Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said on the 8th that the US tariff policy has triggered a restructuring of the global supply chain, bringing challenges to Taiwan's partnership with the New Southbound countries, but at the same time, it also brings new opportunities. The New Southbound countries will always be Taiwan's good neighbors. They are not only important centers for Taiwanese businessmen to establish their presence, but also important countries for exchanges in multiple fields. Taiwan will continue to operate.
She stated that amidst the current global uncertainty, the significance of the New Southbound countries to Taiwan extends beyond traditional economic and trade relations. They also serve as a crucial fulcrum for Taiwan's expansion of international influence, deepening its value proposition, and strengthening its strategic resilience. The New Southbound countries and Taiwan share a common interest in maintaining peace, stability, and economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
Hsiao Bi-khim stated that many countries surrounding Taiwan are emerging democracies or have pluralistic systems, facing various internal and external challenges and transformations. They share a high degree of empathy with Taiwan and believe this is also an important niche for Taiwan to gain more partners in the region to move forward together. For Taiwan, the New Southbound Policy has never been just a market strategy or economic and trade relations, but a deep connection between people. Through education, medical care, technology, and cultural exchanges, we can build mutual understanding and trust, and accumulate the ability to work together to face future changes.
Hsiao Bi-khim mentioned that the recent U.S. tariff policy has triggered a restructuring of the global supply chain and brought some challenges to the partnership between Taiwan and the New Southbound countries, but it also brought new opportunities. In the global trend of de-risking and seeking trustworthy partners, Taiwan has institutional transparency, industrial advantages, and democratic beliefs, and can work with regional partners to build resilience and value. This is also the important meaning of President Lai Ching-te's proposal of the "New Southbound Policy+", which allows Taiwan and the New Southbound countries to not only connect, but also move forward together.
The Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation held its 7th anniversary celebration and the "Building a New Situation in Asia: From the New Southbound Policy to the Indo-Pacific Partnership" forum on the 8th. Vice President Hsiao was invited to deliver a speech.
