Soft Power in a Hard Shell: The Fleet of Friendship of the ROC Navy and Taiwan’s Performative Cultural Diplomacy in the Pacific

Abstract

In 1967, Taiwan began dispatching a portion of its navy, the ROC “Fleet of Friendship,” on goodwill missions to allied nations to strengthen diplomatic friendships. Since that time, one of the major areas of focus for fleet visits has been Taiwan’s allies in the Pacific. In an attempt to move beyond emphasis on the China–Taiwan rivalry in the Pacific, this paper examines firsthand sources to advance three modes of contextualizing the Fleet of Friendship and reveals various layers of historical, pragmatic, and symbolic meaning that exist beyond simple competition with China. First, with specific focus on the performances presented during the fleet’s goodwill visits, this paper contextualizes fleet performances within Taiwan’s unique history, including an extended Martial Law period and tensions regarding the concept of “multiculturalism.” Second, the paper more broadly examines the fleet as a holistic entity on three levels: a hard-power superstructure in which the fleet serves as a reminder of military power; soft-power content in which the activities of the fleet run at cross-purposes with its symbolic military nature; and a hard-power underbelly, in which Taiwanese embassy descriptions of fleet performances and Pacific reporting evince concepts of frenzy, threat, and potential violence. Finally, the paper highlights ulterior motives interlaced within the fleet’s goodwill tours and contextualizes these motives based on other aspects of Taiwan’s diplomacy in the Pacific that demonstrate similar trends. The article evinces the importance of situating analysis of Taiwan’s cultural diplomacy and soft power within a variety of contexts and demonstrates the nuance inherent within Taiwan’s Pacific diplomacy.