Recipients of Taiwan Fellowship grants awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave presentations on topics concerning the implications of the government’s New Southbound Policy March 14 at National Central Library in Taipei City. 
 
“New Southbound Policy countries are significant strategic partners for regional socio-economic cooperation,” said Tan Guo-ting, deputy director-general of the MOFA’s Department of Policy Planning, in his welcoming address to the award recipients. The official noted that this year 55 fellowship recipients hail from these countries, roughly triple the average of previous years.
 
The New Southbound Policy is a key component of the government’s national development strategy. It seeks to deepen Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, educational, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.
 
At the event, four outstanding scholars from India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, respectively, shared their research findings regarding relations between Taiwan and India, the development of Taiwan identity, the implications of the New Southbound Policy for Thailand and the outsourcing of services by various nations in the Asia-Pacific.
 
The Taiwan Fellowship was established in 2010 to encourage scholars to conduct advanced research projects at local universities or academic institutions in the areas of Taiwan-related humanities and social science disciplines, cross-strait relations, the Asia-Pacific region and Sinology. Projects within the program last from three months to one year. The fellowship has attracted 693 scholars from 69 countries to Taiwan, with 133 individuals joining the program this year. (OC-E)
 
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