In a significant step aimed at boosting economic linkages, Taiwan on Wednesday announced it would open its third representative office in India in Mumbai, more than a decade after it last expanded its presence in India.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said the move to establish in Mumbai a Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC) — the term used to describe Taiwan’s de facto diplomatic missions because India and Taiwan do not maintain formal diplomatic relations — came in the light of Taiwan and India witnessing “significant progress in numerous domains, including economics and trade, science and technology, critical supply chains”.

Talks to open a TECC in Mumbai have been long in the works, following the opening of the TECC in Chennai in 2012, which has emerged as a hub for Taiwanese firms. “The TECC in Mumbai will help expand mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities between Taiwan and India,” the statement said, adding that it “will provide visa services, document authentication, and emergency assistance to businesspeople, tourists, and Taiwanese nationals” in western India.