Taiwan to open new office in Mumbai on October 16

New Delhi, India

Signalling further engagement with New Delhi, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to India, Baushuan Ger has said a new Taiwanese office will open in Mumbai on October 16. Taiwan has its de facto embassy or Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India (TECC) in Delhi and one de facto consulate or office in the southern city of Chennai.

Speaking to WION's Sidhant Sibal, Ger, representative to TECC said that with this new mission "we can serve more Taiwanese and Indian businesses, trade, and economic ties between our societies".

The establishment of the Taipei Economic Culture Centre in Mumbai is part of the expansion of Taiwan's presence in India under its new southbound policy. With the opening of the new office, the number of Taiwanese diplomats will increase to 32, with plans to get more Taiwanese diplomats to India. The development comes even as India, and Taiwan firm up ties in semiconductors, mobility and many Taiwanese teachers come to India to teach Mandarin. 

Meanwhile, Taiwan's National Day was celebrated in Delhi on Tuesday (Oct 8), but no Indian government representatives were present, as New Delhi does not officially recognise Taiwan as a separate country. Former Indian MP Sujeet Kumar was present at the national day. Foreign diplomats from nations that adhere to the "One China" policy also chose to skip the event.

The full interview with Baushuan Ger:

Sidhant Sibal: When are you going to open the new office in India?

Baushuan Ger: On October 16, we will open our third mission in India, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Mumbai. We hope that through this new mission, we can serve more Taiwanese and Indian businesses, trade, and economic ties between our societies.

Sidhant Sibal: Semiconductor has been a key pillar of ties...

Baushuan Ger: Semiconductor is one of the major cooperation between our two sides. We are very happy to see Tata and Taiwan's Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) work together in Gujarat and we hope that it will be a precursor to many similar projects.

Watch | Taiwan gives befitting reply as China questions Taiwan-India ties

Sidhant Sibal: How do you see India-Taiwan ties? Taiwan celebrated its National Day in India. 

Baushuan Ger: We are very positive about Taiwan-India relations, in the past, now and in the future. We have the celebration of our national day and we hope that we receive more similar happy returns in the future.

Sidhant Sibal: How is Taiwan helping to develop Mandarin language skills in India?

Baushuan Ger: We have 36 Taiwan education centres in India, across Indian campuses. Our desire is to have more Taiwan education centres in India. That will be a very useful bridge between Taiwan and India. Through these centres, we came to promote Mandarin teaching and learning in India and send more Indian students to Taiwan to study, especially in STEM disciplines. They can come back to serve as a bridge.