TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) confirmed Tuesday (Aug. 31) it was preparing to publish a white paper on foreign aid following calls from legislators for a new approach.

Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) pointed out that the previous white paper dates back to the last Kuomintang (KMT) administration in 2009 and was no longer suited for the changing international environment, CNA reported.

The new document should reflect the current administration’s realistic foreign policy, emphasize bilateral cooperation, and its efforts to follow the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, said DPP lawmakers Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) and Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉).

The government should define short-term, mid-term, and long-term aims for its development policies and concrete measures for reaching the targets, according to the legislators. They also called on Taiwan to follow the example of the United States, Japan, and South Korea to identify countries that should be targeted with specific foreign aid and development programs.

MOFA replied that it was in the process of drawing up a new foreign aid white paper while taking opinions from both inside and outside the ministry into account. Many of the new document’s directions and methods were completely different from the 2009 white paper, officials said.