Taiwan Builder Kindom Development Co. Lays a Foundation for Taiwan Studies at Columbia
Talks stem from Weatherhead visits to Taiwan in summer 2024 and earlier this year.
Taiwan Studies at Columbia University took a major step toward becoming a reality this week when representatives of the Taipei-based Kindom Development Co., Ltd. visited the Weatherhead East Asian Institute to explore support for establishing an academic program centered on the region.
Kindom’s James Chou and John Fanchiang met with Weatherhead Director Lien-Hang Nguyen, Executive Director Katherine Forshay, and Columbia University political science professor Andrew J. Nathan to discuss a substantial gift for an endowed Taiwan Studies student fellowship.
The publicly listed Kindom Development Co., Ltd. is active in residential and commercial development, construction, and department stores. Ties to Columbia are significant: Its Chairman, Mike Ma, received his M.A. in Statistics from Columbia in 2003, Fanchiang graduated from the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science in 2002, and Chou also earned a degree in Statistics, in 2002.
This week’s talks with Kindom are a result of the Institute’s collaboration with the Columbia Alumni Association of Taiwan during the Summer Alumni Series in 2024 and more recently, with its visit to Taipei in March. On that visit, Professor Nathan, a recognized scholar and expert on Taiwan and regional politics, gave a series of talks in Taipei to help seed support for the initiative. During his time in Taipei, Professor Nathan also interviewed with local media, sharing his vision for Columbia students to become more informed about Taiwan.
In addition to supporting student fellowships, the Institute has recently established the endowed Andrew J. Nathan Lecture Series Fund. This series, expected to launch in fall 2025, focuses on a broad range of topics related to Taiwan, including art, literature, history, economics, technology, engineering, public health, domestic politics, foreign policy, and Taiwan–U.S. relations, to name a few.
We look forward to further collaboration with Kindom Development Co., Ltd., and to continuing to share updates on the progress of Taiwan Studies at Columbia University.
