Taiwan faces unique diplomatic challenges, yet it has found innovative ways to assert its voice on the global stage. Central to this effort are its think tanks, which have become indispensable instruments of contemporary diplomacy. Their conferences and dialogues provide informal and unofficial, yet highly influential, platforms where governments can articulate positions, signal intent and shape narratives without issuing formal statements.
High-profile forums such as India’s Raisina Dialogue, Taiwan’s Ketagalan and Yushan forums, the Czech Republic’s Forum 2000, and Poland’s Warsaw Security Forum illustrate how privately organized, government-supported platforms can advance strategic communication.
Taiwan has been at the forefront of “think tank diplomacy,” leveraging domestic expertise and international participation to project its perspectives. At September’s Warsaw Security Forum, Taiwan’s visibility was particularly notable. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) delivered a special address, National Security Council Adviser Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) engaged in a panel discussion and interacted with New Security Leaders participants, and Taiwan’s military leadership also participated.
The multifaceted engagement highlighted Taiwan’s security perspectives, while signaling its willingness to expand collaboration with European partners beyond the traditional focus on Western Europe.
Yet, despite these successes, Taiwan is not fully empowering its think tanks or strategically investing its resources to maximize impact. Most of its outreach remains heavily tilted toward the US, leaving other crucial regional partners under-engaged.
The same model of strategic think tank diplomacy and lobbying that has helped Taiwan maintain visibility in the US and Europe could and should be systematically applied to countries such as India, Australia and Japan, as well as Southeast Asian partners. Doing so would ensure that Taiwan’s perspectives reach a wider, more balanced audience and reduce overreliance on a single strategic partner — a major objective of the New Southbound Policy Plus.
Taiwan’s outreach in Asia already shows promise. The fourth Taiwan-India Dialogue, jointly organized by the Taipei-based Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation and India’s premier think tank Observer Research Foundation, was held in Mumbai, India. The exchanges go beyond academic discussion; they are essential mechanisms for sustaining Taiwan’s visibility and ensuring its voice is included in regional conversations on security, governance and development.
Expanding such initiatives could help Taiwan diversify its international partnerships, bolster regional ties and its influence in critical strategic forums.
Non-governmental platforms are supplementary tools, but they are also vital avenues for Taiwan to shape perceptions, assert agency and counter competing narratives. By highlighting its democratic credentials and responsible international behavior, Taiwan strengthens its soft power and reinforces its legitimacy as an international actor.
Yet, sustaining and expanding that presence requires more than ad hoc participation; it demands an empowered, strategically oriented think tank ecosystem, supported with sufficient resources and institutional backing to operate globally.
Taiwan must invest in its think tanks as part of a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. Institutionalized dialogues, sustained international interactions, research collaborations and scholarship programs are essential to maintain momentum and broaden outreach. Think tanks not only provide the expertise and networks needed to navigate complex international environments, but also enable Taiwan to project influence in spaces where formal diplomatic recognition is limited.
Host countries and partner institutions play a pivotal role in shaping regional discourse. Including Taiwanese voices in global fora enriches understanding of Indo-Pacific dynamics and reinforces the principles of openness, pluralism and inclusivity that such dialogues are meant to uphold.
When governments act cautiously, think tanks can take the lead. Regional countries, particularly India and other like-minded partners, must allow Taiwanese officials, representatives and deputy ministers to engage broadly, not only at select conferences or dialogues, but across multiple platforms, exchanges and initiatives. Attempts to control or restrict engagement, cowed by China’s coercive influence, undermine long-term interests, turn potential opportunities into missed ones and allow Beijing to dictate the terms of regional interaction.
For regional countries, particularly India, such constraints are strategically untenable. Understanding developments in the Taiwan Strait is crucial for all. Avoiding engagement with Taiwan out of fear of China is detrimental to long-term regional economic and security interests. Taiwan’s technological and economic strengths, particularly in semiconductors, offer mutually beneficial opportunities, and think tanks can drive robust dialogue and advocacy where governments might be hesitant.
Constructive, sustained and wide-ranging engagement with
Taiwan is essential to safeguarding regional interests and ensuring stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Taiwan’s growing presence in such spaces demonstrates that even under diplomatic constraints, it can shape its narrative and assert agency internationally. Yet consistent attention to empowering its think tanks and strategically inviting the right partners to its platforms is essential. By strengthening the institutions, investing resources where they yield maximum impact and expanding engagement beyond the US, Taiwan can safeguard its interests, enhance its influence and ensure its story is told on its own terms.
Sana Hashmi is a fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation. The views expressed here are her own.
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