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Published Date: 2016-10-25
US think tank Heritage Foundation held a forum on Taiwan’s New Southbound policy on Monday. The policy is President Tsai Ing-wen’s push to forge closer ties with India, Australia, New Zealand and ASEAN member countries.
Taiwan’s deputy representative to the US James Lee said at the forum that Tsai’s policy is similar to President Obama’s initiative earlier in the year for closer ties between the US and ASEAN. Lee said developing stronger ties with ASEAN is the most vital strategy for Taiwan’s economy. He said however that the move is not intended as a substitute for economic ties with China.
The Washington director of the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party Mission in the United States, Michael Fonte, concurred that the new policy does not aim to turn away from the China market. Fonte also said that the policy should not be limited to just exchanges in trade but also in culture and education.
Prashanth Parameswaran, associate editor of US-based news magazine the Diplomat, said while the biggest challenge comes from China, the stability of cross-strait relations depends on how well Taiwan promotes the new policy.