President Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan must reconfigure its role in Asia as the countries of Southeast Asia undergo rapid change.
Tsai was speaking Thursday at an academic forum on Southeast Asian studies. Tsai said Southeast Asian nations have developed quickly, leaving an impact on the region’s politics, economy and culture. She said Taiwan sits on the boundary between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, and must react to the changes happening to its south.
Tsai said Taiwan and Southeast Asia face similar challenges. These include consolidating freedom and democracy, strengthening economic competitiveness and innovation, and building sustainability and tolerance. Tsai said that like Taiwan, Southeast Asia also faces the challenge of resolving disputes and securing peace.
Tsai outlined the purpose of the government’s New Southbound Policy, which aims to strengthen Taiwan’s ties with South and Southeast Asia. She said the policy is meant to ensure that both sides benefit. She also said that unlike the government’s first southward pivot in the 1990s, the New Southbound Policy looks beyond trade and corporate profits and seeks to forge broader ties. These include technological, cultural, educational, tourism, and people-to-people ties.
Tsai said the government will adopt policies to ease the flow of professional talent between Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Steps will include simplifying visa procedures for citizens of certain Southeast Asian countries, setting aside funding to help Taiwanese students study and work in Southeast Asia, and encouraging students from South and Southeast Asia to study in Taiwan.