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2019-11-19
中文
President Tsai attends 2019 AmCham Taipei Annual General Meeting

President Tsai Ing-wen attended the 2019 American Chamber of Commerce Taipei (AmCham) Annual General Meeting at noon on November 19. She stated that the government will work towards a new and improved version of the Taiwanese economic development model, transforming Taiwan into Asia's high-end manufacturing and R&D center, a regional financial and wealth management center, and a base for high-quality talent. The president also expressed hope that AmCham will continue to support the signing of a bilateral trade agreement between Taiwan and the US, so that we can work together to spur growth, foster innovation, and bring greater economic prosperity to more people.

A transcript of President Tsai's remarks follows:

Thank you. It is always great to be back at the American Chamber of Commerce.

I trust that my good friend Director Christensen [American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director William Brent Christensen] will agree with me that since AmCham Taipei's establishment 68 years ago, every single one of the Chamber's members has played a significant role in Taiwan's economic development.

For instance, when I received an AmCham delegation led by former Chairperson Leo Seewald in September, Prudential CEO Dylan Tyson told me that his company has been operating in Taiwan for over 30 years. I trust there are many companies like Prudential that have stood by Taiwan for decades.

I also want to take a moment to congratulate AmCham members on taking home seven out of ten of the first-ever "Economic Contribution Awards for Foreign Companies in Taiwan" at this year's Taiwan Business Alliance Conference. These companies recognize Taiwan's potential and importance, and they have confidence in the future of this market.

And like I said during this year's Hsieh Nian Fan: This year is a good year. It is an optimistic year. And it is an engaging year.

Despite many challenges, this year has proven to be a good year, and an optimistic year as well.

Without a doubt, the changing world economic order, especially the US-China trade war, has had a major impact on the global economy. Countries around the world are struggling to adjust.

And although AmCham's 2019 Business Climate Survey reflects these challenges and uncertainties, major US companies also highlighted Taiwan's innovation, talented workforce, and potential for market expansion.

These advantages are no coincidence. They are the result of Taiwan's freeness and openness, which has allowed good talent to thrive, as well as our respect and protection for intellectual property rights.

Even more encouraging is the fact that we are beginning to see results from our hard work over the past three years.

For three years, we have worked to develop a new economic development model for Taiwan. We have reduced our overdependency on production bases in China.

We have strengthened our partnerships with the US and other major economies. We have begun to change our overall economic structure and encouraged industrial innovation.

This transformation has made Taiwan's economy both resilient and responsive. More than that, it has given us the ability to overcome the many challenges facing us in the global economy.

The entire world is watching Taiwan's economic transformation. For the first three quarters of this year, our economic growth topped the Four Asian Dragons. And our future outlook is even more optimistic.

We are seeing more Taiwanese firms returning to invest in Taiwan than ever before. Our government has already approved nearly NT$700 billion in investment applications, with the potential to bring more than 55,000 high-quality jobs back to Taiwan.

Taiwanese firms and individuals are expected to bring billions of US dollars in overseas capital back to Taiwan with them. We estimate this trend will continue and accelerate.

Foreign companies are bullish on Taiwan as well. In the coming years, we expect to see billions in new investments from international companies. And major US firms like Google, Microsoft, Micron, and Amazon Web Services will bring thousands of high-paying jobs.

We are also seeing positive developments in Taiwan's economic makeup. From January to October of this year, Taiwan's exports to the US increased by 17.7%, while our exports to China decreased by 6.65%. This change reflects the swift changes and adjustments in the supply chain of US-China-Taiwan trade.

These changes are pushing Taiwan into a new era of economic development. Here, to all Taiwanese companies, and foreign companies that are investing or would like to invest in Taiwan: as we enter this new era, I want to assure you that we will work even harder to take Taiwan's economy to new heights.

We will work towards a new and improved version of the Taiwanese economic development model. This model will build on the strong foundation we have built over the past three years.

It will be adaptive to changes in the global supply chain and capital flow. It will incorporate the recent wave of investments by Taiwanese and international firms, as well as the massive amounts of capital currently flowing back to Taiwan.

This model will transform Taiwan into Asia's high-end manufacturing and R&D center, a regional financial and wealth management center, and a base for high-quality talent.

This combination of industrial, capital, and talent advantages will provide Taiwan with a new path forward for the next 20 years of economic prosperity.

In building on our current momentum, this year has also been an engaging year.

Taiwan and the US have long been partners in both global trade and regional security. We share the same values and responsibilities, as well as the same interests.

AmCham has always played a key role in advancing Taiwan-US trade relations, and in bringing new investments to Taiwan. The Chamber also helps to remove many obstacles for US companies investing and operating in Taiwan. We listen closely to the suggestions of AmCham members, and respond to your concerns, too.

For instance, this past August, we implemented a Patent Linkage System that exemplifies our commitment to IP protection, as well as our support for research and innovation.

In fact, we have been working to improve Taiwan's regulatory environment across the board. We have amended outdated regulations to allow greater flexibility in business management and efficient use of workforce.

We have adjusted a number of regulations to make it easier for foreign talent to live and work in Taiwan. And we have relaxed regulations on work hours for foreign professionals in supervisory and technical positions to better reflect the demands of a knowledge-based economy. We are also continuing to search for new ways to increase our engagement with the US and spur further economic cooperation.

This month, we officially launched the Talent Circulation Alliance (TCA) in collaboration with the American Institute in Taiwan. This initiative was announced by Director Christensen himself back in April, and I want to take a moment to thank him for working with us to make this project a reality.

The TCA will help young tech talent move more freely between Taiwan and the US, and spark innovative collaboration across many fields.

I know that AmCham also recently launched the NextGen Business Leaders Program, so that we can begin training the leaders of tomorrow today. Clearly, we share the same goals when it comes to talent development.

I want to reiterate that Taiwan and the US share strategic goals for economic development, and we must work together to achieve them. A central aim of the Trump administration is to revitalize the concept of "Made in the USA."

Taiwan is also searching for a new position in the global supply chain, and working to create new modes of production and manufacturing.

Taiwan and the US share strong ties in the ICT, semiconductor, automotive, and aerospace industries. I hope that in the future, we can extend this strategic cooperation to cutting-edge manufacturing, particularly in the digital economy, AI, IoT, and Industry 4.0.

And to strengthen our cooperation in these areas, we need an arrangement that guarantees the supports from the governments; one that will allow companies to invest with confidence.

Without a doubt, signing a bilateral investment agreement should be number one priority of ours.

I know that when former Chairperson Seewald led the 2019 CEO Mission to Washington, D.C., he expressed strong support for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between our countries.

A high-quality BTA between our countries would not only help strengthen our engagement, it would also set a strong precedent for a rules-based trade order in the Indo-Pacific region. So I hope you will continue to support this effort.

Truly, the relationship between Taiwan and AmCham Taipei is one of mutual support. We are both working to achieve the same goals: that is to spur growth, foster innovation, and bring greater economic prosperity to more people.

I want to thank all of you once again for making this year so good, so optimistic, and so engaged, even in the face of the challenges before us. Working together, I'm confident that we can make next year an even better one. Thank you.

Also present at the event were AmCham Taipei Chairman Chyi-Woei Chin, President William Foreman, AIT Taipei Office Director William Brent Christensen, National Security Council Secretary-General David T. Lee (李大維) and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).

President Tsai Ing-wen attends the 2019 AmCham Taipei Annual General Meeting.
President Tsai addresses the 2019 AmCham Taipei Annual General Meeting.
President Tsai attends the 2019 AmCham Taipei Annual General Meeting.
President Tsai takes a group photo at the 2019 AmCham Taipei Annual General Meeting.
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On the morning of August 7, President Lai Ching-te met with a cross-party delegation from the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine. In remarks, President Lai stated that this marks the first visit from a cross-party delegation from the Verkhovna Rada in 20 years, a new milestone symbolizing the deepening of the Taiwan-Ukraine friendship and underscoring our common commitment to the pursuit of freedom and peace. The president expressed hope for increased exchanges between our governments, parliaments, industries, and peoples across society, and that we can strengthen cooperation in such domains as the economy, trade, investment, advanced technology, and talent development. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I warmly welcome People’s Deputy Mykola Kniazhytskyi on his third trip to Taiwan. This is also the first visit from a cross-party delegation from the Verkhovna Rada in 20 years. Your truly meaningful visit symbolizes the deepening of the Taiwan-Ukraine friendship and underscores our common commitment to the pursuit of freedom and peace.  Although Taiwan and Ukraine are geographically distant, we jointly pursue the values of freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights. We also both stand on the frontlines against the expansion of authoritarian influence. Taiwan therefore stands firmly with the people of Ukraine. Since Russia’s invasion began, Taiwan has actively used government funds and private-sector donations to provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid. This has included reconstruction projects for water, power, medical, and educational facilities. Taiwan has also worked with friendly countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania to deliver various kinds of assistance to Ukraine. We want to show the world that when like-minded democracies join forces, we can overcome any number of threats and challenges. Currently, there is limited official engagement between Taiwan and Ukraine. Yet, I look forward to increased exchanges between our governments, parliaments, industries, and peoples across society. I also hope that we can strengthen cooperation in such domains as the economy, trade, investment, advanced technology, and talent development. I hope for a swift end to this irrational and utterly illegitimate war so that the people of Ukraine can be free of its harms as soon as possible. Moving forward, Taiwan is more than willing to work with the international community to help Ukraine rebuild and grow. I thank you all once again for this visit, which marks a new milestone for the Taiwan-Ukraine relationship. Deputy Kniazhytskyi then delivered remarks, stating that this meeting marks a historic moment and is a convincing testimony to the importance Taiwan attaches to the development of the relationship between our countries, adding that he feels the significance of today’s event for the prospect of relations between Taiwan and Ukraine. He said that he sees a clear similarity in the goals pursued by Taiwan and Ukraine, including the protection of democracy against authoritarianism and the preservation of national identity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Deputy Kniazhytskyi went on to say that Ukraine is fighting a difficult war against Russia to liberate its illegally occupied territories. However, he said, this is also a war for the truth of democratic values over attempts of subjugation by Russia’s despotism. The deputy pointed out that Taiwan is also resisting the expansion of authoritarian China and its attempts to suppress the aspiration of Taiwanese people to live in a free country where human rights and freedoms are respected. He then stated that any encroachment of Taiwan’s freedom is unacceptable. Deputy Kniazhytskyi said that the presence of the Ukrainian delegation is evidence of the similarity of our aspiration and views of the future of the democratic world, and that they understand that the values and interests of the democratic world need to be resolutely defended in many areas – political, diplomatic, and military. The deputy concluded his remarks by stating that he is convinced that exchanges between Taiwan and Ukraine have good, productive prospects. The delegation also included Ukrainian People’s Deputies Ivan Krulko, Valeriy Lunchenko, Solomiia Bobrovska, Mykhailo Bondar, Andrii Lopushanskyi, and Sviatoslav Yurash.
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This June, we signed three pillar arrangements under the ETP covering investment, digital trade, and energy and net-zero emissions, demonstrating the determination of both sides to strengthen our economic and trade cooperation. Taiwan and the UK share the universal values of freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights. Taiwan sincerely looks forward to deepening cooperation with the UK for mutually beneficial development and to contributing even more to the international community. Former Prime Minister Johnson then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for the invitation. He noted that this is an absolutely crucial time for the whole world and a time of great uncertainty. Echoing President Lai’s earlier remarks, he said that Taiwan is at the very forefront in the struggle between freedom and democracy on one side and autocracy on the other side. 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President Lai attends opening of Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue  
On the morning of August 5, President Lai Ching-te attended the opening of the Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue. In remarks, President Lai stated that Taiwan holds a key position on the first island chain, making it a keystone of Indo-Pacific peace and stability. The president noted that the government has been moving forward with the Four Pillars of Peace action plan, remains committed to ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and will deepen partnerships with other democratic nations to advance global prosperity and development. He stated that Taiwan is also taking the initiative to enhance its whole-of-society defense and resilience, expanding civil participation, and through military-civilian cooperation, is boosting its self-defense capabilities. President Lai emphasized that a nation’s strength and its democratic footing are grounded firmly in its economy, and that Taiwan will continue to enhance its economic resilience and steadily advance its economic security. He expressed confidence that if democracies can join hands in creating more robust, more resilient global democratic supply chains, we can spur even more economic prosperity and further consolidate our democracy, as well as protect our hard-earned free and democratic way of life. A transcript of President Lai’s remarks follows: This year marks the ninth year of the Ketagalan Forum. Over the years, this key platform has brought together government leaders, experts, and scholars from around the world for dialogue on all aspects of Indo-Pacific security. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I sincerely welcome you all and thank you for joining us. This year’s forum centers on three major themes: Indo-Pacific regional security, whole-of-society defense strategies in democratic countries, and the strategic integration of economic, technological, and industrial diplomacy. These themes are all closely linked with Taiwan’s national development. I’m confident that this year’s forum will enable Taiwan and democratic partners from around the world to achieve even greater consensus on ways we can work together for a more secure Indo-Pacific and more prosperous world. Over the past year, the international landscape has become more and more volatile. The Russia-Ukraine War is still ongoing, and conflict in the Middle East has only intensified. Meanwhile, China’s military activities in the Taiwan Strait and East and South China Seas pose unprecedented challenges to the rules-based international order. As authoritarianism continues to expand, democratic nations must join even closer in solidarity to defend our values. Taiwan holds a key position on the first island chain, making us a keystone of Indo-Pacific peace and stability. In view of this, we have been moving forward with the Four Pillars of Peace action plan since I took office. This includes boosting our national defense, building economic security, demonstrating stable and principled cross-strait leadership, and promoting values-based diplomacy. Our government remains committed to maintaining the status quo and ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, we will deepen partnerships with other democratic nations to advance global prosperity and development. Taiwan is also taking the initiative to enhance our whole-of-society defense and resilience. This July, we introduced National Solidarity Month. This combines our yearly Han Kuang military exercises with new Urban Resilience drills. The initiative expanded civil participation and, through military-civilian cooperation, helped verify the readiness of government agencies and people throughout the nation to address extreme situations. Alongside these efforts, we are continuing to reform and invest even more resources in our national defense. Next year’s defense budget will reach a target of over 3 percent of GDP to boost Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities. Taiwan will also continue to enhance its economic resilience and steadily advance its economic security. While we further deepen our economic and trade cooperation with other countries, we will keep upgrading our Five Trusted Industry Sectors of semiconductors, artificial intelligence, military, security and surveillance, and next-gen communications. A nation’s strength and its democratic footing are grounded firmly in its economy. I’m confident that if democracies can join hands in creating more robust, more resilient global democratic supply chains, we can spur even more economic prosperity and further consolidate our democracy. To all dear friends of Taiwan: In this turbulent global landscape, Taiwan stands on the frontline of authoritarian threat, which is also the forefront of the global defense of democracy. Thus, we know how precious peace is; and we recognize that peace in the Taiwan Strait is not just a regional issue, but a shared responsibility for economic stability and security around the world. As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will stand with the world’s democracies to face challenges, uphold the rules-based international order, defend peace through strength, and protect our hard-earned free and democratic way of life.  Once again, thank you for participating in this dialogue, and for standing with Taiwan. I wish you all lively and productive discussions today, and a great stay in Taiwan. Thank you. Also in attendance at the event were former United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former French National Assembly President François de Rugy. Additionally, 12 high-ranking officials, scholars, and experts from 10 countries, including the United States and Japan, as well as countries in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, were invited to engage in in-depth discussions with officials, scholars, and experts from Taiwan.  
中文
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.
中文