Taiwan’s ‘people-centered’ New Southbound Policy and its impact on US–Taiwan relations

Abstract

Taiwan’s relations with South and Southeast Asia have become the focus of scholarly discussion since it proposed the New Southbound Policy (NSP) in 2016. Few touch on the NSP’s effect on Taiwan’s relations with countries outside the NSP targets. This paper argues that the NSP has a positive effect on US–Taiwan relations. The people-centered approach of the NSP helps the Taiwanese government create a credible commitment to a moderate foreign policy. It signals Taiwan’s resolve to uphold the US interests in Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s policy direction has received the US’s approval, resulting in cordial US–Taiwan relations. The public supports from the US have strengthened Taiwan’s confidence under tense cross-Strait relations. Recently, the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy provides Taiwan an opportunity to establish a closer tie with the US. But the prospect of bilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region depends on a clear proposal.