Visiting Indian leaders expected to discuss democracy, technology cooperation and cultural ties during six day trip…reports Asian Lite News
A multi party delegation of Indian political leaders has arrived in Taiwan for a six day visit aimed at strengthening exchanges and deepening engagement between the two sides across political, economic and cultural sectors.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delegation reached Taipei earlier this week and will remain in the island nation until May 9 at the invitation of the Taiwanese government.
The visiting group includes emerging leaders from several major Indian political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, National People’s Party and Shiv Sena (UBT), reflecting what Taiwanese officials described as a broad based effort to expand political engagement with India.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the delegation and said the leaders would hold meetings with government agencies and participate in a series of official engagements during their stay.
The ministry said it hoped the Indian delegation would gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s developments in areas including democracy, human rights, technology, education, culture and economic growth.
Taiwan also underlined the importance it places on relations with India amid shifting geopolitical and economic dynamics in the Indo Pacific region.
“India is an important, like minded, and friendly country in the Indo Pacific region,” the ministry said, adding that under its comprehensive diplomacy policy, Taiwan would continue expanding exchanges and cooperation with India across multiple sectors.
The statement further noted that Taiwan and India would continue working together to contribute towards “peace, stability and prosperity” in the Indo Pacific.
The visit comes at a significant moment in India Taiwan relations as both sides move closer towards implementing a labour cooperation agreement aimed at addressing workforce shortages in Taiwan.
Taiwanese media reports said the two sides are currently finalising arrangements under a labour mobility deal that could eventually allow around 1,000 Indian migrant workers to take up jobs in Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Labour Minister Hung Shen-han recently indicated that the plan could begin as early as this year, depending on demand from Taiwanese industries and whether India’s implementation framework meets Taiwan’s regulatory requirements.
Earlier this year, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry announced that both countries had completed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on labour force cooperation on February 16.
Officials said the agreement is expected to help ease labour shortages in several Taiwanese industries while also strengthening people to people ties between India and Taiwan.
The ministry also stressed that Taiwan would continue promoting cultural exchanges and mutual understanding with India as part of efforts to elevate the broader partnership.
Over the past few years, India and Taiwan have steadily expanded cooperation in sectors such as trade, technology, semiconductors, education and labour mobility, despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
The latest political outreach is being viewed as another step towards broadening engagement between the two sides amid increasing strategic and economic cooperation in the Indo Pacific region.
