"Setting Cross-Strait Relations Scenarios... Need to Proactively Review Expansion of Cooperation with Taiwan"

KIEP: "Meticulous and Cautious Approach Needed"

Following the recent election of Lai Ching-te, the pro-American Democratic Progressive Party candidate, as Taiwan's president, concerns over the deterioration of cross-strait relations have intensified. In this context, there are calls for our government to proactively review the scope and level of future cooperation with Taiwan.

The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) pointed out on the 17th in its "World Economy Focus - 2024 Taiwan Presidential Election Results and Implications" report that "it is necessary to establish various scenarios regarding how the worsening cross-strait relations could affect Korea-China relations and to prepare proactively accordingly."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the presidential election held on the 13th, Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party defeated Hou You-yi of the Kuomintang, who is pro-China. Given the high possibility that this will increase tensions in cross-strait relations, it is essential for our diplomatic corps to prepare in advance to avoid being caught in the middle of cross-strait issues.

Heo Jae-cheol, head of KIEP’s Japan and East Asia team, stated, "China is expected to strengthen bilateral and multilateral diplomacy to isolate the Lai Ching-te administration internationally, and in this process, there is a possibility that our diplomacy could become unintentionally involved." He added, "There is likely to be an increase in situations where our diplomatic stance must be expressed regarding Taiwan’s participation in various international forums."

Since Lai Ching-te has expressed intentions to expand cooperation with Korea, including stating in an interview with domestic media that he would engage in a new supply chain dialogue with Korea, there are also calls for our government to carefully consider the future framework of relations with Taiwan. Heo said, "Lai Ching-te is taking an active stance on cooperation with Korea, so a proactive review is needed on how far to expand the scope and level of cooperation with Taiwan." He added, "It is necessary to comprehensively assess the impact that expanding and strengthening cooperation with Taiwan could have on Korea-China relations."

In particular, given the possibility of military conflict in the Taiwan Strait, it was emphasized that an active role should be taken to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait. Heo stated, "To reduce military tensions in the Taiwan Strait and establish peace and stability, our government’s diplomatic efforts, as well as constructive roles from local governments, academia, and civil society organizations at various levels, must be actively sought." He added, "However, these efforts require a sophisticated and cautious approach to ensure they are not perceived as interference in internal affairs or as taking sides."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.