Purdue University is launching a center to advocate for Taiwan as a trusted partner and encourage US investment in the nation, former US undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment Keith Krach told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Krach, chairman of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, first announced plans for the establishment of the Taiwan Center for Innovation and Prosperity before his arrival in Taiwan on Wednesday for a four-day visit.
The center would be a partnership between public and private sectors in the US and Taiwan to “advocate for Taiwan internationally and attract more global partners,” the institute said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
While Western firms are pulling out of China due to security concerns, Taiwan has great opportunities to attract investment with its skilled labor force and a friendly government, Krach said.
The center hopes to facilitate such cooperation, as well as help foster and strengthen customer relationships as, for example, more than half of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s customer base is in the US, he said.
The partnership also looks to address the shortage of skilled labor, a topic he discussed extensively with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) during their meeting, Krach said.
Purdue is the only university that offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate programs in semiconductor engineering and is a top university in national security research, he said.
By signing memorandums of understanding with National Chengchi University and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, the center is to provide tech diplomacy training for the private sector as well as diplomats, he said.
It is also to accelerate innovation, from research to development and adoption of trusted technology with its venture capital capabilities and mentor network, he added.
US President Joe Biden last year signed the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act, which provides billions of US dollars for research in critical national security sectors such as biotechnology, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles and aerospace.
“I think the opportunities for Taiwan to participate in that is huge,” Krach said.
Krach is also chairman of the Global Tech Security Commission, where Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳) serves as a commissioner as Taiwan’s representative.
Tang is going to “play a pivotal role” in developing a set of trusted tech standards, Krach said.
Asked about Taiwan’s presidential election in January next year, Krach said that he hoped Taiwanese can select a transformational leader who has courage, like President Tsai.
“All eyes are on Taiwan. Taiwan is the linchpin of democracy,” he said. “I think if there’s anything that I’ve learned from the people of Taiwan, there is no prosperity without freedom.”
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be
RSS