Taiwan seeks mutually beneficial ties with India

Taiwan seeks to have mutually beneficial ties with India and wants to take part in flagship initiatives like Smart Cities project and Make in India programme, a visiting Taiwanese parliamentarian said on Monday.

"Just as we have mutually beneficial ties with Japan and China, why not with India," Kuan Bi-Ling, who is leading a Taiwanese delegation to India comprising three women parliamentarians and members from the academy, business and computer sectors, told media persons here.

The three parliamentarians are all members of the Taiwanese parliament's Taiwan-India Friendship Association.

Kuan asserted that Taiwan was an independent country despite China not recognising it under its One China policy.

"Over the course of facing many obstacles because of the One China policy, we have developed relations with other countries," she stated.

"We have a pragmatic approach to developing diplomatic ties with other countries."

Kuan said India and Taiwan should have substantive ties in terms of economy, politics and national security.

"Taiwan and India should engage in more partnerships. Taiwan attaches great importance to its allies," she said.

She said that during the course of their visit, the delegation members would try to explain to Indian parliamentarians Taiwan's new foreign policy called New Southbound Policy.

Under the New Southbound Policy, adopted last year, Taiwan is aiming to engage more closely with six South Asian nations, including India, the 10 member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Australia and New Zealand.

Stating that over the past many years, Taiwan has developed a number of smart cities, Kuan said that "we hope we can be part of India's Smart Cities initiative".

"Through this visit we would like to familiarise Taiwanese companies with the Make in India initiative," she said.

"Also the many success stories of the Taiwanese companies already present in India should be made known."

Earlier on Monday, the delegation members undertook a tour of the Parliament House complex here.

--IANS

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