Brief Series

Re-examining Critical Links between Taiwan and Southeast Asia
The New Southbound Policy in the Tsai Era

Jing Bo-jiun, Ja Ian Chong, Julia Huang, Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao, Gratiana Jung, Ji-Ping Lin, Ting-Hui Lin, Chen-Dong Tso, and Alan H. Yang
February 6, 2018

On September 5, 2016, Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen launched the New Southbound Policy to aid in promoting regional exchange and collaboration. The initiative focuses on expanding existing relationships with the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, countries in South Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. This briefing series explores the long-standing relationships between Taiwan and Southeast Asia, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, in light of the New Southbound Policy. The briefs collectively provide policymakers and academics alike with a comprehensive assessment of how Taiwan’s relations with the region have evolved across the spectrum—from people-to-people ties and common cultural and religious bonds to economic integration. The objective of the series is to contextualize critical linkages between Taiwan and Southeast Asia as the Tsai administration embarks on future phases of its New Southbound Policy.