SOAS Delegation Visit Strengthens Scholarly Ties with Taiwan
A delegation from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Habib, visited Taiwan in April. The visit was in response to an invitation from the Ministry of Education as part of Taiwan’s broader efforts to deepen academic engagement with the UK and was coordinated by the Education Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the United Kingdom.
SOAS has been an academic partner of Taiwan for a long time. It is home to the Centre for Taiwan Studies, which under the auspices of Taiwan’s Ministry of Education offers the first master’s degree in Taiwan Studies outside Taiwan, and which established the European Association of Taiwan Studies. Led by scholars such as Dr. Dafydd Fell and Dr. By-Yu Chang 張必瑜, the Centre is a hub for Taiwan-related research and events.
Minister of Education Dr. Cheng Ying-Yao 鄭英耀 hosted an official luncheon on April 9 to welcome Professor Habib and his colleagues at which he reiterated Taiwan’s commitment to international academic cooperation. The luncheon was also attended by senior officials from National Taiwan University, National Taiwan Normal University, National Sun Yat-sen University, and National Chengchi University, and Susan Milner, Director of the British Council in Taiwan which provided an opportunity to talk about shared academic priorities.
After the luncheon, the delegation went to National Taiwan University, with which SOAS signed a student exchange agreement in 2024. They met with Executive Vice President Prof. Ding Shih-Torng 丁詩同, and senior officials of the College of Social Sciences, the Office of Research and Development, and the Office of International Affairs—some of whom are SOAS alumni. The discussions were focused on potential avenues for dual-degree programs, co-teaching initiatives, and interdisciplinary research.
The next day the SOAS delegation visited National Sun Yat-sen University, for the signing of a memorandum of understanding between SOAS and the university regarding future academic exchanges, research collaboration, and joint programme development. The two universities plan to offer dual-degree global citizenship master’s degree program. The dual-degree program is being jointly developed by the College of Social Sciences at National Sun Yat-sen University and the College of Law, Anthropology and Politics at SOAS, and it is expected that it will be launched in 2026.
This visit is an excellent example of Taiwan–UK higher education cooperation. Taiwan’s Ministry of Education and its UK-based Education Division remain committed to fostering international partnerships and expanding Taiwan’s global academic presence.
