Taiwan and the US on Friday held talks on strengthening their economic relationship, and have identified the semiconductor industry as the top mutual priority in economic cooperation.
The talks, under the auspices of the new Economic Prosperity Partnership (EPP) Dialogue, were held virtually and partly in person in Washington, led on the US side by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach, who visited Taipei in September.
Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺) led a delegation to Washington for the discussions.
Photo: CNA
In Taipei, a news conference was held at 10am yesterday at the Executive Yuan following the six-hour EPP Dialogue.
Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中), Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花), Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) and American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen were among the officials who attended the new conference.
Deng said both sides have confirmed that strategic cooperation in the semiconductor industry is a priority, given its potential to generate significant and long-term benefits for both economies.
That the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), is investing in the US has laid the foundation for bilateral cooperation in this field, Wang added.
The EPP Dialogue addressed areas of further cooperation, such as the US Department of State’s new Clean Network project and 5G security, semiconductors, as well as investment screening, science and technology.
Both sides agreed to established a task force that would be charged with exploring areas of cooperation on the economy. They also agreed that the Indo-Pacific region would be a focal point for their efforts in the future, and discussed points of convergence between US strategy in the region, and the aims of the government’s New Southbound Policy.
In the area of cooperation on global health, Taiwan would share its expertise in protective equipment, while the US would contribute through its prowess in medical research, vaccine research and development, and pharmaceuticals.
Both sides added that they hope to strengthen cooperation in the area of digital technology, as well as improve opportunities for business in the areas of medical care and medical products.
They also expressed plans to promote exchanges of talented people with developing countries, and create opportunities to help such countries improve their healthcare capabilities.
The two sides said they hoped to ensure the free flow of medical supplies and services worldwide, and would search for new opportunities to cooperate toward this aim.
On science and technology cooperation, they agreed to launch negotiations to draft a “science and technology agreement” to “advance joint understanding and collaboration on a broad range of science and technology topics.”
The State Department on Aug. 5 announced the 5G Clean Network program to safeguard information security, which included Taiwanese operators on a list of trusted telecommunications companies.
Both sides in the EPP Dialogue said they would discuss ways to encourage establishment of safe 5G networks.
On women’s economic empowerment, the US has been involved in initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean in the past few years, while Taiwan has supported programs in the Indo-Pacific region through the New Southbound Policy.
The two sides expressed interest in combining efforts in both regions.
They also discussed plans to cooperate on infrastructure development in the Indo-Pacific, and have already signed the Framework to Strengthen Infrastructure Finance and Market Building Cooperation, which calls for technical exchanges and information sharing on infrastructure with countries in the region, as well as the promotion of infrastructure investments.
They agreed to cooperate on investment screening through the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US.
Deng said the EPP Dialogue did not touch on issues related to a possible bilateral trade agreement (BTA).
A BTA, which has received much attention particularly after the government decided to ease restrictions on US pork containing the leanness-enhancing additive ractopamine in an attempt to pave the way for an eventual trade deal with the US, would be discussed through the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement platform, Deng said.
“The US-Taiwan economic dialogue signifies that not only is the United States-Taiwan economic relationship strong, but it continues to deepen and grow,” Christensen told the news conference.
The State Department said coming talks would help bolster the US-Taiwan economic ties and “our shared commitment to free markets, entrepreneurship and freedom.”
The dialogue, which Taiwan hopes would eventually lead to a free-trade agreement, is part of increased US engagement with Taipei under the administration of US President Donald Trump.
US trade with Taiwan totaled an estimated US$103.9 billion last year, according to the latest figures from the US Trade Representative’s office.
The EPP Dialogue also generated a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signed between the AIT and the Taipei Economic and Cultural
Representative Office in the US.
The office in a statement said the two sides signed the MOU to establish an “institutionalized dialogue mechanism.”
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
RSS