Diplomatic Visits and Image-Building

We study whether outbound diplomatic visits by politicians from minor powers help them build an image of national security competence. Using a choice-based conjoint experiment in Taiwan, where voters closely monitor relations with the United States and China, we assess how visits to major powers shape political evaluations. Politicians who have visited either the US or China are viewed more favorably, with those visiting both receiving the highest ratings. However, the effects are context-dependent. Visits to the US are most effective when Taiwan–US relations are perceived as good or when ties with China are bad. Visits to China improve a politician’s image only when cross-Strait relations are seen as bad. These findings contribute to research on public diplomacy and international signaling by showing that voters in minor powers interpret diplomatic visits as cues about political competence and that such effects are dependent on bilateral relations.