India-Taiwan cooperation can drive sustainable growth
As the world prepares for this year's UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Brazil, a media report has highlighted how India and Taiwan can jointly advance two crucial Sustainable Development Goals - Climate Action (SDG 13) and Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) - through practical cooperation and shared innovation.
According to a report in The Taipei Times, climate action must not be viewed in isolation but as part of a broader shift in consumption and production practices.
It underscores that India and Taiwan, despite vast differences in size and economic structure, both offer complementary strengths that could help shape a pragmatic model for sustainable growth in Asia.
Taiwan's high-tech industries - crucial to global supply chains for electric vehicles and smartphones - have built advanced recycling and waste-minimisation systems.
Yet, the island continues to face challenges in reducing its reliance on energy-intensive materials.
India, meanwhile, is witnessing rapid domestic demand growth for steel, cement, and plastics as incomes rise, posing risks of resource-heavy development even as it pioneers low-cost renewable energy solutions and community-based sustainability models.
The report argues that combining Taiwan's technological sophistication with India's scalable, affordable clean-energy initiatives could enhance resilience in a carbon-constrained global economy. Collaborative ventures in circular manufacturing - including electronics recycling, industrial heat recovery, and waste prevention in supply chains - could serve as a foundation for green industrial policy in both nations.
Food systems also offer scope for cooperation. Both India and Taiwan face rising urban food waste and shifting dietary patterns, and could jointly design solutions to curb emissions linked to consumption.
For Taiwan, excluded from formal UN processes, the partnership represents a way to assert leadership in sustainable production and climate innovation.
For India, it reinforces its image as a country committed to realistic, solution-driven climate action.
The report also highlights that linking SDG 12 and SDG 13 through shared policies and projects could allow India and Taiwan to pursue prosperity without exhausting the planet's resources - a model the world urgently needs.
