ABSTRACT
This chapter will address the viability of Taiwan's search for diversity in its international relations by looking at the possibilities offered by Japan and the European Union (EU). These both entities offer several attractions to Taiwan. Both have been politically supportive of the country, without the PRC's competitive sharpness that proximity to the United States offers for Taipei. The EU is the world's largest unified market, which will remain the case even after the United Kingdom's exit in January 2020. Furthermore, Japan remains the world's third-largest economy. It is a place with which Taiwan has close cultural and historical links (albeit very contentious ones – it was run as a colony of Imperial Japan from 1895 to 1945). Both places already have a good foundation for future expansion. The question here is whether partners like these can really offer the kind of fall back and security that Taiwan needs in a world that is almost daily becoming more and more complex?
