Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (;

Abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...

: Taiya Foundation or TAEF, ), established in 2018, is Taiwan's first private policy

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

focused on

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

and

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. Established in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

through the support of government, civil society and the private sector, the TAEF was given the mandate to help advance the people-centered agenda of Taiwan's New Southbound Policy, to act as the main organizing and administrative body of the Yushan Forum and serve as an exchange platform for leaders, youth representatives, NGOs and think tanks in the region. The TAEF works closely with counterparts from 18 NSP countries——the 10 ASEAN countries, 6 countries in South Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand——through its five core programs: Taiwan-Asian Young Leader Engagement (TAYLE), Think Tank Collaboration, Cultural Exchange, Civil Society Connectivity and Regional Resilience. In September 2018, the TAEF, together with the National Culture and Arts Foundation, The

Prospect Foundation Prospect Foundation (), is a think tank based in Taiwan, established in 1997, which aims to analyze the Cross-Taiwan-Strait relations and international politics and economy and provide suggestions of policies for Taiwan government. There are abou ...

, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Taiwan Alliance in International Development (AID), and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies of the National Chengchi University, formed the Asia Engagement Consortium (AEC), a national platform of NGOs and think tanks all sharing the same ideals of connecting Taiwan with the world.

Mission

* Organize the annual Yushan Forum and other multilateral dialogue platforms for regional stakeholders * Serve as a pilot think and "do" tank for the New Southbound Policy initiatives while developing bilateral and multilateral in-depth research with regional think tanks * Promote collaborative exchanges and partnerships, and consolidate a sense of regional community with Asian nations and other like-minded countries * Facilitate international dialogues involving CSOs, young leaders and think tanks

Funding

Initial funding for the establishment and operations of the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation were seeded through the efforts of Taiwanese civil society and private enterprises.

Merits

In its ''2018 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report'', the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

named the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation as one of the Best New Think Tanks of 2018, where it was listed as the youngest of 27 international think tanks having been founded only in August of the same year. It also marked the first time a Taiwan-based think tank made it to the category in the report since it was launched in 2008. "The ranking represents recognition of the TAEF's work and its high level of global engagement, and it shows that the international think tank community has paid great attention to Taiwan's NSP and its external relations," said TAEF Executive Director Alan Yang.

References

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External links

Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation TAEF Official website
Think tanks International_relations Think tanks based in Taiwan