Taiwan seeks stronger Asia ties to overcome reliance on China

TAIPEI (May 17): “Go west!” is the mantra Taiwanese companies lived by for the best part of three decades, turning China into their biggest trading partner. But with cross-strait relations at their worst in close to a decade, President Tsai Ing-wen is urging firms to turn south.

Tsai wants to mitigate reliance on the mainland by bolstering trade with 18 countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia, including Australia and New Zealand, a departure from her predecessor Ma Ying-jeou’s promise of stronger growth through better ties with China. 

But Taiwan must further strengthen regional relations with other governments if Tsai’s New Southbound policy is to succeed, top trade negotiator John Deng said in an interview in Taipei last week. The minister without portfolio said the main problem is that trade ties with Southeast Asia have often been based on personal relationships rather than formal government communications.

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