Taiwan has evolved from the periphery of Indian discourse to a position of growing opportunity. Young Indians are increasingly focusing their questions on opportunity, security, and technology when considering international relations, and Taiwan will always feature in such discussions as a place with a lot of untapped potential.
There is a lack of hard survey data regarding how the Indian public views Taiwan, but the sensitivities and perception of Taiwan can be inferred from data points about how young people in India view China. This can be used to paint a realistic picture of a generation that is both normatively fond of Taiwan and has a strong sense of interest-driven pragmatism.
For the majority of Indians under 35, Taiwan is primarily viewed through the lens of China. According to the ORF Foreign Policy Survey 2024, a recent poll of young Indians, China is the biggest foreign policy concern facing the nation. The survey participants also favor closer ties with Asian nations to counterbalance Beijing. This new atmosphere has made it possible to talk about Taiwan in everyday terms, such as democracy, supply chains, and deterrence, rather than simply considering it to be a diplomatic taboo.
Although there is little India-specific poll data on Taiwan, international snapshots provide important clues. Pew Research discovered that Taiwan had a more positive than negative perceptions across 24 countries in 2023 – but India was one of the few exceptions, with 43 percent reporting an “unfavorable” view of Taiwan, versus 37 percent with a “favorable” view. Curiously, however, the Pew survey found that 35 percent of respondents had negative views of both Taiwan and China – suggesting a conflation of the two, perhaps due to a lack of knowledge.
Other available policy literature has taken a different tone. More recent ORF analysis puts Indian cooperation with Taiwan in the context not of ideology but of statecraft: cooperation on trade, semiconductors, and supply chains. Such a framing appeals to a generation of Indians keen on both jobs and technology. In this context, Taiwan is attracting warm feelings among Indian students and professionals.
Mobility through education and work is the most concrete route that shapes youth perceptions of foreign countries. The Taiwan Economic and Cultural Council in India boasts of approximately 3,000 Indian students in Taiwan and the annual figure of 100-plus scholarships provided. Ceremonies for scholarships provided by Taipei have become fixtures on Indian higher education social media accounts. Study in Taiwan provides more than just degrees for the Indian graduates – it is an opportunity to have an up-close look at Taiwanese civic life and laboratories, while receiving intensive training in Mandarin.
The other channel for direct exchanges is work. In February 2024, an agreement was signed between Taipei and New Delhi that allowed the recruitment of Indian workers to Taiwan. Following uproar over exaggerated numbers, Taiwan’s labor minister explained that there is an initial limit of 1,000 workers. It was a multisided and sloppy tale, yet a lesson to younger Indians: Taiwan is not just an opportunity; it is also a battleground for social attitudes.
An online backlash was also seen in Taiwan in late 2023 over rumors that the government planned to bring in 100,000 Indian migrants, a point that Taipei denied. The government eventually apologized for insensitive remarks – including a reference to “skin color” – by high-ranking officials during the controversy. One palimpsest lesson appeared to those Indian students and soon-to-be-professionals who observed this as it happened: discrimination in Taiwan is real, but institutions act to address it.
Within India itself, Taiwanese investment has transformed Taiwan from a mere abstract of a like-minded partner into a common, reliable business partner. The Foxconn India build-out, which just sanctioned an additional $1.5 billion investment, has localized the iPhone supply chain, especially in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Each worker now has their own direct experience of Taiwan. To engineering graduates, Taiwan has become a symbol of a career pathway, both at home and overseas.
The pull can be explained with the assistance of trade numbers. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India (TECC) estimates bilateral trade reached around $8.2 billion in 2023, principally in the areas of electronics and machinery. That reflects the interests of tech-savvy youth in India, where internships, vendor ecosystems, and start-up ideas lie.
Intellectually, young Indian scholars are engaging Taiwan directly. A Carnegie compendium this year featured essays by early-career Indian analysts written from Taipei, the result of a quiet but steady flow of fellowships, conferences, and Mandarin programs that seed long-term networks.
Sympathy for Taiwan’s pluralism and admiration for its tech prowess do not necessarily translate into maximalist strategic preferences. Young Indians are, above all, realists about India’s interests. The same ORF survey that showcased young Indians’ skepticism of China can be interpreted as evidence of a constituency that favors issue-based alliances and risk-circumscribed realignment. This tendency is applicable to New Delhi’s approach to China when measured against its growing practical relations with Taipei.
Regarding security, the majority of young Indians have a similar opinion of Taiwan as they do of Ukraine, but with some caveats: they are not thrilled about direct military intervention but do not mind helping Taiwan remain a robust deterrent. Through the lens of Indian bandwidth and priorities, they monitor discussions on Taiwanese youth’s commitment, defense morale, and all-encompassing society preparation as these topics gain traction on Indian strategic social media and campus forums.
Last but not least, pathways and values both matter. Taiwan offers more than just geopolitics to maintain its prominence in the eyes of young India: large-scale scholarship possibilities, research collaborations with central universities and Indian Institutes of Technology, stable work visas, and Taiwanese businesses establishing themselves in the Indian industrial belts. When those avenues of exchange are clear and fair, curiosity turns into a constituency.
The bottom line: Taiwan is profitable and potentially friendly in the eyes of many young Indians. They admire Taiwan’s democratic resilience and technological prowess, but they would rather work in Taiwanese factories, labs, and internships than wave flags. Provide the links between education, work, and co-production, and Taiwan will continue to take up more and more space on their mental map – not as a problem to be solved, but as a place with opportunities to be taken advantage of.