India-Taiwan relations hold immense potential, but still suffer from a lack of consistent attention. From both sides, there is an acknowledgement of merit in engaging each other, but a sustained focus is missing.
Taiwan began to recalibrate its India policy in 2020-2021, and it did pay off. From the use of social media to Taiwan providing aid to India during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan began to engage India meaningfully, and this was very-well reciprocated by Indians. That Taiwan is viewed favorably among Indians is not an overstatement.
Even though India comes across as a little cautious in dealing with Taiwan, there have been significant developments on its side. Steps taken by India to further institutionalize the relations are substantial yet underappreciated.
First, sending early career diplomats for language training to Taiwan instead of China showcases a change in India’s perception of Taiwan.
Second, Indian Representative to Taiwan Gourangagalal Das and the India-Taipei Association have been working tirelessly to strengthen cooperation in areas such as economics, culture, science and technology, as well as civil interactions.
Third, India’s strategic community is far more forthcoming toward Taiwan than it has ever been in the past 30 years. More dialogues with the strategic community in Taiwan and efforts to include Taiwan in India’s strategic discourse is a case in point. There is a genuine attempt to understand Taiwan and minimize the China factor.
While there have been positive developments, India’s perennial problems with China continue to act as a deterrent for India to actively engage Taiwan. Taiwan has to put in more effort and emphasis on its ties with India, at least at par with its relations with the West. This is relevant and achievable when Taiwan is taking stock of its New Southbound Policy, of which India is a key priority country.
Taiwan needs partners in the region and to diversify its relations. The popular narrative often (mistakenly) reduces Taiwan’s stature as if it does not have its own unique identity; and, it is just a subset of the China-US rivalry and cross-strait equation. Even the academic discourse is heavily skewed in favor of the so-called incursion theorists, who somehow believe that Taiwan is mostly about dangers of Chinese aggressions and the “one China” policy.
In a fast-changing post-pandemic world, where the China-US competition looms large, it becomes all the more important for Taiwan to recalibrate its policies. This would also help Taiwan avoid a strategic gridlock because of the fallout from an intensifying superpower rivalry.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made it vital for Taiwan to diversify its external relations and consolidate its Indo-Pacific policy. India is a pioneer in the Indo-Pacific region, and the two countries share similar interests and concerns. India should be on the top of its priority list.
Taiwan should reach out to India. In 2020, the India-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Forum was revived. This forum has the potential to strengthen semi-political communication between the two nations without touching upon the sensitive “one China” policy. Under this mechanism, several visits by lawmakers from the two countries have taken place. The last visit was by an all-female delegation from Taiwan to India in 2017. Taiwanese legislators who are a part of the forum should identify like-minded lawmakers from India and initiate exchanges.
As the New Southbound Policy is entering the next stage, it is critical for Taiwan to assess the policy and make India-specific policies. The next phase of the policy should focus on boosting commercial ties. China is trying to push for a narrative of “the West vs the Rest.” India does not endorse such a narrative and follows an independent foreign policy. By reaching out to countries such as India, Taiwan will help promote an idea that is opposite to China’s divisive and opportunist approach.
Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) visited India last week, but the visit did not lead to any positive outcome. Even though India is attempting to keep the channels of communication open, it has acknowledged that China has unilaterally changed the “status quo ante” at the border front and relations cannot be normalized without addressing this question.
While the China factor looms large over the prospects of India-Taiwan relations, it should not be given more attention than it deserves. China should not be the reason preventing the two countries from embracing mutual benefits in the relationship.
India-Taiwan relations deserves more warmth and sustained attention. An important step toward this goal should be to acknowledge that India-Taiwan relations are too important to be sidelined. Both sides need to work toward minimizing distractions and advancing the ties through multiple avenues.
Sana Hashmi is a visiting fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation.
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