Abstract
This article outlines the core rationale of President Lai Ching-te's foreign policy: a value-based or "Shin-Lai" (Trustworthy) diplomacy. It begins with a brief review of the key elements of the Trustworthy diplomacy and outlines its core values and future prospects. It then summarizes the four major characteristics of Lai's diplomacy that is, value-based, prosperity-oriented, domestic-international-nexus as its blueprint, and implementing via innovative actions. It then looks at the implications and possible innovations of President Lai's continuation of former President Tsai Ing-wen's foreign policy by using Southeast Asia and South Asia as examples to explore the possible prospects of this Trustworthy diplomacy. This article then reviews Lai's rhetoric on the New Southbound Policy (NSP) over the past years. The main argument of this article contends that "strategizing" the NSP will solidify President Lai's Trustworthy diplomacy. It concludes with research findings and relevant policy recommendations.
Keywords: Lai Ching-te, New Southbound Policy, New Southbound Policy Plus, Value-Based Diplomacy, Shin-Lai Diplomacy
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This article was published under《Taiwan Strategists》 No. 22 (2024/06) Pp. 19-36.