Washington’s top Taiwan affairs official last week affirmed Taiwan’s “leading role” in the global high-tech industry during a forum on bilateral business collaboration.
Continued development of trade relations between Taiwan and the US would strengthen supply chain resiliency in response to the Chinese economic threat, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China, Taiwan and Mongolia Rick Waters said in a recorded address in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday.
Waters was speaking at the Taiwan-US Business Roundtable Forum in the Midwest, held for the first time in Ohio.
Photo: Still frame grab from the recorded speech
Themed “Innovation and High-tech Global Supply Chains,” this year’s edition of the forum was jointly organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, JobsOhio, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Taiwan Trade Center of Chicago.
Considering Ohio’s importance in manufacturing and the automobile industry, participants in the two panels discussed high-tech supply chains and how to enhance economic partnerships on innovative technologies such as chip design and electric vehicles.
In attendance were Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴); Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted; US Representative Steve Chabot, who is a founding cochair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus; Ohio Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer Steve Stivers; and a variety of business representatives.
Standing in for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Waters hailed recent developments in Taiwan-US trade cooperation, including the second Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue held in November last year and the resumption of Trade and Investment Framework Agreement talks.
Especially in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the need for like-minded partners such as Taiwan and the US to work together to address the dangers of authoritarianism is greater than ever, he said.
In his address, Stivers brought up Intel’s planned US$20 billion investment to make Ohio a regional hub for semiconductor manufacturing, a sector in which Taiwan is a top player.
Nations with similar ideals should work together to create mutual economic and technological benefits, he said, while other speakers called for Taiwan’s inclusion in the US’ proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS