The Executive Yuan’s economic diplomacy task force has approved programs aimed at bolstering the nation’s chip diplomacy with Japan and European nations.
The task force in its first meeting had its operational mechanism and organizational structure confirmed, with Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) the convener, and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and Minister Without Portfolio Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) the deputy conveners.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) would be the convener of the task force’s strategy group in charge of policy planning for economic diplomacy.
Photo: Bloomberg
The meeting was attended by the heads of the National Development Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Science and Technology Council.
A source, who asked to remain anonymous, yesterday cited Cho as saying at the meeting that the economics ministry should give the foreign ministry data and documents about Taiwan-Japan collaborations on semiconductors, which would be managed as projects to deepen bilateral political and economic ties.
Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) last week at a news conference said that Taiwan is cooperating with Japan’s semiconductor supply chain.
In the first or second quarter this year, state-supported service companies would be set up in Fukuoka Prefecture, while agreements would be signed to protect Taiwanese firms building plants in an industrial park in Kumamoto Prefecture, he said.
The source also cited Cho as saying that the task force would take over the Central and Eastern Europe Resilience Program 2.0, with the foreign ministry assisting the economic ministry to propose projects.
In Germany, the semiconductor sector would be developed around Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (台積電) plant, and extend to Poland and the Czech Republic to form a triangular industrial cluster, they said.
In the Philippines, the government is planning to aid the local semiconductor sector by investing in infrastructure and power grid construction in Luzon as the developable land area is large, the source said.
Taiwan and Thailand’s collaboration on a Smart City Program was also mentioned in the meeting, they said.
Taiwan has made significant breakthroughs in its relationship with Thailand, such as a new agreement on investment promotion and protection signed in June last year, and Thailand’s approval of indefinite visa-free entry for Taiwanese travelers, the source said.
The task force plans to combine Taiwan’s economic and industrial competitive edges to deepen the nation’s ties with like-minded nations and those that share the same strategic benefits, with the goal of enhancing Taiwan’s participation in the Indo-Pacific region and international community, and achieving President William Lai’s (賴清德) policy of value diplomacy and his vision of Taiwan being one of the world’s economic strongholds, they said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
RSS