Recently, relations between China and China have cooled… Taiwan establishes friendly relations with China
Taiwanese companies such as Foxconn and TSMC leave mainland China to invest in India
Taiwan representative office opened in… Expansion of cooperation in various areas, including national defense and labor
As relations between China and India cool, Taiwan is benefiting from forming new friendly relations with India, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 5th.
According to reports, when Tsai Ing-wen was elected as Taiwan’s first female president in 2016, the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not send an official representative or member of the National Assembly to attend the inauguration ceremony, conscious of its relationship with mainland China.
Four years later, after President Tsai was re-elected, Prime Minister Modi decided that political considerations had changed and dispatched two members of the Indian National Assembly to take into account the coronavirus pandemic.
At the time, when the Indian delegation delivered a congratulatory message to President Tsai, China demanded that the international community continue to adhere to the ‘One China’ policy.
Nearly four years later, as relations between India and China remain tense, unofficial ties between India and Taiwan, which China views as “traitors,” have grown stronger, the SCMP said.
Relations between India and Taiwan have continued to deepen through various measures. Trade between India and Taiwan, which was slightly more than $1 billion in 2001, surged to $7 billion in 2021. In July of this year, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, a de facto Taiwanese consulate, opened in Mumbai, the third in India.
Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer and the largest supplier of components to Apple in the U.S., recently announced a $1.6 billion investment in India to diversify its business away from mainland China. India is encouraging Taiwan’s TSMC, the world’s largest foundry (semiconductor consignment production) company, to establish a production plant in India.
In addition to trade and investment, labor negotiations are also imminent, according to the SCMP. Last month, Taiwan’s labor minister acknowledged that negotiations were underway for a treaty that would allow Indian nationals to move to Taiwan for jobs. It is not yet known exactly how many workers will be allowed in, but Taiwan has denied previous reports that the total number would be around 100,000, accusing the Chinese government of spreading misinformation.
Also in November, Taiwan’s Vice Minister of Education led a delegation to several universities in India and emphasized efforts to strengthen educational cooperation between the two countries.
Cooperation between India and Taiwan also expanded to defense dialogue, embarrassing the Chinese government.
Last August, a five-member delegation, including three former senior Indian military officials, attended a security dialogue held by Taiwanese authorities in Taipei. At the time, the delegation claimed it was a ‘private’ visit, but according to some reports, ‘secret talks’ were held with the Institute for Defense and Security Studies, a think tank under Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, the SCMP reported.
Subam Pal, a Taiwan-based Indian journalist and author, said that if there was a key moment that led to the current unrest between India and China, it was the June 2020 border dispute that left at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers dead. pointed out.
He said the incident “ultimately caused a seismic shift in India’s China policy” and that since the armed clashes over the border dispute in 2020, “India and Taiwan have begun to cooperate at various levels.” He pointed out that 2020 was the year in which India completely shifted its Chinese language training for diplomatic officials from mainland China to Taiwan.
Jabin Jakob of India’s Shiva Nadar University said the relationship between India and Taiwan “developed logically, first on the basis of growing common economic interests and then on growing political or strategic interests.”
“As Taiwanese companies diversify away from China, and as Chinese pressure increases not only on the border with India but also on the border with Taiwan, India and Taiwan will naturally become more engaged with each other,” Jakob said. .
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.