Virtue signaling or pragmatism? The case of Israel highlights the more hypocritical aspects of Taiwan’s foreign policy. Taiwan’s strategy in promoting democratic principles as Asia’s so-called “beacon of democracy” is contradictory given its foreign relations. In resolving this contradiction, Taiwan should move away from virtue signaling and adopt a policy of political pragmatism, valuing reality over ideology. That is not to say that democratic values and humanistic principles should be undervalued or permanently discarded in its foreign policy agenda.
