During the past two years, Taiwan's New Southbound Policy has paid special attention to the people-centered development agenda. Under the Ministry of Education’s flagship project, the spirit of two-way exchange has been strengthened, encouraging new generations of students to study or partake in exchange programs in Southeast and South Asia, New Zealand and Australia. Young students from neighboring countries who come to Taiwan to for degree studies have also increased. By strengthening the joint promotion of education and industrial talents, we strive to work with neighboring countries to cultivate new talents for the development of Asia.
For example, Chittaworn Warasiriphong, a Ph.D. student at the East Asia Institute of the National Chengchi University was an assistant professor at the Thammasat University in Thailand since 2011. He came to Taiwan to pursue his Ph.D. in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the development and dynamics of East Asian regional and Chinese studies. Chittaworn said that the New Southbound Policy initiated by Taiwan has indeed facilitated exchanges between Taiwan and the people of Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. There are now more young students who understand the characteristics of higher education in the country and thus wish to study or have their exchange in Taiwan.
In the past year, Chittaworn has also actively participated in the I-Quartet Project of the National Chengchi University, which combines the application of science and technology with the Thai language, contributing to the smart living talent cultivation program. By developing the virtual reality (VR) guide software for Taipei's famous Chih-Nan Temple, we can promote the cultural and sightseeing spots of Taiwan to Thailand.
Educational exchange and cooperation platforms for Taiwan and Southeast and South Asia are no longer limited to academics, but now also covers tourism, new industries and other fields. For example, Dr. Chitriya Pinthong, Vice President for International Affairs at Rangsit University, stressed that, in the future, Taiwan and Thailand can exchange talents in film, drama and music, and create mutually beneficial educational cooperation to promote regional economic development.