The U.S.-Taiwan relationship is far more than just between AIT and the Taiwan authorities – it belongs to all of us. We want to hear from everyone about their hopes and aspirations for the future of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. In partnership with Taiwan’s Public Digital Innovation Space and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as part of our AIT@40 celebrations we are launching a series of “Digital Dialogues” on each of the four main pillars of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship – promoting Taiwan’s role in the global community, our economic and commercial relationship, our security cooperation, and our people-to-people ties. What AIT Director Christensen calls “the four promotes.” Each Digital Dialogue provides the general public in Taiwan and the United States the opportunity to vote on what they consider to be the best ideas for promoting deeper cooperation as well as to offer their own thoughts and ideas for how we can accomplish our shared objectives.
We at AIT are committed to listening carefully to all of your suggestions, and we will do our utmost to actually act on the best ideas put forward. Who knows, perhaps your idea will become future policy for the United States and Taiwan! At the end of each dialogue, AIT will issue a public response to the results of the Digital Dialogues and hold a live Forum to discuss the results and how they might be implemented. We encourage you to share the information about these dialogues widely with all of your friends, family, and colleagues. The more participation, the more ideas, the better for the future of our relationship.
Results of the Digital Dialogues:
- Promoting People-to-People Ties [Completed – Click to See the Dialogue Results | Facebook Live of the Public Forum on January 17, 2020]
- A Secure Taiwan: Promoting U.S.-Taiwan Security Cooperation [Completed – Click to See the Dialogue Results | Facebook Live of the Public Forum on November 7, 2019]
- Global Taiwan: Promoting Taiwan’s Role in the Global Community [Completed – Click to See the Dialogue Results | Facebook Live of the Public Forum on August 15, 2019]
- Promoting the U.S.-Taiwan Economic and Commercial Relationship [Completed – Click to See the Dialogue Results | Facebook Live of the Public Forum on June 4, 2019]
Global Taiwan: Promoting Taiwan’s Role in the Global Community (Completed)
Due to its unique situation, Taiwan faces significant constraints on its ability to engage with the rest of the world. The United States believes Taiwan has an important role to play in global problem solving and its example as a vibrant market democracy is one that should be showcased to the world. We are committed to help Taiwan expand its role and participation in the global community.
Dialogue Topic: How should the United States and Taiwan work together to expand Taiwan’s constructive role and participation in the global community?
Promote the U.S.-Taiwan Economic and Commercial Relationship (Completed)
For decades the U.S. and Taiwan have enjoyed a robust and mutually beneficial economic relationship, with each becoming an indispensable partner of the other. Some argue, however, that the economic relationship has stagnated since the original boom in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. With the United States pulling out of the Trans Pacific Partnership and the escalating trade tensions between the United States and China, there is growing fear Taiwan will be left out of economic integration or find itself caught in the middle of an epic struggle between two economic giants. At the same time, emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and automation, promise to reshape supply chains and perhaps even the nature of work. Against this backdrop, successfully navigating the future of the U.S.-Taiwan economic and commercial relationship is more important – and fraught – than ever.
A Secure Taiwan: Promoting U.S.-Taiwan Security Cooperation (Completed)
The United States and Taiwan have enjoyed a deep and robust security cooperation relationship for decades. The United States’ obligation to support Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defense capability is codified in the Taiwan Relations Act and serves as the foundational element of the security cooperation relationship. Today, this relationship spans beyond arms sales: U.S. service staff colleges and military academies also welcome the participation of Taiwan’s finest military officers, cadets, and midshipmen. This policy of supporting Taiwan’s defense needs has been consistent across seven U.S. administrations, both Democratic and Republican, and has helped foster Taiwan’s prosperity and democratic development while bolstering cross-Strait and regional stability. But, as regional tensions rise, the threats of coercion become more frequent, and new types of security threats emerge, how we define “sufficient self-defense capability” becomes more relevant than ever.
Dialogue topic: How should the United States and Taiwan deepen their security cooperation relationship against the backdrop of cross-Strait tensions, U.S-China differences, new and emerging threats, and an increasingly complex Indo-Pacific regional security environment?
Promote People-to-People Ties (Completed)
The strong affinity between the United States Taiwan is undeniable. The United States is the #1 long-haul destination for Taiwan travelers, and the United States is now the 8th-highest source of tourists to Taiwan. The United States is the number one overseas destination for Taiwan students, with over 23,000 students in the U.S. during the 2018-2019 academic year. Hundreds of thousands of people from Taiwan have immigrated to the United States. Among these immigrants are Nobel prize winners, high-tech pioneers and award-winning actors and directors. These are the people-to-people ties that bind us together. In the final AIT@40 Digital Dialogue we examine how to forge even closer ties.
Dialogue topic: What are the main obstacles to closer people-to-people ties? What should the United States and Taiwan do to promote even closer ties between our people?
