Before the year comes to an end, it’s feasible that there may be more direct flights between Taiwan and India than the current two or so each week. Business trips between the two nations are a time-consuming exercise due to the lengthy layovers. The island nation of Taiwan has also made the decision to open its third consular office in Mumbai this year due to increased demand from the area and a desire to refute the misconception that India only needs a handful of top-notch chip manufacturing.
There is a conflict in Taiwan’s industrial policy as it portrays itself as a market for technologies outside of semiconductors, such as in biologicals, smart cities, and even defence. Asia’s ICT (information and communication technologies) superpower has started to hold a number of huge tech events following COVID-19, and numerous German and South Korean suppliers are attending. But there are only so many buyers. Taipei is making a lot of effort to pique Indian interest in order to entice these buyers from Asia and Africa.
India and Taiwan naturally share a strong affinity for one another. The majority of the island’s manufacturing facilities are located in China, which is something that the island has grown increasingly uncomfortable with as tensions with the mainland have risen. India provides a different option due of its long-standing conflicts with China.
Beyond the semiconductor industry, which India is ardently courting, the island finds it difficult to communicate with India. The two countries don’t have a formal diplomatic relationship. India runs the offices of the India Taipei Association, whereas Taiwan operates its Taipei Economic and Cultural Centres in New Delhi, Chennai, and now Mumbai. Although both are staffed with career diplomats, they are unable to provide official handholding for the commercial entities on both sides. There are also no significant business chambers from either side to ease the two’s route, unlike India’s more established investment partners like the UK, Germany, or the US.