How India–Taiwan Ties Quietly Evolved into a Tech Partnership

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A new research paper by Ambassador Sanjay Kumar Verma for the Vivekanand Foundation traces India–Taiwan relations since 1995—from low-key trade and cultural links to a mature, technology-driven partnership anchored in semiconductors, manufacturing, and subnational diplomacy.

By TRH Foreign Affairs Desk

New Delhi, October 25, 2025 — According to a research paper published by the Vivekanand Foundation and authored by Ambassador Sanjay Kumar Verma, titled “From Functionalism to Silicon Bridges: India–Taiwan Relations Since 1995 and the Road Ahead,” India–Taiwan relations have transformed over the past three decades into a “quiet but resilient” partnership spanning trade, investment, science and technology, education, and culture—while carefully navigating the constraints of the China factor.

The paper highlights 1995 as a pivotal year, when India and Taiwan established representative offices—the India–Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi—laying the foundation for functional cooperation without formal diplomatic ties. This institutional framework enabled sustained progress across sectors, from investment protection and customs facilitation to business mobility and education exchanges.

Ambassador Verma, who became the first serving Indian Foreign Service officer posted to Taipei in 2001, recalls how this move “converted abstract intent into institutional muscle.” His account underscores how India’s professional diplomatic presence accelerated agreements and built trust that has endured for over two decades.

The evolution, Verma notes, has been steady and strategic: early commercial and cultural linkages in the 1990s expanded to supply-chain integration in electronics, machinery, and semiconductors by the 2010s. Today, the partnership is entering a new phase—anchored in semiconductor fabrication, OSAT, advanced manufacturing, and research collaboration—supported by Taiwan’s growing presence in India’s industrial corridors, especially through TECC offices in Chennai and Mumbai.

Beyond trade and investment, the study highlights progress in science and technology collaboration, including semiconductor skilling, robotics, and small satellite projects. State governments such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat have emerged as key drivers through subnational diplomacy, offering land, skilling programs, and plug-and-play infrastructure to attract Taiwanese industries.

Verma emphasizes that India–Taiwan relations, while politically constrained, have achieved depth through functionalism and pragmatism—a model that aligns with India’s “Act East” policy and Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. The focus ahead, he argues, should be on “scaling cleanroom and semiconductor skills, synchronizing logistics with fab construction, and institutionalizing resilient supply chains.”

Looking forward, the paper envisions a technology-centric partnership rooted in education, manufacturing, and supply-chain resilience rather than overt geopolitics—what Verma calls “quiet strategic autonomy through industrial interdependence.”

(Source: Research paper by Ambassador Sanjay Kumar Verma, Vivekanand Foundation — “From Functionalism to Silicon Bridges: India–Taiwan Relations Since 1995 and the Road Ahead”)

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