• 2018-06-05

Four Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)Taiwan Fellowship visiting scholars were invitedto present their research at the NCL on March 21,2018. This is the first session in four in 2018, hostedby Mr. Kuo-ting Tan, Deputy Director General ofthe Dept. of Policy Planning, MOFA. The first topresent her work was Professor Jessica ClaribelRamirez Vidal of the Ibero-American University,Dominican Republic. In her presentation, entitled“The Role of Technology in the Social and Economic Development of Taiwan and Its Impacton the Global Market,” Prof. Ramirez Vidal gavean account of the economic role played by Taiwan’shigh technology industries, and the link betweentechnological development and higher education inTaiwan. 

The second scholar to present his research wasDr. Abubakar Eby Hara, an associate professor atthe University of Jember, Indonesia. The theme ofhis presentation was “The Development of Taiwan’sSoft Power and Its Impact on Taiwan-IndonesiaRelations.” In light of the One China Policy, thedevelopment of Taiwan’s soft power is a vital aspectof its foreign relations. In his presentation, Dr.Hara set forth how Taiwan could raise its profile inIndonesia, and promote opportunities for the twocountries to work together.

Mr. Tobias Burgers, a Ph.D. candidate at theFree University of Berlin, was the next to speak. Hispresentation topic was “The Rise and IncreasingUse of Cyber and Robotic Technology in EastAsianSecurity Affairs, and Its Implications forRegional Security.” In the wake of technologicaldevelopment, the internet and robotic technologyhave seen rapid growth over the past 30 years. Mr.Burgers expressed the view that the rapid rise ofsuch new systems was a potential threat to regionalstability, which if not handled properly couldnegatively impact East Asian regional security.

The final presentation was given by Dr. SumitKumar, a research fellow of the Chennai Centrefor China Studies, India. His presentation topic is“Taiwan-India Relations: An Overview,” remarkingthat in recent years, China’s tough foreign policyhad influenced diplomatic relations between allAsian countries, particularly India. Despite the fact that India had been establishing a strategicrelationship and exchanging intelligence withTaiwan since 2004, and views China as a commonthreat to the two countries’ security, it had no desireto damage its relationship with China.