Cho hits home run in baseball diplomacyBy Yang Chih-chiang 楊智強The streets of Tokyo over the past few days could have been mistaken for a little Taiwan. Resounding cheers for Taiwan filled the Tokyo Dome at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) last week, with fans packing the stands. Among them was Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), whose low-profile visit to the stadium on Saturday inevitably attracted attention. Cho’s seemingly simple act of “baseball diplomacy” broke new ground, overcoming some significant and long-standing political taboos. Cho’s quick trip to Japan, even in his capacity as a private citizen and baseball fan, could never have been achieved without the tacit understanding and support of high-level officials in Taiwan, Japan and, indeed, the US.

Source: Taipei Times March 09, 2026 16:39 UTC