Dr Jing Bo-jiun is a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Taiwan Studies Programme within the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA). His research and publications primarily focus on Taiwan-Southeast Asia relations, Taiwan’s cybersecurity strategy, and the international relations of the Indo-Pacific region. Dr Jing holds a PhD in International Political Economy from King’s College London. Previously, he served as the Head of the Taiwan Studies Project and Research Fellow at the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) in Sweden, a Research Associate at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, and an Associate Researcher at the Mainland Affairs Council in Taiwan.

Since the early 1990s, the Taiwanese government, spanning four administrations, has endeavoured to expand Taiwan’s economic presence in Southeast Asia. This effort aims to capitalise on the growing markets in ASEAN, diversify Taiwan’s international trade in relation to China, and avoid exclusion from regional economic integration. President Tsai Ing-wen’s New Southbound Policy has placed a stronger emphasis on people-to-people connectivity, particularly focusing on fostering mutual understanding between Taiwan and ASEAN countries through cultural activities such as tourism and talent exchange programmes. Has Taiwan’s longstanding southbound drive been successful, or is it merely rhetoric? This talk seeks to unpack the development of Taiwan-Southeast Asia relations over recent decades, analysing the role of China or cross-Strait factors in the region. The seminar will conclude with an assessment of what the incoming years of Taiwan’s Southeast Asia policy may look like after the new President Lai Ching-te takes office on 20th May 2024