本研究透過分析台灣財團法人國際合作發展基金會（國合會）在巴拉圭所推動之蘭花計畫的相關論述，探討台灣如何建構其外交認同。蘭花計畫於2002年在巴拉圭成立，核心在於透過向巴拉圭農民移轉蘭花栽培技術。該計畫最初屬於人道援助性質，其後隨著台灣國營企業台灣糖業公司（台糖）的加入而轉向商業導向。2016年，蔡英文總統於亞松森蘭花計畫銷售中心的揭幕典禮上宣布台灣支票簿外交的終結，使該計畫出現重大轉折。本研究以Fairclough批判性話語分析三向度模型為架構，分析自2002年計畫啟動至2023年間由國合會、台灣政府及台糖公司所產出之文件，藉以檢視圍繞蘭花計畫的各項論述。本研究旨在回答四個研究問題。第一個問題聚焦於台灣如何透過國合會蘭花計畫的論述形塑其外交認同；第二個問題旨在理解該計畫以何種方式促成台灣由支票簿外交向價值導向外交的轉變；第三個問題探討蘭花作為國家認同象徵所扮演的角色；第四個問題則探討蘭花計畫如何與聯合國永續發展目標相互呼應。除文本分析外，本研究另輔以一份針對巴拉圭民眾的小型探索性問卷調查，藉以初步呈現此一建構出的外交認同在其訴求對象中的接收情形。本研究之發現有助於充實公共外交相關文獻，並闡明國家如何運用多元策略以爭取國際承認並建立其國際存在。

This study analyzed how Taiwan builds its diplomatic identity by examining the narratives of Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund's Orchid Project in Paraguay. The Orchid Project was established in Paraguay in 2002 with a focus on technology transfer through the cultivation of orchids to Paraguayan farmers. The project was initially a humanitarian venture that later became commercially driven with the inclusion of TaiSugar, a state-owned enterprise in Taiwan. The project took a significant turn in 2016 when President Tsai Ing-wen announced the end of Taiwan's checkbook diplomacy at the inauguration of the Orchid Project's sales center in Asunción. Using the framework of the three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis by Fairclough, this study examined the narratives around the Orchid Project by analyzing documents produced by the ICDF, the Taiwanese government, and TaiSugar from the beginning of the project in 2002 until 2023. The study aimed to answer four research questions. The first question focused on how Taiwan shapes its diplomatic identity through the narrative around the International Cooperation and Development Fund's Orchid Project. The second question was formulated to understand in what ways the project facilitated the transition from checkbook diplomacy to one based on values, followed by a third question on the role the orchid has as a symbol of national identity, and how the Orchid Project aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This documentary analysis was complemented by a small exploratory survey of Paraguayan respondents, which offers a first indication of how the constructed identity is received by its audience. The findings contribute to the literature on public diplomacy and how states make use of diverse strategies to achieve recognition and establish an international presence.

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