, although the EU’s military capacity does not rival that of the U.S., it has made significant efforts in broader security areas such as cyberattacks and foreign interference. Wang also revealed that Taiwan and the EU have maintained close cooperation on security issues and information exchange.