Does the concept of the Indo-Pacific benefit Taiwan? The paper argues that Taiwan as a consolidated democracy has benefitted from the Indo-Pacific concept, as most Western countries aim at strengthening ties with partners in the Indo-Pacific that share their values of democracy, human rights, and respect for international law. The paper will analyze Taiwan’s role and the role of shared interests and values in Indo-Pacific strategies of the EU, and the EU member states with strategies (Czech Republic, Germany, France, Lithuania, Netherlands), as well as in strategies of other stakeholders in the region, such as the US, Japan, South Korea, or Australia.

The analysis of the role of Taiwan, and of interests and values that are shared in Indo-Pacific strategies and policies will be connected to Taiwan’s own strategies and policies for the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan has not developed its own Indo-Pacific Strategy, but under its “New Southbound Policy”, it has fostered closer economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges with the countries of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. Another key objective of Taiwan has been to strengthen cooperation with democratic partners worldwide.

The paper will use role theory to examine the national role conceptions that can be found in the Indo-Pacific strategies, the role prescriptions of others, e.g. how other countries are described in Indo-Pacific strategies, and the role performance, which encompasses the decisions, and actions governments take to implement the national role conceptions that can be found in their Indo-Pacific strategies.

Amid intensifying geopolitical tensions among great powers in the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan faces increasing challenges. The New Southbound Policy (NSP) has emerged as a strategic approach for Taiwan to mitigate these vulnerabilities by strengthening partnerships in various regions, including Southeast Asia. Indonesia, as a key partner in this region, has maintained long-standing ties with Taiwan. Beyond economics and trade, many academic works highlight Taiwan’s growing popularity as a destination for Indonesians seeking educational and professional opportunities. Furthermore, Taiwan is recognized as a global hub for technological innovation, especially in the semiconductor sector, while Indonesia actively pursues its own ambitions to develop a semiconductor ecosystem. This study examines how Taiwan’s expertise in science and technology serves as its soft power resource that channeling through NSP, using science diplomacy to expand its influence in Indonesia. Employing a qualitative approach and grounded in the science diplomacy framework, this study reveals that Taiwan’s know-how in semiconductor technology not only enhances its international reputation but also positions it as a valuable contributor to Indonesia’s technological aspirations. Through collaborative efforts that connect academic institutions, scientific communities, and private sectors across both entities, a mutually beneficial relationship can be fostered, providing both Taiwan and Indonesia a pathway to address regional challenges and advance their respective goals on the global stage.

For a long time, the prevailing unequal geopolitical and geoeconomic relationships have shaped an imbalanced global higher education landscape. In recent years, however, various ambitious internationalization strategies launched by Asian countries have highlighted their aspirations to recruit students on a global scale and to enhance their regional status and competitiveness. The burgeoning internationalization of higher education and the increasing transnational student mobility reflect the perception of "mobility" as a crucial resource for young people, linking it to future aspirations or desires and positioning it as a key pathway for achieving personal and professional goals. This study, grounded in the concepts of "aspirations" and "temporalities," focuses on a relatively under-discussed but significant form of intra-Asian mobility: student transnational mobility, including return migration and onward mobility, and its impact on regional development. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with international degree students from New Southbound countries currently studying at higher education institutions in Taiwan. The study explores how students from various New Southbound countries shape their career aspirations related to the future during their time in Taiwan and how they perceive potential mobility trajectories within Asia and globally, as well as their sense of positioning within Asia. By closely analyzing the cross-border experiences of young Asian movers and the specific political-economic systems and socio-cultural structures of different countries, the findings of this study will contribute to academic debates on young movers within the Asia-Pacific region and to broader discussions on regional development.