The third Taiwan-India Dialogue, co-hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, kicked off on Thursday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said in his opening remarks that Taiwan-India relations have made significant progress under the New Southbound Policy. There have been advancements in the fields of trade, investment, technology, and cultural exchange. Other developments include the signing of a Taiwan-India Labor Cooperation Memorandum, the formal establishment of Taiwan’s office in Mumbai, and the presence of over 250 Taiwanese businesses in India.
With 2025 marking the 30th anniversary of mutual representative offices, Tien expects bilateral ties to strengthen further. Tien says that as democratic countries, Taiwan and India should collaborate to counter the threats of authoritarian expansion and security challenges. He urges stronger Taiwan-U.S.-India trilateral cooperation, particularly as the new U.S. administration assumes office in January 2025. He says that Taiwan is a force for good in the international community expressing Taiwan’s commitment to contributing meaningfully in a pragmatic way.