CfP: Unveiling Economic Diplomacy: Taiwan’s Strategic Engagements in Africa

Sabella Abidde and Victor Adetula (Editors)

Economic diplomacy has emerged as a pivotal tool for countries navigating the complex landscape of international relations. This concept encompasses various economic instruments, including international trade, foreign direct investment, development assistance programs, loans, and financial incentives. Therefore, the primary aim of this edited volume is to examine how Taiwan—despite its diplomatic isolation in much of Africa—utilizes economic tools and strategies to advance its foreign policy and national security goals. Taiwan was a reliable partner in developing several African countries for many decades. Partners and benefactors of Taiwan’s assistance and support included The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Congo, Eswatini, Rwanda, Malawi, Botswana, Liberia, and the Central African Republic.

Arguably, Taiwan’s numerous diplomatic setbacks since the 1970s, primarily brought on by China, prompted it to pay greater attention to economic diplomacy, which it fully engaged in in its relationship with Africa. While the use of economic instruments in the conduct of external relations was not a new development per se, the changing dynamics in the global system, particularly the unwholesome developments in its relationship with China, made the deployment of economic diplomacy very compelling for Taiwan in an increasingly interconnected and interrelated global system.