As a de facto state (an entity that controls territory, provides governance, persists over time and secures popular support but is largely or entirely unrecognized by the international community of sovereign states), Taiwan has been a long-standing research interest of Dr. Pegg’s and was discussed in his book International Society and the De Facto State. Scott hopes to host Director-General Lei as a guest speaker for one or more of his classes next fall and they discussed various possible forms of institutional collaboration between their office and IU Indianapolis going forward.

Professor Scott Pegg (left) met with Dennis Yen-Feng Lei (middle), the Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, and Daniel Yi-Lung Huang (right), the Deputy Director on April 5, 2024 at their offices in downtown Chicago