Twenty Taiwanese firms have expressed interest in investing an aggregate US$35 billion in the US, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said on Wednesday.
They include semiconductor companies and related supply chain firms — such as United Microelectronics Corp (聯電), GlobalWafers Co (環球晶), Win Semiconductors Corp (穩懋) and Chang Chun Group (長春) — as well as artificial intelligence server makers and their partners — such as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海), Quanta Computer Inc (廣達), Wistron Corp (緯創), Wiwynn Corp (緯穎) and Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶), the ministry said in a statement.
The US$35 billion does not include the investment pledged by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), which would spend a total of US$165 billion in the US.
Photo: CNA
“These are investments planned by the companies themselves, not mandated by the government,” the ministry quoted Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) as saying.
“This demonstrates that Taiwanese investment in the US is no longer a matter of individual companies’ strategic moves, but rather an industrywide investment strategy. This development will not only help strengthen the global competitiveness of Taiwanese companies, but also assist the US in accelerating the establishment of a more complete and resilient high-tech supply chain,” he said.
Kung made the remarks at a news conference titled “Taiwan-US Supply Chains: Outlook for Cooperation” in Washington, after leading a Taiwanese delegation to attend the SelectUSA Investment Summit, organized by the US Department of Commerce, in Maryland earlier this week.
He was joined at the conference by National Development Council (NDC) Minister Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯), Representative to the US Alexander Yui (俞大?) and Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA, 電電公會) vice chairman Jerry Hsu (許介立).
The MOEA and the NDC have proposed three supporting measures to help Taiwanese firms expand into the US, Kung said.
The NDC would activate a credit guarantee program to support Taiwanese firms investing in the US, and plans to allocate US$50 billion to firms for equipment procurement, working capital and industrial cluster development purposes, he said.
The MOEA has signed a memorandum of understanding on industrial cooperation with the TEEMA and would leverage the association’s overseas development experience in the site selection, planning and management of industrial parks in the US, Kung said.
The ministry’s two trade and investment service centers in Phoenix, Arizona, and Dallas, Texas, would assist Taiwanese firms investing in the US, including legal and tax consultation, business space leasing and tracking the progress of their investments, he added.
Separately, the ministry said that Kung and CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) president Michael Chang (張敏) exchanged documents with Texas-based Cheniere Energy Inc this week over a 25-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply agreement signed in February.
Cheniere would start LNG delivery next month, the ministry said.
Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, this deal has strategic significance for Taiwan’s energy security and supply chain resilience, it added.
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