From May 21 – 23, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University held the Fifth World Congress of Taiwan Studies. The conference was by far the largest Taiwan Studies-focused event ever, consisting of 155 panels and over 400 paper presentations, plus book launches and significant keynote speeches. With well over 750 participants from 30 countries, the World Congress succeeded in bringing together many of the most eminent scholars researching Taiwan across all academic fields.

 

The opportunity for in-depth dialogue between scholars from across the globe not only strengthened the networks that already exist in the Taiwan Studies field, but also provided fertile soil for the seeds of new research. The sheer diversity of disciplines that were all part of the conversation at the conference clearly demonstrated the cross-disciplinary nature of Taiwan Studies and it is expected that dozens of new papers and book titles will spring from this flagship conference over the coming years. 

The AI and Taiwan Studies Forum, organized by NTNU's International Taiwan Studies Center and co-organized by the International Journal of Taiwan Studies, was held on May 24th at NTNU. An unveiling ceremony for the ITSC Project Office was also held on the day of the Forum, led by Executive Director Nikky Lin and Director Ann Heylen. Besides NTNU's President Wu Cheng-Chih (吳正己), Senior Advisor to the President Dr. Hsiao Hsin-huang (蕭新煌), , and Research Associate at the University of London SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies Ming-yeh Tsai Rawnsley (蔡明燁), scholars from fourteen countries, including the US, UK, Japan, and Canada, were also in attendance.

 

Established in 2009, the International Taiwan Studies Center has organized many multinational academic conferences and promoted all kinds of international research exchanges and projects. Its goal in this forum was to promote discussion of contemporary issues while also building the basic foundational theory and interdisciplinary applications of Taiwan Studies. This forum brought together interdisciplinary experts and key players in both AI development and Taiwan Studies to discuss applications of AI in regards to democratic resilience, education, cultural preservation, new media art, and more, as well as the possibilities AI brings to the field of Taiwan Studies itself.

Recently, ITSC has been hearing calls from many Taiwan Studies centers for a more concrete manifestation of Taiwan Studies in the international academic community, especially following the colossal 5th World Congress of Taiwan Studies in May. In order to better connect the network of regional Taiwan Studies centers, researchers, and regional associations, the field could potentially be given a stronger presence by a more permanent agency, built with the purpose of facilitating connections, collaboration, and institutionalization in Taiwan Studies globally.

 

As of mid-2025, with its funding as a Featured Areas Research Center under the Ministry of Education’s Sprout Project, and the wide-ranging network of contacts it has built over the last few years, the International Taiwan Studies Center at NTNU finds itself uniquely positioned to implement this vision. 

 

Therefore, we are excited to put forth an ambitious proposition: the founding of a new international organization, the Global Union of Taiwan Studies (GUTS). The Union would be established as a non-profit social enterprise; its mission would be to integrate Taiwan Studies within Taiwan and around the world, promote international exchange between scholars, and consolidate and institutionalize the field.

 

To that aim, it would hold regular conferences and forums in locations around the world; in honor of two of our greatest participants, we anticipate two of the first three conferences being held in Paris and Seoul. Following this, GUTS conferences and forums could rotate to different Taiwan Studies centers and locations across the globe. ITSC would also use its network to help members cross-promote each other’s research, publications, and events, and coordinate inter-center and inter-institutional cooperation and interaction.

 

Any interested parties, whether individuals or organizations (especially Taiwan Studies centers), are welcome to sign up and send us your thoughts through the link here. 

 

We are grateful to all of our members and readers for their support in expanding and reinforcing the field of Taiwan Studies. We hope that this year, we can take our cooperation to new heights and set a new milestone in the establishment of Taiwan Studies as a field of research.

On April 22, 2025, the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) in Leiden, the Netherlands, hosted a full-day workshop titled Perspectives on Taiwan’s Cultural and Public Diplomacy. Convened by Dr. Jens Damm (Visiting Chair of Taiwan Studies, IIAS and Leiden University) and organized in partnership with the IIAS, Leiden University Faculty of Humanities, and the Department of Cross-Strait Education of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the event brought together a distinguished group of scholars and practitioners to critically examine Taiwan’s strategies and challenges in the field of cultural and public diplomacy. Professor Ann Heylen (National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei) played a key role as co-organizer and discussant.

 

The workshop opened with welcoming remarks from Dr. Damm and Professor Heylen, who set the stage for a day of in-depth exploration into Taiwan’s evolving diplomatic narratives and their impact on global perceptions. They emphasized the importance of understanding Taiwan’s unique position as a de facto state, whose cultural diplomacy efforts are shaped by both its contested international status and its vibrant democratic identity.