Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday touted the growing ties between Taiwan and Italy as the legislature inaugurated an interparliamentary friendship caucus.
Over the past few years, Taiwan and Italy have made consistent progress in expanding cooperation in trade, culture and technology, while maintaining a relationship based on trust and friendship, Wang told the event.
The nation’s donation of 50,000 masks and 30 ventilators to Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic showed Taiwan’s commitment to helping its friends, he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Taiwan is the world’s eighth-largest importer of Italian machine tools and looks forward to launching economic cooperation in semiconductors to broaden trade between the nations, Wang said, adding that Taiwanese enterprises have invested nearly US$4.5 billion in Italy since 2020.
Italy’s drive to build a domestic chip industry with 10 billion euros (US$11.1 billion) in subsidies is sure to increase bilateral exchanges in technology, he said, citing Rome’s plan to invest 103 million euros in GlobalWafers Co’s proposed 12-inch chip plant in Italy.
The Italian government is increasingly supportive of Taiwan’s global aspirations, having voiced support for Taipei’s participation in UN organizations, including the WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization, Wang said.
Italy also called for greater attention on the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait at the G7 Summit in June, shortly before Italy’s ITS Cavour strike group participated in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise in the region, he said.
Italian Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Office Representative Marco Lombardi said that more Italians are coming to Taiwan to study in semiconductor-related fields, adding that he hopes for expanded bilateral cooperation in chips.
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