Belgian Representative to Taiwan Matthieu Branders has called for closer cooperation with Taiwan in developing talent for the semiconductor industry and highlighted growing opportunities in the clean energy sector.
Relations between Taiwan and Belgium have been strong over the years, particularly in technology, trade and energy, Branders said in a recent interview.
Taiwan and Belgium are collaborating “on so many sectors of the future — not only semiconductors, but also life sciences [and] energy,” he said. “It is very interesting to see that we are really facing the same challenges and addressing them together.”
Photo: CNA
Branders described the semiconductor partnership between Taiwan and Belgium — particularly the collaboration between the National Science and Technology Council, and Belgium’s Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) — as a cornerstone of bilateral relations.
Taiwan and Belgium made a “crazy bet” in the 1980s to develop semiconductors amid the decline of traditional industries, and both maintained a competitive edge in the sector, Branders said.
Such cooperation has become even more crucial, as the EU has identified chips as strategic assets and pledged to double the bloc’s share of global semiconductor manufacturing from 10 percent to 20 percent by 2030, he added.
“Economic security has become a major theme... It is essential to be able to build [a] certain level of strategic autonomy,” he said.
Going forward, Taiwan and Belgium could collaborate on talent incubation, as the EU scales up its chip development and manufacturing capacity to reach its goal of “technology sovereignty,” Branders said.
“[The] challenge that we face in Belgium, Europe and Taiwan is the talent,” Branders said. “I think [this is] where the [bilateral] relationship could evolve.”
About 500 Taiwanese go to Belgium every year for studies or research, and about half study or specialize in electrical engineering, he added.
Belgium is also positioning itself as a key partner for Taiwan in energy transition, Branders said.
Despite Belgium’s recent policy shift on the use of nuclear energy, the development of alternative sources continues, particularly offshore wind energy and hydrogen power, he said.
Hydrogen is “certainly a subject where we have expertise and where there could be room for collaboration,” he added.
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