Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) and US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director Laurie Locascio on Tuesday agreed to increase cybersecurity collaboration between the two countries, a Ministry of Economic Affairs official who is familiar with the matter said.
Wang and Locascio agreed at a meeting in Taipei to build up a joint cybersecurity supply chain under the US-Taiwan Technology Trade and Investment Collaboration (TTIC) framework, the official said.
The TTIC, established in December 2021, is a bilateral cooperation framework that aims to facilitate the development of joint commercial programs and bolster critical technology supply chains.
Photo: CNA
Initial areas of focus include semiconductors, 5G, electric vehicles, sustainable energy and cybersecurity.
The official said that many US information technology companies use Taiwan-produced hardware, and that the US hopes the nation would be able to manufacture advanced servers and 5G mobile networks to enhance cybersecurity.
Both countries could enjoy economic benefits from further cybersecurity cooperation, the official said.
Also on Tuesday, Locascio said at the opening ceremony of a US Business Day forum that the US was drafting a new version of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which it hoped to launch next year.
She said she hopes to discuss collaboration opportunities with Taiwan, for example to protect customer data privacy.
Many US start-ups are on the hunt for partners with expertise in cybersecurity, she said.
Locascio led a cybersecurity business development mission in Taiwan from Monday to yesterday, which introduced 13 US firms to some of Taiwan’s leading information and communication technology security, and critical infrastructure protection markets.
The delegation met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), and visited the National Science and Technology Council and the Ministry of Digital Affairs to exchange ideas relating to cybersecurity and semiconductors, the NIST said.
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