Premier Chen Chien-jen on Tuesday received the new director general of the India Taipei Association, Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav, who took up the position in August. The premier noted that Taiwan and India's economies and trading structures are highly complementary. Both sides have made considerable progress in promoting exchanges in areas such as economy and trade, education, culture and supply chains, with the total value of bilateral trade in 2022 reaching a record high of US$8.4 billion.
The premier said China is continuing to expand its geopolitical influence in the Indo-Pacific region, threatening regional peace and stability. Taiwan is glad to see that India has deepened its cooperation with like-minded nations, actively participating in regional mechanisms such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity to jointly respond to regional and global challenges. As a responsible and key partner in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan will continue to strengthen economic and security cooperation with India and other like-minded nations in order to advance regional peace, security and prosperity.
In his remarks, Director General Yadav agreed with the premier that India and Taiwan complement one another across many areas. India is a large market and Taiwan is a manufacturing powerhouse; India has a great skillset in the software industry, while Taiwan has a great skillset in the hardware industry; and India is looking to diversify its supply chains at a time when Taiwan is seeking new investment destinations. There are a lot of complementarities, commonalities and shared interests, he said.
Director General Yadav pointed out that Taiwan is establishing a new office in Mumbai. India and Taiwan are also currently negotiating two memoranda of understanding covering migration and mobility, and traditional medicine. These are both good steps and demonstrate there is great potential in the India-Taiwan relationship, he said.