Title: Featuring the Southeast Asia Policy of the Middle Powers: A Comparative Studies of Taiwan and Korea

Speaker: Alan Hao Yang (Professor, National Chengchi University)

Commentator: Mie Oba (Professor, Kanagawa University)

Abstract:
In an era marked by geopolitical crises and global contingency, the international political and economic landscape is increasingly shaped by intensifying rivalry among major powers. Hence, great powers struggle with each other, major powers work to manage the contingency, middle powers strive to navigate through the crisis, while small states often suffer. In the Indo-Pacific region, middle powers exert substantial influence in both economic networks and regional security architectures. Moreover, some are recognized as pivotal or “hub” states, while others play a key role in upholding international multilateralism and the rules-based international order.

For middle powers, regional strategies/policies are primarily concerned with safeguarding their state survival, advancing the interests of their people, and contributing to the stability of both regional and global systems. This lecture highlights the Southeast Asia strategies of two middle powers in Asia—Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy (NSP-T) and South Korea’s New Southern Policy (NSP-K). It will examine and compare the origins, operationalization, instruments, outcomes, transformations, and prospects of these two contending policies.

Bio:
Dr. Hao Yang is currently a Professor at the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies and a jointly appointed Research Fellow at the Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University (NCCU), Taiwan. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) at NCCU. His areas of expertise include Southeast Asian area studies featured by international relations—particularly focusing on international relations theory, China–Southeast Asia relations, foreign policy, disaster resilience and governance. Since 2024, Dr. Yang serves as the governing board member of the Consortium of Southeast Asian Studies in Asia. In addition, since 2025, he has served as the President of the Taiwanese Association of Southeast Asian Studies (TASEAS).

In addition to his academic position, Dr. Yang has been actively engaged in think tank circle and track II diplomacy. Since 2018, he has headed Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation(TAEF), one of the global best new think tank by Global Go To Think Tank Index as the Executive Director, contributing to Taiwan’s efforts in advancing the New Southbound Policy (NSP) and Taiwan’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Dr. Yang has published over 100 journal articles in both Chinese and English, along with 10 academic books. In 2025, he was recognized by Scholar GPS as among the top 2% of Southeast Asian studies scholars worldwide, a distinction that highlights his significant international academic and policy influence.

Chair/Contact: Masaaki Okamoto