New Delhi, India

India and Taiwan are expected to sign a migration and mobility pact in October strengthening ties between the two sides. The landmark agreement is expected to foster greater people-to-people engagement and facilitate smoother migration between the two nations. The semiconductor industry has emerged as a pivotal area of cooperation, with India seeking to establish a chip manufacturing industry and Taiwan possessing the requisite expertise.

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The forthcoming mobility pact holds the potential to significantly increase the influx of Indians into Taiwan. India has previously entered into Migration and Mobility pacts with countries such as France, the UK and Germany, and plans are underway for a similar pact with Italy. The pact, intended to promote the mobility of students, professionals, skilled workers, researchers, and academics, has also been designed to harness India's demographic dividend.

While the talks on signing the pact are underway, the development comes at a time when Taiwan plans to bolster its diplomatic presence in India. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) is set to be inaugurated in Mumbai during the fourth quarter of this year. The TECC will serve as a focal point for enhancing exchanges and collaboration between the two countries. It will offer visa services, document authentication, and emergency assistance, catering to businesspeople, tourists, and Taiwanese nationals across multiple Indian states, especially western states.

Taiwan's investment and business presence in India has been steadily growing. Notably, about 60 per cent of Taiwanese companies that have invested in India and established factories in the country have chosen locations in southern India. The economic collaboration between India and Taiwan has flourished in sectors such as trade, investment, and industry. Bilateral trade has experienced a remarkable surge, increasing from USD 1.19 billion in 2001 to nearly USD 7.7 billion in 2021. With 106 Taiwanese companies currently operating in India, investments amounting to USD 1.5 billion have been made across various sectors, including information technology, medical devices, and automobile components.

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This development is occurring against the backdrop of strained India-China relations due to Beijing's aggrieve actions in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. Since the Galwan incident of 2020 in which India lost its soldiers due to aggressive acts by Chinese forces, ties between the two countries have been badly impacted. Tensions have further escalated as China continues to assert territorial claims over the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

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