Modi responds to Taiwan Prez Lai Ching-te's wishes, seeks closer ties

By Dan Strumpf

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looks forward to closer ties with Taiwan in a social-media post responding directly to the island’s newly-elected president. 
 

Modi thanked Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te who congratulated him on X his third straight election victory and touted the “fast-growing” India-Taiwan partnership that will contribute to the peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

“I look forward to closer ties as we work towards mutually beneficial economic and technological partnership,” Modi said on X.

   

Modi faces the renewed challenge in his third term of managing its tense relationship with China, which claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its own. 

Lai Ching-te during his inauguration ceremony in Taipei, on May 20.

China opposes nations that it has official diplomatic ties with from having contact with Taiwan. China views Lai as a separatist leading Taiwan to war, recently held major military drills around the island following his inauguration.   

Relations between India and China have been at a low-point since a border clash in 2020. On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry congratulated Modi on his election win, saying “a healthy and stable China-India relationship is in the interest of both countries.” 

India and Taiwan, meanwhile, have been forging closer economic ties under Modi, with the two sides planning a labor-supply pact that could see Taiwan hire as many as 100,000 Indian workers.