Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy, a flagship strategy formulated by President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration to nurture ties with countries in ASEAN and South Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand, is getting widespread attention.

However, it has failed to gain much traction in Vietnam.

Taiwan’s engagement with the Southeast Asian nation under the policy framework seems to focus on visible dimensions such as economic ties and scholarships, rather than a thorough people-to-people investment. The lack of a comprehensive approach in its outreach to Vietnam can be testified by delving into perceptions of both sides.

After Japanese officials finish practicing their foreign policy irony, hopefully they will settle on a serious and sustained national security approach to the growing China threat.

Leading up to and during Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s visit to Washington, the administration of US President Joe Biden pressed for a more forthcoming statement on the regional dangers presented by China’s aggressive behavior.

The US effort failed to eke out more than a tepid expression of hope for “peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.” Mild as that aspirational expression was, it was touted by the administration and the global news media as some kind of diplomatic breakthrough because it last appeared in a joint statement in 1969.