The China Post
Date: September 10, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan
TAIPEI, Taiwan –The Education Ministry, a participant in the Tsai administration’s “New Southbound
This graph compiled by the Education Ministry shows maps of the countries targeted by the “New Southbound Policy.”(The China Post)
Policy,” is working to build a deeper connection with Southeast Asia through student exchange programs, vocational courses and internships, and academic partnerships.
In what critics called a shift from her predecessor’s emphasis on the cross-strait relationship, President Tsai Ing-wen had formed a new southbound office directly under the Presidential Office to emphasize that all southbound affairs should be the top priority in all government agencies.
The office was charged with cultivating a deeper, stronger and more critical relationship with countries in the Southeast Asia.
Although responsibility for the office was later transferred from the Presidential Office to the Executive Yuan — the result of a personnel shuffle following the Singapore envoy’s DUI violation — Tsai has repeatedly made it clear that Southeast Asia ranks at the top of Taiwan’s priorities. [FULL STORY]
