The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to invite more online influencers to visit and promote Taiwan as part of its digital diplomacy, an official said yesterday.
Social media are becoming increasingly popular and have become important channels through which government agencies could communicate with the public, the official said, adding that the ministry has been using social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Threads to better communicate with the international community.
They are able to convey the government’s position on issues and its response to international events, and communicate with the public to obtain support, they said.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
The official cited as an example the two comic images the ministry posted on its social media accounts, as part of its efforts to join the World Health Assembly in May, which garnered nearly 4 million views.
The images explain how China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758 is hindering Taiwan’s participation in the UN’s healthcare system and how Taiwan is helping many countries through concrete medical contributions, they said.
When Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) visited Palau, Eswatini and Texas this year, the ministry also posted several short clips on social media sharing the trips’ achievements, the official said.
The ministry also uses its YouTube channel, “Trending Taiwan” (潮台灣), to post promotional videos that it produced through invitations or calls for submissions, and further promotes them through the ministry’s other social media accounts, they said.
The ministry launched the “#FindingTaiwan” International Short Film Contest, inviting people to produce a short film about their connection to Taiwan and introduce the nation’s excellence, they said.
The contest has already received more than 60 films and would continue accepting submissions until Aug. 31, the official added.
Earlier this year, the ministry also invited influencers from Paraguay, Guatemala, the Czech Republic and Israel to visit Taiwan.
The influencers made about 200 posts or videos on social media, which had garnered more than 35 million views in total, sparking the interest of many people in central and southern America, Europe and the Middle East, the official said.
The ministry is considering inviting more influencers and aims to continue to push forward digital diplomacy, they said.
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