This webinar explores the implications of Taiwan’s exclusion from Interpol and its broader impact on international law enforcement cooperation, democratic resilience, and transnational security. Bringing together experts from Europe and Taiwan, the discussion examines how Taiwan engages with international partners despite institutional constraints and what lessons can be drawn for democratic cooperation in an increasingly complex security environment.
Participants discuss Taiwan’s international cooperation in law enforcement, including bilateral and multilateral mechanisms that facilitate judicial and legal assistance despite the absence of formal participation in Interpol. The conversation also addresses Taiwan’s practical cooperation with international police structures through information exchange, capacity-building initiatives, and operational coordination with like-minded partners. Finally, the webinar examines how the People’s Republic of China leverages Taiwan’s exclusion from international organizations as a tool of transnational repression and the broader implications of these practices for democratic resilience.
Although Taiwan remains excluded from Interpol, it continues to maintain substantive legal and judicial cooperation with democratic partners. Agreements such as the 2016 judicial cooperation and mutual legal assistance treaty between Taiwan and Poland and the 2019 memorandum of understanding on judicial cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic demonstrate how effective frameworks for collaboration can be established outside formal international organizations.
Speakers:
- Kai-Chieh (KJ) Hsu (許凱傑), a judge in the National Security and Military Division of the Taipei District Court in Taiwan
- Athena Tong, a visiting Researcher at the University of Tokyo, Research Associate and Programme Lead at the China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI)
- Matej Šimalčík, Executive Director of Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS)