Quote: Zooming in on the *Central and Eastern European (CEE) region*, this strategic shift has been further supported by a growing skepticism toward China’s economic promises, leading many CEE countries to turn their attention to Taiwan, viewing it as the next East Asian cornucopia. The CEE region is not monolithic, and the countries in particular leading the way in engagement with Taiwan were the so-called ‘vanguard countries’, a term introduced by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) in its publication Beyond the Dumpling Alliance (Šimalčik et al. 2023). This group – Slovakia, Poland, Czechia, and Lithuania – has emerged as the most active in fostering political and economic ties with Taiwan, particularly in trade, invest- ment, and R&D. However, their approaches vary. Czechia and Lithuania have adopted high-profile strategies, such as symbolic actions that have accelerated their relations. <https://www.cejiss.org/images/_2024/Kironska/Kironska_CEJISS_18-4.pdf|https://www.cejiss.org/images/_2024/Kironska/Kironska_CEJISS_18-4.pdf> <https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AcUuJsKMz/|https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AcUuJsKMz/>
Quote: Zooming in on the *Central and Eastern European (CEE) region*, this strategic shift has been further supported by a growing skepticism toward China’s economic promises, leading many CEE countries to turn their attention to Taiwan, viewing it as the next East Asian cornucopia. The CEE region is not monolithic, and the countries in particular leading the way in engagement with Taiwan were the so-called ‘vanguard countries’, a term introduced by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) in its publication Beyond the Dumpling Alliance (Šimalčik et al. 2023). This group – Slovakia, Poland, Czechia, and Lithuania – has emerged as the most active in fostering political and economic ties with Taiwan, particularly in trade, invest- ment, and R&D. However, their approaches vary. Czechia and Lithuania have adopted high-profile strategies, such as symbolic actions that have accelerated their relations. <https://www.cejiss.org/images/_2024/Kironska/Kironska_CEJISS_18-4.pdf|https://www.cejiss.org/images/_2024/Kironska/Kironska_CEJISS_18-4.pdf> <https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AcUuJsKMz/|https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AcUuJsKMz/>