Taiwan and India have taken some solid steps to bolster bilateral relations under the leaderships of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The shift in the engagement has been observed at all levels — political, economic and social. People and the media in the two countries have also shown increasing interest in each other.
The annual Taiwan Film Festival on Dec. 15 last year in New Delhi was a success. India also organized an art exhibition in Taipei in April last year to showcase the country’s rich culture. At the same time, a cartoon titled So Sorry: Taiwan-India Comprehensive Partnership was broadcast on several Indian news channels last month, to make India realize the benefits of close ties with Taiwan.
These developments are important for at least two reasons: First, India appears not to see ties with Taiwan through the prism of the “one China” policy. Second, the two countries have several shared interests.
However, a larger, unanswered question about the nature of their comprehensive cooperation is whether the engagement would remain confined to security, trade and commerce, or whether efforts would be taken to identify new areas of cooperation.
New Delhi and Taipei can find a strong convergence of interests on climate change, which has emerged as a major global concern, with Taiwan and India potentially facing its effects.
Due to increasingly frequent extreme weather events and rising sea levels caused by global warming, Taiwan and India have witnessed record high temperatures. The two countries also face heat waves, water shortages and adverse economic effects.
Although the two countries have taken the initiative to deal with climate change, their experiences, methods and technologies in this realm could be potential areas of collaboration. As India has announced that it intends to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2070 and meet 50 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030, Taiwan can play a major role in helping India set up a green energy infrastructure, given its expertise in the field.
Taiwan is renowned for its groundbreaking lightweight solar panel technology, and it is the second-largest producer of photovoltaic cells in the world. For Taiwan, India could be one of the largest overseas markets for these technologies.
As Taiwan does not have access to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it is unable to explain the steps it has taken to address climate change at a global level. Therefore, working with India on climate change and renewable energy would not only strengthen their bilateral ties, it would also give Taiwan a global platform to showcase its expertise.
India has been unwilling to make positive developments in climate change and renewable energy. Meaningful and durable cooperation in those fields can only succeed if concrete efforts are made.
One major step that the two sides need to take is to establish a dialogue forum at the ministerial level. Efforts should be taken to attract private-sector investment from both sides. Taiwan and India should also involve climate-oriented philanthropists, impact investors and other high-net worth individuals who share common climate goals.
The two countries’ agencies working in this field should be encouraged to work together to achieve shared and individual objectives. As India holds the G20 presidency this year, it is in a better position to speak for the inclusion of Taiwan in vital global institutions, including the UN framework convention. In turn, Taiwan would be better placed to serve the rest of the world.
Hopefully this year will see the beginning of a strong foundation for Taiwan and India to transform their relationship into a natural partnership.
Sumit Kumar is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Delhi, and a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs visiting fellow at National Chengchi University.
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