Former President Tsai Ing-wen Meets with Taiwanese PhD Students in London
During a visit to the United Kingdom in May, former President of Taiwan Dr. Tsai Ing-wen met with Taiwanese PhD students in London at a breakfast gathering near Russell Square on Saturday, May 17. It gave the students a unique opportunity to engage with Dr. Tsai in a warm and informal setting.
The breakfast gathering was hosted by Vincent Chin-Hsiang Yao 姚金祥, Taiwan’s Representative to the UK, and in addition to the students, the guests included Professor Dafydd Fell, Director of the Centre of Taiwan Studies at SOAS, University of London, and Dr. Bi-yu Chang 張必瑜, the Deputy Director. The Centre, now in its 26th year, is one of the world’s foremost academic hubs for Taiwan Studies.
Dr. Tsai expressed her delight at returning to a familiar area, recalling her time living near Russell Square while studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She shared fond memories of frequenting the nearby Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and the SOAS School of Law, and said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) had invited her to visit SOAS annually for a period of time after she entered public service. “I’m very happy to be back in what I would call a core environment,” Dr. Tsai remarked, saying it was heartening to see “young and promising” Taiwanese students—whom she playfully described as “many generations younger”—studying in the UK. She wished them all success in their academic journeys and personal lives.
Prof. Fell expressed his pleasure in welcoming President Tsai back to SOAS. He thanked her for her early support and guidance during the programme’s formative years, mentioning a talk that she’d delivered at SOAS in 2001, and said that she has continued to inspire students researching Taiwan’s politics and society. “Having her back feels like welcoming an old friend,” he said.
After the breakfast, Dr. Tsai was taken on a short walking tour of the SOAS campus and the surrounding Russell Square area, guided by Ho Yueh-Chou 何岳洲, a PhD student of anthropology at SOAS. Dr. Tsai’s relationship with SOAS and Taiwan’s broader commitment to academic exchange go back a long way, so the stroll was especially meaningful for Dr. Tsai. It brought back vivid memories of her student days and the transformative impact of international education on her worldview.
And the SOAS Centre for Taiwan Studies is continuing to foster robust collaborations with institutions such as Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University, and playing a vital role in advancing Taiwan-related scholarship on the global stage.
