Analysis: How Taiwan Is Growing Closer With Its Neighbors

TaiwanPlus News

TaiwanPlus speaks to professor Ja Ian Chong from the National University of Singapore about how Taiwan can cooperate more closely with neighboring countries despite lacking formal diplomatic ties with them.

Transcript

00:00How has Taiwan's regional engagement, that's countries like Japan, the Philippines, ASEAN

00:03nations, changed in recent years, especially in the last year under President Lai?

00:07Taiwan has always engaged quietly in an unofficial manner. Apparently, there has been more

00:14conversations with Japan and the Philippines in particular. A lot of this has to do with

00:20increasing concern about PRC pressure on the so-called first island chain that could affect

00:27the interests of all these parties. Do you anticipate, given the tensions between Japan

00:32and China, China and the Philippines, any changes to Taiwan's security cooperation with regional

00:37neighbors, especially in the absence of formal diplomatic ties between Taipei, Manila and Taipei

00:41and Tokyo? A lot of this has to do with the recognition on the part of the Philippines

00:48that geographically they're right next to Taiwan. Any instability in Taiwan could quickly spill over.

00:55Likewise, I think Taiwan realizes that with the Philippines just towards south and the rising

01:01tensions in the South China Sea, any escalation could easily move north as well. A similar logic

01:07applies to Japan. So these considerations have driven them to be a lot, Manila and Tokyo and Taipei, to be

01:17a lot more aware of each other and a lot more aware of the need to at least understand what each other's

01:22positions are. Lots of things don't need formal diplomatic ties. So Taipei and Tokyo have had

01:28long-standing close but unofficial ties. Same thing with Washington. Ties with the Philippines have only

01:35more recently been revitalized. What do you see as likely indicators of future shifts and security

01:41policy in the region? It's a matter of interest, right? It's a matter of wanting to keep themselves and

01:46their interests safe and there seems to be reason to look at what each other are doing more so now

01:54than ever. Indicators would possibly be more robust and sophisticated forms of coordination. If the

02:04parties, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines speak with each other not just bilaterally but on a multilateral

02:12basis, perhaps if they bring in other actors that have deep interest in the region as well. The

02:17coverage of the missiles and also equipment aircraft etc overlap suggests that there is a recognition

02:26that having an extended forward line of defense may be important and that may mean that Taiwan

02:35features higher more in Japanese and Filipino considerations.

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