New India envoy pledges closer high-tech exchanges with Taiwan

Taipei, Jan. 27 (CNA) India will continue to deepen people-to-people exchanges and industrial cooperation with Taiwan, especially in high-tech and value-added sectors, the country's new representative to Taiwan, Ninad Deshpande, said at an Indian Republic Day event.

During a reception Monday to mark the 77th Republic Day of India, which commemorates the adoption of its Constitution, Deshpande said bilateral relations have witnessed "steady and substantive progress" over the years, with engagement expanding on all fronts.

The two sides have built partnerships in electronics, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, and ICT, which are contributing to "capacity-building, skills development, and long-term value creation," said Deshpande, who took up his post earlier this month.

The envoy said that as India is undergoing a phase of economic and institutional reform, Taiwan's strengths in "innovation, industrial excellence, and talent development" align naturally with these priorities that his country is hoping to achieve.

To this end, India and Taiwan have already signed over 20 MOUs and have built up bilateral trade to around US$10 billion a year, the envoy said, and he expected that momentum to continue.

"Looking ahead, India's engagement with Taiwan will remain forward-looking, and pragmatic. As we enter the Year of the Horse -- a symbol of energy, endurance, and steady progress -- we are confident that our cooperation will continue to move with purpose, resilience, and momentum," he said.

Speaking at the same reception, Taiwan's Vice Foreign Minister Baushuan Ger (葛葆萱), who served as Taipei's representative to New Delhi from 2020 to 2025, said India has a special place in his heart as he still practices yoga and meditation he learned while in India.

Describing India as an important partner, he said the two countries set a new record of US$12.5 billion in two-way trade in 2025, and over 260 Taiwanese companies currently have investments in India.

Deshpande assumed office on Jan. 2 as the director general of the India Taipei Association (ITA), which serves as the de facto Indian embassy in Taiwan in the absence of official ties, according to the ITA.

Before assuming his current position, Deshpande, a career diplomat since 2005, served in Geneva as ambassador and deputy permanent representative of India starting in 2023.

In July 2025, he assumed responsibility for India's representation to the United Nations and other international organizations.

His other overseas posts include Beijing and Shanghai in China, Bangladesh and Singapore, according to the ITA.

Deshpande filled the vacancy left with the departure of his immediate predecessor Manharsinh Yadav.