Taiwan’s Unofficial Diplomacy in Asia

The Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) is pleased to invite you to a panel discussion titled “Taiwan’s Unofficial Diplomacy in Asia.”

Taiwan has no formal diplomatic allies on the Asian continent. But how does Taipei—in spite of diplomatic isolation and heavy coercive pressure from Beijing—build productive relationships with Asian partners? Taiwan has long relied on creative approaches to overcome its diplomatic isolation: such as civil society diplomacy, foreign aid programs, and engagement with the limited number of multilateral organizations where international recognition is not a prerequisite. But can this make up for Taiwan’s gradually declining official diplomatic recognition?

In this GTI seminar, Leah Lin—Secretary-General of the Asia Citizens Future Association (ACFA)—will lay out how ACFA promotes democracy by building civil society relationships between Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Zoë Weaver-Lee, adjunct fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute, will discuss how Taiwan has employed foreign aid programs to form societal connections in Asia even without diplomatic recognition. Finally, Jeffery Wang, PhD candidate at the University of Indiana-Bloomington, will share his research into Taiwan’s effective use of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping to bolster its economic diplomacy, despite Beijing’s pressure. The event will be moderated by GTI Research Fellow Benjamin Sando.

The event will be held at GTI’s office located at 1836 Jefferson Place NW in Washington DC (approximately one block from the Dupont Circle Metro). Doors will open at 11:30 AM, and the event will begin at 12:00 PM. A light lunch will be provided. Please direct questions or concerns to Senior Programs Manager Adrienne Wu at [email protected].

**Media: Please contact Yuchen Lee at [email protected] if you would like to bring additional crew members or equipment, so that we can be sure to accommodate you.

Host or Publisher Global Taiwan Institute