“In January 2026, the signing of the Talented Labor Agreement between Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) and the Mizoram government signals that the India-Taiwan partnership has moved beyond mere economic rhetoric into deep structural integration. Historically, New Delhi’s engagement with Taipei was a cautious balancing act, often hamstrung by India’s territorial sensitivities with Beijing and a reactive cross-strait policy.”
“However, what was once a cautious and largely commercial relationship is evolving into a structured partnership spanning technology, labor mobility, education and supply chains, widening India’s strategic bandwidth. By strategically converging India’s Act East Policy (AEP) with Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy (NSP), India increasingly views Taiwan as a capability provider that can support domestic industrial transformation and reduce exposure to geopolitical supply shocks. The complementarity between Taiwan’s technological expertise and India’s market scale supports the emergence of a more resilient regional economic structure which is less susceptible to China’s supply chain dominance. Thus, India’s Taiwan policy is no longer purely derivative of its China calculus; it is increasingly shaped by technological security, supply chain resilience and the strategic posturing in Indo-Pacific geopolitics.”
“Crucially, the trajectory of this partnership is also partly dictated by Taiwan’s domestic political landscape as DPP’s outward-looking orientation has removed historical territorial baggage that once hindered KMT-India ties. This shift has transformed Taiwan from a sensitive diplomatic liability into a pivotal pragmatic partner. For New Delhi, the current DPP administration offers a strategic alignment that serves India’s interest in regional power balancing, effectively integrating Taiwan into India’s broader Indo-Pacific architecture as part of a broader efforts to diversify India’s strategic choices in the Indo-Pacific. Furthermore, Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy finds a natural strategic synergy with India’s Act East Policy. While these policies are not formally coordinated strategies, their parallel evolution has created a framework for pragmatic convergence.”
https://orcasia.org/article/1576/indias-taiwan-calculus-within-the-indo-pacific-framework