Efforts must be made to better secure Taiwan’s place in the global supply chain by localizing production of equipment and facilities used by the semiconductor industry, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Tsai discussed the issue during a meeting with representatives from the Taiwan Electronic Equipment Industry Association at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
Product shortages throughout the COVID-19 pandemic — particularly of automotive chips — highlighted the pivotal role of Taiwan in the global supply chain, she said.
Photo: CNA
Tsai thanked the association for cooperating with the government on the shared goal of localizing production of important semiconductor industry equipment.
Many Taiwanese manufacturers of such equipment are small and medium enterprises, which often encounter resource shortages, she said, adding that the government would provide manufacturers with resource assistance and encourage more businesses to manufacture the needed equipment.
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry output in 2020 was valued at NT$90.7 billion (US$3.29 billion), which last year grew 28.7 percent to NT$116.7 billion, she said.
It was the product of a collaboration between the association, businesses and the government, she said.
The domestic chip industry last year invested NT$1 trillion in semiconductor fabs, with chip manufacturing equipment accounting for 70 percent of the costs, she said.
The majority of that equipment — or about NT$600 billion of the investment — were purchased from overseas, she said.
“That shows there is a large area for growth in the domestic industry. We must improve efforts to make that equipment locally,” she said.
“The association has also been pushing for Taiwanese companies to make manufacturing equipment for the international market, and there has been important progress in that area,” she added.
Citing an example, Tsai said that Taiwanese companies have signed memorandums of understanding with businesses in Japan’s Oita and Kumamoto prefectures.
Tsai said that she hoped Taiwan could become an advanced semiconductor manufacturing center.
Among key strategies are to push for local manufacturing of commercial equipment and advanced packaging equipment, she said.
“It is our hope that through continued cooperation between government and industry, we can make Taiwan’s electronic equipment industry more internationally competitive,” she said.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to announce a new advanced “all-domain” air defense system to better defend against China when he gives his keynote national day speech today, four sources familiar with the matter said. Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding its own advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles. Lai is expected to announce the air defense system dubbed “Taiwan Dome” in his speech this morning, one of the sources said. The system
RSS