On May 3, at the Prakob Hutasingh Meeting Room on the third floor of the Anekpeasong Building 1, Tha Prachan campus, the Thammasat University College of Interdisciplinary Studies presented a lecture by Professor Tung Chen-yuan, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand. Dr. Tung’s presentation was entitled Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy and Educational Opportunities for Thailand. He was introduced by Associate Professor Kitti Prasirtsuk, Vice-Dean of International Affairs, Thammasat University. Dr. Tung observed that Taiwan is trying to elaborate a new approach to Southeast Asia as well as to education. Although Taiwan is located quite close to Southeast Asia geographically, in previous years it has not paid sufficient attention to its Southeast Asian neighbors. Dr. Tung added:
We need to develop a conversation for more human interactions. In the past, [Taiwan] looked to the East and West, but not to the South.
Proclaimed in 2016, Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy was about economic cooperation, but also expertise in high technology. Taiwan has already ranked as the third largest investor in Thailand. The plan is to expand cooperation in different areas. Very good Thai students may apply for scholarships in Taiwan. Currently Taiwan provides more than 1000 university scholarships to Thai students. After their university studies in Taiwan, Thai students may also find internship opportunities as well as future possibilities for working, postdoctoral research training, and other professional activities. All Thais know that Taiwan is an important development partner for the Kingdom. A Taiwanese government website explains in detail these opportunities:
In an effort to encourage outstanding international students to undertake degree studies in Taiwan to familiarize themselves with the academic environment in Taiwan and promote communication, understanding and friendship between Taiwan and international community, the Ministry of Education (MOE) of Republic of China formulated Taiwan Scholarship Program Directions. Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand drew up 2018 Taiwan Scholarship Program Directions for Thai Students…
As its website indicates, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand
represents the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Kingdom of Thailand to maintain and strengthen the substantial relations and traditional friendship between the people in Taiwan and Thailand.
Dr. Tung is a Distinguished Professor at the Graduate Institute of Development Studies, College of Social Sciences, National Chengchi University, Wenshan, Taipei, Taiwan. He is also director of the Center for Prediction Markets, National Chengchi University. He earned a BA and MA in political science at National Taiwan University, followed by an MA and PhD in international affairs from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He has expertise in international political economy, Chinese economic development, Taiwan-U.S.-China trilateral relations, and prediction markets. His books include Cross-Strait Economic Relations in the Era of Globalization: China’s Leverage and Taiwan’s Vulnerability (2008) and his articles address themes such as Trilateral Economic Relations among Taiwan, China, and the United States.
National Chengchi University (NCCU) was the first public service training facility in modern China. Founded in Nanjing in 1927, it relocated to Taipei in 1954. In the Chinese language, the word Chengchi means governance or politics. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious and prominent universities in Taiwan. Its specialilties includes arts and humanities, mass media, social sciences, management, politics, and international affairs. It is the only publicly-funded university in Taiwan to provide courses in journalism, advertising, radio and television, diplomacy, and foreign languages not taught at other universities in Taiwan.
Outreach efforts
Thais may have noticed that as The Diplomat reported in 2016, Taiwan has been attracting ASEAN tourists with visa-free travel opportunities, part of the New Southbound Policy. Earlier this year, a delegation from National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), located in the south of Taiwan, which developed from an agricultural extension school, visited the Taiwan Education Center Thailand at Chuchat Kamphu Alley, Khwaeng Lat Yao, Khet Chatuchak, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. The visit anticipated NPUST’s planned participation in the 2018 Taiwan Expo, which is scheduled for August at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Center (BITEC). The visitors from NPUST also celebrated the 75th Anniversary of Kasetsart University (KU), and a dual-degree agreement between the KU College of Engineering and NPUST Department of Biomechatronics was signed.
Other exchange ventures
Last August, Dr. Tung presided over the signing of a memorandum of understanding on promoting Mandarin education in Thailand. The agreement, signed in Bangkok, is between New Taipei City’s National Open University (NOU) and the Thai-Taiwan Business Association. The plan is to promote free online courses and teacher training materials for Mandarin language produced by NOU. In addition, basic communication and conversational programs will be designed for Thai employees of Taiwanese companies with offices in Thailand. Currently, over 1,700 Thai students are studying in Taiwan, with over 30 percent pursuing academic degrees. Thailand ranks fourth among ASEAN countries sending students to Taiwan for educational opportunities, after Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, in decreasing order of importance.
In February, Dr. Tung and a delegation of academic officials visited Chiang Mai University. The previous month, an alliance among National Taiwan University (NTU), National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and National Cheng Kung University founded a Taiwan-Thailand Resource Center for Economics and Industry-Academy Cooperation on behalf of the Taiwanese Ministry of Education. This center will operate from the Taiwan Association of Thailand, catering for many years to Taiwanese businesspeople in Thailand. The goal is to gather Thai economic and trade data as a base in Thailand for graduates of Taiwanese universities and graduate schools looking for business opportunities in the Kingdom. Last December, the first Taiwan-Thailand Forum for Economics and Trade and Industry-Academy Cooperation was held, with Dr. Tung among the attendees. Talent cultivation, industial upgrading, industry-academic cooperation, and fostering startup enterprises in the context of globalization were discussed, as well as Taiwan’s Southbound Policy.
Last October, Thai students were informed about more educational opportunities at the 2017 Taiwan Higher Education Fair at Central World Plaza, Bangkok. Also last year, an association of alumni of Soochow University (SCU), a private university in Taipei, Taiwan, was established in Thailand. SCU was China’s first western-style university as well as the first private university in Taiwan. All of these strong educational ties suggest that Taiwan is looking in many different ways to connect with the Kingdom for the most productive results for both nations.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)