Taiwan is likely to urge India to upgrade diplomatic ties in the coming weeks. Taiwanese sources said the request will be communicated to Indian interlocutors on Monday and Tuesday by a high-level Taiwanese parliamentary delegation which arrived in the capital on Sunday.
“The visit of senior members of parliament and business leaders is an indicator of the government of President Tsai Ing-Wen and the new Southbound policy of Taiwan which is aimed at reviving Taiwan’s ties with Southeast Asia and India,” said a senior Taiwanese diplomat who informed that since the swearing-in of Donald Trump as the U.S. president, several countries including Japan have decided to upgrade ties with Taiwan.
The delegation met the local Taiwanese community in the capital at a gala dinner on Sunday, which was attended by representatives of major Taiwanese electronic companies, think tank professionals and policy makers. The delegation is led by Kuan bi-Ling, president of the Taiwan India Parliamentary Association and a leading woman MP of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. She is accompanied by members of parliament, Chen Man-Li and Wu Yu-Chin.
President Trump’s phone conversation with President Tsai in December had triggered a diplomatic row, with Beijing calling upon the Trump administration to adhere to the “one China” policy. However, Taiwanese officials pointed out that India too had in the past demanded respect of Indian sovereignty from Beijing.
