TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF, 台亞基金會) signed a memorandum with India’s National Maritime Foundation (NMF) Thursday (Oct. 8) in order to foster cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
The two groups will set up a joint task force to deepen bilateral dialogue, CNA reported. The memorandum’s aim is to conduct joint research and expand cooperation.
The TAEF, the organizer of the fourth edition of the Yushan Forum on Thursday, will wait until coronavirus (COVID-19) travel restrictions are over before sending a delegation to India to hold direct talks, a foundation official said that day.
Both countries have been moving closer given the tensions with China. Indian troops have clashed with the People’s Liberation Army on the Himalayan border, and Chinese warplanes and warships have been violating Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) almost daily.
The island nation named India as one of its New Southbound Policy target countries in 2016.