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2018-06-02
President Tsai attends President's Cup Social Innovation Hackathon award ceremony

On the afternoon of June 2, President Tsai Ing-wen attended the final round and award ceremony of the President's Cup Social Innovation Hackathon competition. In addition to praising the collaboration between government and private sector teams to explore solutions, she also expressed hope that public servants will continue to draw on private sector experience and expertise, uphold the "hacker spirit," and join forces in the name of progress.

After President Tsai arrived, Secretary-General to the President Chen Chu (陳菊) announced the five prize-winning teams: Data for Child Protection; Winged Tigers Legal Aid; 8R; Water Leakage Detection by Big Data, AI, Machine Learning and Open Data; and SMART (Specialized Multi-Agency Rescue Team).

Secretary-General Chen congratulated the five outstanding teams named as final award winners, and also thanked the other five teams that made it through the preliminary rounds for their efforts. She emphasized that the "hackathon spirit" lies in providing open access to government data and getting private-sector information technology experts involved to promote free innovation and equal access. That spirit of freedom, equality, and openness, she said, reflects the values of advanced countries like the United States, which is why Kin Moy, Director of the Taipei Office of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) was invited to participate in the award ceremony.   

Speaking at the ceremony, President Tsai said she was pleased to see government ministries and agencies get together with private-sector young people and try to transform government operational methods. Topics addressed by the winning teams covered many government-provided public services, including the social safety net. The president expressed her appreciation and admiration for the compassion, intelligence, and wisdom of the prize-winning teams in their efforts to promote a safer society and care for senior citizens. Since she came to office two years ago, she said, the government has been changing, and she had great hopes that it can change. But the changes didn't come from the upper levels of government. They came from young people in the government and private sector working together to change government methods.

President Tsai also noted that "hackathon" is a new word for many Taiwanese, something they just heard about in the past few years. She then said she's sure that in the future, everyone will know that a hackathon is really about "collaboration" and "sharing," and a new model for solving problems.

President Tsai explained that over the past two years, the "hackathon model" has helped the government overcome existing limitations. The government has been promoting "collaboration meetings," and every ministry and agency has set up a "participation officer." We did that to connect with forces for social innovation, so that young professionals and the government can work together to solve social problems, she said.

The president further pointed out that today, we're gradually seeing results. The new web-based tax filing system is a good example. After using it this year, many people were amazed. They couldn't believe the government made something like that.

President Tsai stated that in the past, many people criticized Taiwan's tax filing system. So we opened up the gates of government, and invited people to come in, and get to work. And in the end, they created a tax filing system like we've never seen before. She said that the optimization process is still on-going, and expressed confidence that next year, the system will be even better.

For this hackathon, the president said, we've created even more government and private sector teams. They're collaborating to explore opportunities to provide solutions. So many civil servants have a chance to work with private sector experts, and learn about how the new generation thinks, and the methods they use, to get things done.

President Tsai believes that this hackathon gave private sector experts who are always under outside supervision a chance to roll up their sleeves, get to the real heart of the problem, and create real change. And that gave them a greater sense of accomplishment, she said.

The president stated that the five finalist teams proposed innovative solutions for various issues like legal aid for the disadvantaged, offshore medical services, emergency services, detection of water leaks, and early warning systems for recurring child abuse. She then congratulated each team for their outstanding performance in the heat of competition.

President Tsai emphasized that the President's Cup Hackathon is more than just a competition, because the solutions these five teams created will all become functional public services. Shen then asked National Security Council Advisor D. T. Lee (李德財) to coordinate that effort. Looking ahead, she said, we'll continue to keep the "hacker spirit," and continue to promote "open government." That means we'll be encouraging a collaborative model and make government information more open and accessible so the private sector can use it. When the information economy ecosystem is set up, the president said, we'll also have a strong foundation to develop big data and AI.

President Tsai further stated that what's most important is that public servants will start to understand the significance of social innovation and its methods. They'll also be able to interact and cooperate more closely with professionals in different fields. This is the right direction, she said, and we'll continue to pursue it.

The president also offered a special welcome to AIT Taipei Office Director Kin Moy for attending the award ceremony. She said that the "hackathon spirit" means "freedom, equality, and openness," and these are ideals that bind Taiwan and the United States together. The United States has held many global hackathons to promote a sustainable fishing industry and aerospace development. Last year at the NASA hackathon, three teams from Taiwan were very successful, and President Tsai attended the ceremony when AIT presented their awards at the American Innovation Center in the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. She then expressed hope that Taiwan and the United States will have even more exchanges like that in the future. By combining government and private sector experience and expertise from both countries, we can work together to improve regional and global problems, the president said.

President Tsai pointed out that for this hackathon, there were over 100 participating teams, and they all came up with valuable innovations. So we made a record of the experiences gathered at this hackathon, and next time someone wants to take on any of these issues, they can stand on the shoulders of their predecessors, and see even further into the future. So the president thanked all the participating teams and friends who contributed their experience and expertise so that we can uphold the "hacker spirit," work together, and move forward. Finally, President Tsai congratulated the winning teams again, and personally presented the awards.

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2023-09-27
President Tsai meets Stanford University Professor Andrew Ng
On the afternoon of September 27, President Tsai Ing-wen met with Stanford University Professor Andrew Ng. In remarks, President Tsai stated that Taiwan has an excellent foundation in semiconductors and smart manufacturing, and expressed hope that Taiwan can accelerate the development of artificial intelligence and its associated applications, so that we can continue to upgrade and transform our industries. Stating that the government will give its full support to the development of AI technologies, the president expressed her belief that Taiwan has what it takes to develop a comprehensive AI ecosystem and become an international AI powerhouse. A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows: The last time Professor Ng visited Taiwan was in 2019, before the global pandemic started. He was here at the invitation of the Ministry of Science and Technology to give a lecture on the theme "What's next in AI." Four years later, the AI wave has truly arrived and the whole world is paying close attention to this issue. Professor Ng, let me welcome you to Taiwan again. Through this visit, I hope that you can build closer connections with industry and academia in Taiwan to discuss and explore more potential applications for AI. Technological advances have made it easier to put AI into practice. AI can now play a role in finding solutions to the many issues faced by modern society in areas such as climate change, healthcare, and traffic safety. As Professor Ng has said, AI is transforming almost every industry. It is for this reason that Taiwan hopes to accelerate the development of AI and its associated applications, so that we can continue to upgrade and transform Taiwan's industries and cultivate more talent, making Taiwan a smart, digital nation. As AI applications grow increasingly complex, the chip and information and communications technology industries, among others, will have to adapt. AI has also become an important driver for the future of the semiconductor industry. And with the geopolitical changes of recent years, countries around the world are seeking a reliable supply chain. I am confident that building on our solid foundation of talent and R&D, Taiwan will maintain its position of global prominence in this area. Moving forward, Taiwan will work with like-minded partners, using technology to strengthen social trust, safeguard and enhance our democracy and freedoms, and reduce any potentially negative impacts of AI. I also want to thank Taiwania Capital CEO David Weng (翁嘉盛) for his longstanding efforts to facilitate Taiwanese industries' global engagement and for his keen interest in AI. Thank you for hosting the Navigating the Future of AI forum and for inviting Professor Ng to visit Taiwan to explore the trends in and challenges of AI with us. Taiwan has an excellent foundation in semiconductors and smart manufacturing as well as outstanding talent in AI. The government is also giving its full support to the development of AI technologies. I believe that Taiwan has what it takes to develop a comprehensive AI ecosystem. The world can count on Taiwan to become an international AI powerhouse. I once again welcome you, Professor Ng, and I wish you a successful and rewarding visit to Taiwan. 
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2021-12-08
President Tsai attends 2021 Energy Taiwan opening ceremony
On the morning of December 8, President Tsai Ing-wen attended the opening ceremony of the 2021 Energy Taiwan exhibition. In remarks, President Tsai stated that by 2025 domestic construction of wind and solar power installations is set to generate NT$1.7 trillion in investments, more than NT$2 trillion in output value, and 160,000 job opportunities. The president also said that the government is making every effort to make Taiwan the green energy hub of Asia, while speeding up and expanding our green energy rollout so that Taiwan's energy sector will be an indispensable link in the international green energy supply chain. A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows: We're all aware that one of the key issues at last month's COP26 was the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. This goal has become a global consensus, and, going forward, countries around the world will be working toward reducing their carbon emissions. Transforming our energy sector is the key to reducing carbon emissions, and today's Energy Taiwan exhibition highlights Taiwan's determination and ability to develop renewable energy. Each of you here is an important partner to our government in our joint effort to promote Taiwan's energy transition. I have participated in this exhibition's opening ceremony for four consecutive years, not just to show how important energy issues are for this administration, but also to thank all of you in person. Because of your efforts, Taiwan has been able to engage with the international community and contribute more to the world. Climate change is a global challenge, and Taiwan is joining the global response. The Environmental Protection Administration is currently working on amendments to our nation's Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, including writing the 2050 net-zero goal into law. And the Executive Yuan has set up a task force to evaluate possible paths toward net-zero emissions and draft a blueprint for our energy transition. Today's exhibition is our domestic green energy industry's largest platform for exchange. I want everyone to know that our government is making every effort to realize our vitally important goal of making Taiwan the green energy hub of Asia. In the future, global industrial demand for green energy will only continue to grow. This year, Taiwan began to implement provisions that will spur major power consumers to increase the proportion of renewable energy they use within five years. The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will also subject the carbon footprints of export products to more rigorous inspections. As such, many international enterprises have joined the RE100 initiative, under which they have committed to using 100-percent renewable energy in the future. Here, TSMC and UMC are among the companies which have joined RE100 and have acted on their green energy commitments. I'm sure you all noticed that last week, SEMI released new data showing that Taiwan's firms spent over US$7.3 billion on semiconductor manufacturing equipment in the third quarter, setting a domestic record and making Taiwan the world's largest market for such equipment. This year, the output value of Taiwan's semiconductor industry is projected to surpass NT$4 trillion for the first time ever. Our semiconductor industry is indeed thriving. To meet urgent industry demand for green energy, our government is speeding up and expanding our green energy rollout, and is helping make Taiwan's energy sector an indispensable link in the international green energy supply chain. I also want to share with you that Taiwan's solar energy installed capacity has grown by a factor of 4.7 over the past five years, and our second offshore wind farm has also started operation. We expect that, through 2025, wind and solar power construction projects in Taiwan will generate NT$1.7 trillion in investments, more than NT$2 trillion in output value, and 160,000 job opportunities. To further progress and develop, Taiwan must continue to promote the transformation of our energy sector. To reach our long-term goal of net-zero emissions, we need to use natural gas in this transitional period and build a more flexible and responsive power supply network. Building the third liquefied natural gas import terminal will help relieve the imbalance created by generating power for northern Taiwan in central and southern Taiwan, and will also reduce air pollution in central and southern Taiwan. This facility is crucial to Taiwan's energy sector and to achieving net-zero emissions. We all know how important energy is to our nation's economic development, industrial competitiveness, and people's everyday lives. So, however difficult this energy transition may be, our government will continue to engage with people throughout society to jointly resolve any issues we might encounter. I hope we can combine our collective strengths and resolutely forge ahead on this path. In closing, I want to thank the organizer and co-organizers for their efforts to expand the scope of this exhibition every year. I also want to congratulate today's award winners, and thank each of you for your contributions to transforming Taiwan's energy sector. Let's continue to work together toward this goal. Thank you, and I wish you all a successful exhibition. Following her address, President Tsai presented the SEMI Taiwan Industry Contribution Awards, Taiwan Excellent PV Awards, Top Solar Awards, and PVGSA Renewable PV Power System Promotion Awards to awardees and firms. The president also visited the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, United Renewable Energy, and Taiwan Solar Energy Corporation exhibition booths and listened to presentations introducing their products. Also in attendance at the exhibition were Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng (林全能), Chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council James C. F. Huang (黃志芳), SEMI Taiwan President Terry Tsao (曹世綸), and members of the diplomatic corps stationed in Taiwan.
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2021-10-14
President Tsai addresses 2021 Taiwan Innotech Expo
On the afternoon of October 14, President Tsai Ing-wen delivered recorded opening remarks at the 2021 Taiwan Innotech Expo. President Tsai emphasized that, to respond to the need for digital transformation and innovative development in the business sector, the government has been guiding companies in upgrading their R&D capabilities, and has also been working to promote national digital transformation so that Taiwan can make further progress toward becoming a "smart nation." The president also expressed hope that the Taiwan Innotech Expo would facilitate the involvement of more people in these efforts, so that Taiwan can continually improve its R&D capabilities and make greater strides toward our goal of industrial innovation. A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows: The Taiwan Innotech Expo is being held this year as a hybrid event, with both physical and virtual exhibits. These exhibits cover everything from space technology and digital transformation to new agriculture, highlighting Taiwan's rich and diverse range of innovative capabilities. This year's expo brings together R&D achievements from 10 different government agencies, as well as outstanding R&D teams from Taiwan and around the world. There are more than 300 firms from 24 countries, with 1,300 tech products on display. I want to thank each of the government agencies involved for their hard work setting up this event. Over the past few years, to respond to the need for digital transformation and innovative development in the business sector, the government has been guiding companies to enhance their R&D capabilities and has been promoting national digital transformation so that Taiwan can make further progress toward becoming a "smart nation." Taiwan also places highly in rankings of global competitiveness. The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) ranked Taiwan eighth in its 2021 World Competitiveness Yearbook, up three spots from last year and the first time that Taiwan has ranked in the top 10. And in the IMD Yearbook's category of "total R&D personnel per capita," Taiwan was ranked first in the world. These rankings show once again that the world recognizes and respects Taiwan's R&D capabilities. Though the pandemic has tested us, we see it as an opportunity for Taiwan to innovate and transform itself. Today's opening highlights the foundation we have built with our 5+2 innovative industries plan, as well as the results of technological research under our Six Core Strategic Industries policy. We hope this expo will spur more people to help Taiwan continue to improve its R&D capabilities and make great strides in innovation. In closing, I wish everyone a successful and productive expo. Thank you.
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2021-08-03
President Tsai meets leaders from Reform for Resilience Commission's Asia-Pacific Hub
On the morning of August 3, President Tsai Ing-wen met with leaders of the Reform for Resilience Commission's (R4R) Asia-Pacific Hub. In her remarks at the meeting, President Tsai highlighted the importance of promoting sustainable, balanced development and building a more robust social safety net as countries around the world continue to concurrently fight the pandemic and pursue economic recovery. The president expressed hope that the leaders of the R4R Asia-Pacific Hub would continue to contribute their expertise to advancing Taiwan's international cooperation and developing more resilient models for sustainable development, further aiding global disease prevention efforts. A translation of the president's remarks follows: I would like to welcome our visitors to the Presidential Office. All of you play key roles in academia or industry in Taiwan, and have long been involved in public affairs. You have also used your influence to speak up for Taiwan internationally, raising our global profile. For some time now, fighting COVID-19 has been the main focus of countries around the world, including Taiwan. I want to thank you all for your efforts to share the lessons learned in Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region with the world to strengthen both domestic and international disease prevention efforts, while also helping to promote Taiwan's global ties. Your work concerns the crucial challenge of "resilience" in the post-pandemic era, which has also become a popular topic in the field of global governance. In fact, our national security agencies have for a long time been conducting tests on many aspects of social resilience, and have been engaged in infrastructure projects to protect against the damage that we know natural disasters and pandemics can cause to the overall structure of our society. This is why I believe it is so important that your work has allowed us to engage with the international community on this issue. Taiwan has indeed faced many challenges recently, but we have withstood them one by one, demonstrating the resilience of Taiwanese society. I have often called Taiwan an "island of resilience," and we have weathered such storms for centuries. I believe that many challenges lie ahead, but as long as we work together, we can get through them all. At this stage of the pandemic, as countries around the world maintain disease prevention efforts and pursue economic recovery, we are all also thinking about how to promote sustainable, balanced development and build a more robust social safety net. I hope that Taiwan will have even more opportunities to share our experiences in this area with other nations. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate former Vice President Chen Chien-jen, who was named by Pope Francis as a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Your appointment let the whole world see Taiwan's academic achievements, and I believe it was an affirmation of Taiwan's democratic system in light of your past service as our vice president. To close, I would like to once again thank all the experts and scholars here today for everything you have done for Taiwan. I hope you will continue to contribute your expertise to strengthening Taiwan's international cooperation and developing more resilient models for sustainable development, further aiding global disease prevention efforts. Also in attendance at the meeting were R4R Commissioners former Vice President Chen Chien-jen and Acer founder Stan Shih (施振榮), as well as Prof. Chang-Chuan Chan (詹長權), Prof. Syaru Shirley Lin (林夏如), John Tzuchiang Li (李自強), and Prof. Chou Kuei-tien (周桂田), who serve, respectively, as Advisory Board Chair, Chair and Convenor, Executive Director, and research partner of the R4R Asia-Pacific Hub.
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2020-10-26
President Tsai attends Microsoft's announcement of investment in Taiwan press conference
President Tsai Ing-wen attended a press conference announcing investment from Microsoft in Taiwan on the afternoon of October 26. In remarks, she commended their increased investment, and said that Microsoft will be an excellent partner for Taiwan, allowing us to make an international impact together, which is a powerful and crucial aspect of expanding Taiwan-US collaboration. Microsoft's latest Taiwan investment plan will give the Taiwan-US partnership a jolt of added vitality across the board, and will certainly be to the benefit of both sides. A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows: I am delighted to join you here today to witness this momentous occasion as Microsoft increases its investment in Taiwan. First, I would like to thank Microsoft for its long-standing optimistic approach to Taiwan, and its willingness to invest resources and make long-term commitments to Taiwan as an important partner. During my first term of office when we promoted our 5+2 innovative industries plan, Microsoft led the way in responding to our Asia Silicon Valley Development Plan by announcing the establishment of an IoT Innovation Center. Microsoft then continued to expand its investments in Taiwan. In 2018, the company set up Asia’s first artificial intelligence R&D center in Taiwan, and announced another major increase in investment this year. The current pandemic has led to massive changes in the global economy, and sped up the reorganization of global supply chains. This critical moment is the best time to deepen Taiwan-US cooperation. Taiwan holds a key advantage in high-end hardware manufacturing, and is a reliable and secure partner to the US, and other technologically-advanced countries, in information security and intellectual property rights protection. The US is the global leader in high-tech development. By combining Taiwan and the US’s respective strengths and enhancing our cooperation in supply chain realignment, those nations can make great leaps in technological advancement and an immense positive economic impact. Microsoft’s increased investment in Taiwan is a powerful and crucial aspect of expanding Taiwan's global collaboration, especially with the US, as Microsoft is a global leader in so many different technological fields. I am certain that Microsoft will be an excellent partner for us, working with Taiwan to make an international impact. Taiwan and the US are committed partners in developing global markets. Together we can create a global sales network, enter and establish ourselves in the Indo-Pacific region, build brand new supply chains, and develop vast new business opportunities. This latest Taiwan investment plan Microsoft is announcing today will play a key role in strengthening Taiwan-US cooperation. What is more, it is an important milestone in our joint efforts to build a "digital Taiwan." Microsoft's plans for Taiwan include the establishment of its first regional cloud data center as well as the expansion of its cloud hardware team. These investments can effectively drive the development of Taiwan's cloud industry, boost innovative momentum in our industries, and ensure that the world is aware of Taiwan's formidable R&D capabilities. On the industrial front, further enhancing 5G, AI, and AIoT industrial applications can spur digital transformation in medicine, the financial sector, and smart government. Beyond that, it can also drive robust development for enterprises throughout our economy. And finally, I would like to thank Microsoft for its exciting plans over the next several years to cultivate 200,000 digital professionals in Taiwan, provide more than 30,000 job opportunities, and generate more than NT$300 billion worth of industrial output. I firmly believe that this latest Taiwan investment plan of Microsoft's will give Taiwan-US cooperation a jolt of added vitality across the board, and will certainly be to the benefit of both all involved. President Tsai then joined the guests present in the launch ceremony. Among those on hand for the ceremony were American Institute in Taiwan Deputy Director Raymond Greene and Microsoft General Manager Ken Sun.  
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2025-08-01
President Lai delivers remarks on US reciprocal tariff policy response
On the morning of August 1, President Lai Ching-te delivered remarks at the Presidential Office on the response to the reciprocal tariff policy of the United States. President Lai explained that technical consultations with the US are finished, but as the final concluding meeting has not yet taken place, 20 percent has been set for Taiwan as an interim tariff rate. The president said that Taiwan will work towards a more favorable and reasonable rate in the subsequent negotiations, and that the US has expressed its willingness to continue talks. He added that a support plan for Taiwan’s export supply chain in response to US tariffs has been proposed to assist small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in responding to the US tariff policy. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: Earlier today, the US government informed our lead negotiator, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), that an interim tariff rate for Taiwan has been set at 20 percent. Since April 2, when the US introduced its new tariff policy targeting countries worldwide, Taiwan has actively engaged in four in-person rounds of negotiation and multiple discussions over videoconference with the US government. Throughout the process, both sides have negotiated in good faith based on the shared goal of addressing the trade deficit between Taiwan and the US and creating complementary and mutually beneficial outcomes. Although we have achieved an interim reduction in the tariff rate from 32 percent to 20 percent at this point in the negotiations, 20 percent was never our goal. We hope to work towards a more favorable and reasonable rate for Taiwan in the subsequent negotiations, and the US has expressed its willingness to continue talks. We have finished technical consultations, but as the final concluding meeting has not yet taken place, a final tariff rate has not yet been reached. This is the reason for the setting of an interim tariff rate. I extend my sincere gratitude to Vice Premier Cheng and Minister without Portfolio of the Executive Yuan Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) for working tirelessly over the past few months leading the negotiation team, remaining on call whether in Taiwan or the US. From here in Taiwan I, along with Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), and Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安), have also provided full support to our negotiating team in the US. Regardless of the final tariff rate, Taiwan’s industries will inevitably be impacted. I am deeply grateful to Premier Cho for proposing on April 4 a support plan for Taiwan’s export supply chain in response to US tariffs, and for holding over 20 industry consultation sessions. The special budget has also been increased from NT$88 billion to NT$93 billion. This special act has already been submitted to the Legislative Yuan and passed review. I hope that the Executive Yuan will promptly submit the budget request for legislative review so that the special budget can be implemented as soon as possible to assist SMEs in responding to this new US tariff policy.
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