Amplifying warm solidarity between Taiwan and Philippines:
Perspectives from a Filipina cultural practitioner
by Lk Rigor
As a foreground for this article, in which I am tasked with responding to the New Southbound Policy (NSP), I am writing from the perspective of a practitioner in the arts and culture field in the Philippines. This context is necessary because I am not an expert in governance, policy development, or business; I can only share reflections specific to cultural exchange—an area of the policy that aligns with my work. I was fortunate to receive this opportunity as a fellow for the professional exchange program organized by the Taiwan Art Space Alliance (TASA) and supported by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF).
During my one-month stay in Taiwan, I gained valuable exposure to Taiwan’s arts and culture scene. These experiences both broadened and deepened my perspective and informed my suggestions for fostering deeper cultural connections between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Before proceeding, it is imperative to explain the NSP and TAEF briefly. While the NSP may already be familiar to the Taiwanese,[1] I want to consider those outside this typical audience, particularly practitioners in the arts and culture field in the Philippines. The Philippines has diverse regions, each with a rich culture and a unique understanding of the arts. By framing the article this way, I also aim to introduce the policy to my colleagues and inspire them to share their insights from their personal positionalities and respective localities.
Among the documents I read about NSP,[2] the following lines from a 2023 article by Dr. Alan H. Yang and Dr. Sana Hashimi (TAEF’s Executive Director and Postdoctoral Fellow, respectively) best explain the NSP. Given our shared concerns in the Philippines regarding China, these lines resonate deeply:
“A key policy implemented by Taiwan to counter China’s shrinking of Taiwan’s international space was the New Southbound Policy, launched by President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016. This policy was designed to expedite Taiwan’s efforts to foster stronger ties with countries in both its immediate and extended neighborhood.”[3]
As for TAEF’s role, in the words of TAEF Chairman Dr. Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao, it is “a driving force in promoting and facilitating the NSP.”[4] More specifically, they serve as a “policy-oriented think tank[5] in Taiwan focusing on Southeast Asian and South Asian affairs.”[6]
It is also crucial to note the concept of warm power. Dr. Hsiao describes it as “sharing warmth with the stakeholders in need.”[7] I developed my propositions with this concept at its heart, as it highlights that Taiwan’s efforts are not merely about influence but also intentional, shared engagement. To me, the term also feels more relational compared to the notion of soft power, which usually implies influence without reciprocity.
With the foundations now laid down, I will be presenting motions for facilitating cultural exchanges. I will do so coming from my several positionalities: as a writer for online art publications, a researcher (as part of being a graduate student at the University of the Philippines Diliman, under the MA Art Studies program), a coordinator at the non-profit Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc., a curator at the independent platform 98B COLLABoratory, and as a general consumer/visitor of art events and spaces in Manila.
The motions are as follows:
1. Building on TAEF’s past initiatives and offer recommendations for potential re-implementation.2. Bringing to light an important reality that must be considered before proposing new avenues for connecting with the Philippines.3. Putting forward ideas for consideration, coming from my cultural associations in the Philippines.
First motion
Expanding upon TAEF’s previous efforts, they could extend their 2019 conference on Taiwanese studies[8] by establishing partnerships with more universities. Specifically, in the Philippines, I recommend the Asian Center, a college at UP Diliman[9] dedicated to Philippine and Asian Studies.[10] In another matter, if TAEF organizes another cultural salon focused on immigrant workers’ perspectives on the NSP, they could invite a wider range of immigrants from across Southeast Asia in Taiwan, beyond just the Vietnamese.[11] Providing more space and time for the immigrants to speak would also be beneficial. To effectively engage with these communities, TAEF could collaborate with partner organizations that already have strong ties with them. A possible partner for the Filipino migrant community is the independent project Not Just Love Stories that has consistently engaged with the Filipinos in Little Manila (Jinwanwan Department Store) over the years.
Regarding exhibitions, the co-organized exhibit on the maritime history of Keelung, Penang, and Manila[12] is an excellent curatorial prompt for connecting different locations. This type of exhibit has great potential as a traveling or iterative show, although it would require significant coordination. For inspiration, TAEF could look into Carlos Quijon Jr.’s Archipelagic Futurisms project.[13] I also want to highlight the maritime exhibit’s location—a bookstore—which is fantastic. Nowadays, bookstores aren’t just bookstores; they also serve as welcoming spaces for communities to gather, providing a safe environment for discussions on sensitive but socially relevant topics. In Manila, we also have these spaces, and one I highly endorse is Everything’s Fine in Makati City. Last July to August, they held an exhibit on the remapping of the West Philippine Sea vis-à-vis the nine-dash line[14] and organized a talk[15] inviting a maritime affairs scholar and one of the featured artists.
Second motion
Before proposing further ideas for collaboration, particularly those involving Filipino cultural workers traveling to Taiwan, I need to address a visa issue I encountered during my professional exchange program. If left unaddressed, this issue will make future collaborations difficult to implement. Currently, Filipinos can only stay in Taiwan visa-free for 14 days; beyond that, a visa is required. In my case, the program was initially set to last for two months, but any stay in Taiwan beyond 14 days requires a work visa. We had to devise an alternative plan: I stayed for 14 days, returned to Manila, and then went back to Taiwan for another 14 days to complete the program.
Third motion
With that concern raised, we can now move on to further collaborations. A potential connection with the Philippines could involve Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation, Inc. (KLFI) which organizes annual art criticism competitions, in partnership with Ateneo Art Gallery.[16] The winners get the opportunity to write for various publication platforms, including the local newspaper The Philippine Star, the international art magazine ArtAsiaPacific, and the scholarly journal The Katipunan Journal. One possibility of supporting this is through a writing platform similar to what National Culture and Arts Foundation does for Curatography, an online journal on contemporary art and curatorial culture.[17] Additionally, TAEF could facilitate collaboration between KLFI and The Grand View Cultural and Arts Foundation, which hosts a similar competition called ARTSPIRE.[18] More ideas for collaboration include establishing a shared theme focused on a contemporary issue or topic relevant to both countries, or arranging an exchange of writer residents.
Now wearing my hat as a member of an independent art initiative (98B COLLABoratory), sustaining such structures is a constant challenge. Most funding comes in the form of one-time project grants, which are not enough for long-term subsistence. Therefore, if TAEF would decide to provide funding to work with art and cultural organizations in the Philippines, I recommend considering long-term support or multi-project grants to foster lasting relationships.
By and large, I find hope in how Taiwan supports its arts and culture sector, coming from a country where resources are relatively limited. Beyond our existing local structures that require much improvement, there is our neighbor Taiwan—aspiring to amplify warm solidarity.
[1] “In recent years, the most important buzzword of Taiwan’s foreign relation-related literature and documents is the “NSP”.” Quote from: Hsiao, Hsin-Huang Michael, and Alan H. Yang. “Background of the NSP.” The New Southbound Policy: Strategizing Taiwan’s Warm Power Practice, Special Issue (Oct. 2022), Oct. 2022, p. 1.
[2] These materials were kindly provided to me by Angie Yun-Chu Chen, TAEF Assistant Research Fellow.
[3] Yang, Alan H., and Sana Hashmi. “Sailing South: Taiwan’s Strategic Reimagining of Regional Ties.” The Diplomat, 7 Oct. 2023, https://thediplomat.com/2023/10/sailing-south-taiwans-strategic-reimagining-of-regional-ties. As an addendum, I would also like to highlight this point in the article: “It, anyway, is crucial to acknowledge that Taiwan is much more than its problems with China and relations with the West. There is a vast world beyond concerns and collaborate on advancing shared interests.”
[4] The New Southbound Policy: Strategizing Taiwan’s Warm Power Practice, Oct. 2022, p. 2.
[5] The concept of think tanks in relation to Taiwan is well articulated by Dr. Yang and Dr. Hasmni in their article “Think Tanks Are Conduit of External Engagement for Taiwan.” The Sunday Guardian Live, 30 Sept. 2023, https://sundayguardianlive.com/opinion/think-tanks-are-conduit-of-external-engagement-for-taiwan. They note, “Think tanks have evolved into a significant tool of unconventional diplomacy for Taiwan. […] For Taiwan, think tanks and their affiliated dialogues hold significant importance, as they occasionally host members of parliaments, officials, scholars, and former heads of state. These platforms provide both Taiwan and countries with which Taiwan does not yet have diplomatic ties a valuable avenue for better understanding Taiwan.”
[6] Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation z-fold brochure. 2022.
[7] The New Southbound Policy: Strategizing Taiwan’s Warm Power Practice, Oct. 2022, p. 2. He also adds, “It is also aimed at keeping Taiwan central in our neighbors’ daily discussion and indispensable in the everyday activities of our like-minded partners.”
[8] “2019 International Conference on Vietnamese and Taiwanese Studies.” Center for Vietnamese Studies, Department of Taiwanese Literature, National Cheng Kung University, 2019, https://cvs.twl.ncku.edu.tw/conf/2019.
[9] While other top universities in the Philippines also offer specific programs in Asian Studies, they do not have a dedicated college for it like the UP Diliman. Examples include the Master of Arts in International Studies with a major in Asian Studies at the College of Liberal Arts at De La Salle University and the AB Diplomacy and International Relations program with a specialization in East and Southeast Asian Studies at the Department of Political Science at Ateneo de Manila University.
[10] About the Asian Center. https://ac.upd.edu.ph/index.php/about-us. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
[11] Tseng Esther. “Taiwan Panorama Forum: New Southbound Cultural Salon A People-Centered Exchange.” Taiwan Panorama, translated by Aberhart Goef, Oct. 2020, http://www.taiwan-panorama.com/id/Articles/Details?Guid=ade7732f-424a-4ac1-a7a5-0626288d7b53&langId=3&CatId=11.
[12] Yuzhen Huang. “《流轉的島嶼記憶》：走入港都基隆，以海洋歷史回望時代風貌 ‘Liuzhan de daoyu jiyi:’: Zou ru gang du jilong, yi haiyang lishi hui wang shidai fengmao.” VERSE, 28 Oct. 2021, https://www.verse.com.tw/article/bleubook-expo.
[13]Quijon, Carlos, Jr.“Archipelagic Futurisms.” National Gallery Singapore, 9 Dec. 2023, https://www.nationalgallery.sg/magazine/bumi-antara-archipelagic-futurisms.
[14] Everything’s Fine [@everythingsfineph]. “Lumbay Panacot Galit.” Instagram, 1 Aug. 2024, https://www.instagram.com/p/C-HXLzvN8ZM.
[15] Everything’s Fine [@everythingsfineph]. “Thank You to Everyone Who Braved the Rain to Attend ‘A Conversation on Lumbay, Panacot, Galit: The Cultural Battle for the West Philipline Sea.’” Instagram, 10 Aug. 2024, https://www.instagram.com/p/C-fL-kiTVgo.
[16] “Purita Kalaw - Ledesma Prizes in Art Criticism.” Ateneo Art Gallery, Ateneo Art Gallery, 1 Jan. 2024, https://ateneoartgallery.com/award/purita-kalaw-ledesma-prizes-in-art-criticism.
[17] “About.” Curatography, https://curatography.org/about. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
[18] “藝術評論 Yishu pinglun.” 鴻梅文化藝術基金會 [Grand View Culture & Art Foundation], https://grandview.org.tw/art_criticism. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
About the Author
Lady Krista Rigor's practice orbits the spheres of photography and archives in the form of writing, researching, and curating. She curated her first exhibition titled “Critic/ism in flux” at the Kalaw-Ledesma Foundation where she is working as a Research/Project Coordinator. She was also recently instated as one of the curators of 98B COLLABoratory, an independent artist-run space in Manila.
The 2024 Asian Artists Exchange Program: Multilateral Bridging Workshop, themed "Building Taiwan’s Cultural Connections through Global Art Exchange," focused on the role of civilian organizations as platforms for promoting sustainable transnational exchanges. Discussions examined how these platforms can effectively foster global collaboration and assessed the tangible impact of international cultural exchanges in terms of influence and sustainability.