30 December 2025
From the Publisher
This issue of the TAEF Biannual arrives at a moment when Taiwan’s regional engagement is undergoing a quiet but significant transformation. While the New Southbound Policy+ (NSP+) remains the cornerstone of our work, the realities of today’s strategic environment call for a broader vision. TAEF is therefore evolving from a Southbound-focused institution into a platform that helps integrate Taiwan more fully into the Indo-Pacific regional architecture—one that is increasingly shaped by shared challenges, interconnected societies, and common aspirations for stability and openness.
The programs featured in this issue illustrate this shift. The inaugural NSP+ Think Tank Summit convened leaders from across the Indo-Pacific to examine regional security, democratic resilience, economic connectivity, and maritime cooperation. Our Taiwan–India Dialogue expanded its reach to Mumbai, reinforcing Taiwan’s ties with one of the region’s most consequential partners. In disaster preparedness, the Taiwan–Philippines–Fiji Joint Training Program marked a milestone by bringing Pacific partners into our growing resilience network. Meanwhile, the SEASAT Youth Camp, along with our cultural initiatives such as the New Southbound Vision program at the Taipei Film Festival, broadened people-to-people connections that now extend beyond Southeast Asia toward South Asia, Australia, and the Pacific.
What binds these diverse efforts together is a deeper understanding: that Taiwan’s future lies not only in bilateral partnerships, but in active participation in the Indo-Pacific’s emerging community of democracies, innovators, first responders, and cultural storytellers. TAEF’s mission, therefore, is not simply to expand networks, but to help shape a regional ecosystem grounded in openness, resilience, and dignity—and to ensure Taiwan contributes meaningfully through expertise, values, and human-centered cooperation.
As we continue this transformation, we express our gratitude to our partners across Asia and the Pacific who walk this path with us. Together, we are building connections that strengthen not only Taiwan’s engagement, but the Indo-Pacific’s collective capacity to face the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao
Chairman, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
Publisher Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao
Editor in Chief Alan Hao Yang
Executive Editor Sonia Ron Chang
Editor/Writer/Administrative Team Laura Bonsaver, Yuchi Chang, Karen Anne Yu, Zhao Yen Beh, Angie Yun-Chu Chen, Alison Yang, Vita Hung, Olivia Kuo, Cayce Pan, Cara Cheng, Tina Lee, Jennifer ChangIssue
TAEF Programs
1. Think Tank Collaboration
2. Civil Society Connectivity
3. Regional Resilience
4. Young Leaders Engagement
5. Cultural and Arts Exchange
TAEF Highlights
1. Report Launch: “Migration with Dignity in East Asia”
2. 2025 Taipei Film Festival: “New Southbound Vision”
3. 2025 Southeast Asia-South Asia-Taiwan (SEASAT) Youth Camp
4. Taiwan-Philippines-Fiji Joint Training Program
5. TAEF 7th Anniversary Celebration
6. The Fourth Taiwan-India Dialogue in Mumbai
TAEF Spotlight
1. 2025 Human Rights in Asia: A Multi-Generational Dialogue
2. 2025 TAEF-IDE Symposium
3. 2025 NSP+ Think Tank Summit — Executive Summary
4. Taipei Film Festival- New Southbound Vision
4.1. The Flow of Asian Images: Curation as a Practice of Cultural Diplomacy
4.2. Stories Behind the Screen: Cast and Crew Voices at the New Southbound Vision Forum
4.3. A Conversation with Tumpal Tampubolon
Download the full context of TAEF Biannual