From the 1950s to 1990s, despite several Western nations backing the Kuomintang’s claim to their rule in Taiwan, India recognized the Chinese Communist Party’s sovereignty over Taiwan. In the 1990s, India, as a part of its ‘Look East’ Policy, initiated trade relations with Taiwan.
Today, India does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but bilateral relations between the two nations have seen steady improvement. India understands that strong economic ties with Taiwan and a pragmatic China policy best suit its self-interest. However, because China has consistently tried to isolate Taiwan in diplomatic affairs, increasing Indian links with Taiwan have the potential to aggravate tensions in our relations with the government in Beijing.
On 26 September, Gateway House hosted Dr. Ing-Wen Tsai, in conversation with M. D. Nalapat, to discuss ‘Cross-strait relations.’ They discussed how India can show effective diplomacy by managing its relations with China and Taiwan – two nations that share a complicated relationship with each other.
Dr. Ing-Wen Tsai is the Chairperson of the Thinking Taiwan Foundation. She is the former Chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). She ran for President in the 2012 Taiwan Presidential election, and was defeated by a narrow margin by Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang. She has been the former National Policy Advisor to the President of Taiwan.
M.D. Nalapat is Director, School of Geopolitics, Manipal University. Apart from this, he is the UNESCO Peace Chair at the university. Additionally, he is the Senior Associate at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Board Member of the India-China-America Institute, and an Associate of the United Services Institution of India.
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