ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at Taiwan’s diversification of allies and growing engagement with other members of the international community since 2016, including the New Southbound Policy and its effects, collaboration on combating cyber crime, defending democracy and other initiatives, and various MOUs and agreements signed with allies during that period. It looks at potential for GCTF-style engagement with other countries, civil society initiatives, and makes a strong case for a deepening of such constructive engagement as a means to counter China’s encroachment on Taiwan’s sovereignty. Through the many examples discussed, this chapter shows that a large part of Taiwan’s ability to remain a functioning state with a growing economy in the face of intensifying Chinese belligerence is attributed to the Tsai government’s policy of engagement with international allies, even if, in many cases, the said engagement has had to occur behind closed doors and its full scope is therefore largely unknown by the public.
