Newsweek
Date: 12/3/20
By: John Feng

Taiwan's de facto ambassador to India said Monday that it was time for Taipei and New Delhi to "redefine" their relationship amid both countries' rising tensions with their belligerent Chinese neighbor.

Baushuan Ger, who used to head up Taipei's representative office in Chicago, suggested a convergence of "new security interests" might bring the two democracies closer together.

Ger was posted to New Delhi in September, at a time when Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen was enjoying unusually vocal support from India's active Twitter community. Her popularity came against the backdrop of the Indian Army's violent clashes with Chinese troops in Ladakh, along the Line of Actual Control, resulting in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers in this summer.

Despite many rounds of negotiations aimed at de-escalating and demilitarizing the disputed region, the two armies remain deadlocked along the LAC and appear to be bedding in for a long winter stalemate. This has allowed Taiwan to make success overtures to New Delhi, creating goodwill on top of an informal diplomatic relationships now entering its 25th year.
[FULL  STORY]