Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

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. 

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.

On the morning of November 13, the Presidential Office held a press conference on the 2021 APEC meetings, including the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) and Ministerial Meetings. Joined by Minister without Portfolio John C. C. Deng (鄧振中), Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花), National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉), and Director-General Sharon S. N. Wu (吳尚年) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of International Organizations as Senior Official for APEC, Leader's Representative Dr. Morris Chang (張忠謀) briefed the public on the results of this year's APEC meetings and responded to questions from the media. Dr. Chang discussed the remarks he delivered at the previous day's AELM, a full transcript of which follows: Prime Minister [Jacinda] Ardern has encouraged us to respond to the question of "How can we work together to accelerate the economic recovery from COVID-19?" Chinese Taipei will respond as follows: First, COVID-19 is not over yet. The world, including APEC, is still struggling toward what we may consider to be a valid signpost that COVID-19 is behind us: namely, free travel again, without restrictions and quarantines. To get to that signpost, the best medical advice appears to be: sufficiently broad vaccination coverage among the world population. Getting back to APEC, some members do not have enough vaccines while others have surpluses and/or are manufacturers. We believe that the latter should make it easy for the former to obtain sufficient vaccines and implement broad vaccination coverage. On behalf of Chinese Taipei, I am happy to report that, while I expressed some concern in our special session in July about our vaccine adequacy, that concern has now eased somewhat due to generous donations by the US and Japan, and by several local enterprises and institutions. Also, as perhaps one of the most successful APEC members to control the severity of the pandemic outbreak through digital tools so far, Chinese Taipei repeats our willingness to help other members by sharing our experience with them. Once we have reached the signpost of free travel, it means we have conquered, or at least neutralized COVID-19. What remains to be our main challenge? Free trade--free trade that is only subject to vital national security needs. APEC members have thrived during the past several decades through free trade. Chinese Taipei is concerned that, recently, "free trade" seems to carry more conditions and qualifications than it used to. We believe most of those conditions and qualifications are counterproductive. We earnestly believe that free trade, subject to only vital national security needs, is the broad avenue to supply chain resiliency and robust prosperity for each and every APEC member. Speaking of supply chain resiliency, the recent semiconductor supply bottleneck has often been brought up. The chip shortage is a culmination of an original underestimation of demand, natural disaster, logistical jams, and digital demand spikes. While a shortage of any critical component is a serious problem, a free market, which includes free trade and free competition, is still the best solution. In fact, the greatly stepped-up building of chip manufacturing capacity in response to the recent chip shortage, is testimony to our belief that the free market is the best solution to shortage or excess problems. Regional economic integration brings our economic and trade relations closer. Chinese Taipei believes that our economic development depends importantly on APEC regional prosperity. Therefore, we believe in supporting initiatives that deepen economic integration, promote high standards on trade-related rules, and help improve the livelihoods of our people across the Asia-Pacific. Because of these beliefs, we have applied to join the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership), a comprehensive agreement that could generate momentum for the development of the region – liberalizing trade and investment while promoting sustainable growth. Chinese Taipei plays an irreplaceable role in the global high-tech supply chain. We also have a highly transparent market economy, and are able and willing to respect the CPTPP's high standards. Finally, we thank New Zealand for overcoming all the challenges this year and successfully hosting all the APEC meetings. We believe that the achievements in this year's priority areas will lay the groundwork for the APEC agenda in the future. We also thank and support the United States' and Peru's offers to host APEC in 2023 and 2024, respectively. We also look forward to the APEC meetings to be hosted by Thailand next year. Dr. Chang further stated that at this year's AELM, APEC members focused on two important issues, the first of which was vaccines. He said that countries with a vaccine surplus outlined how many doses they have donated and how many they will donate in the future, and noted that APEC members without enough vaccines voiced complaints. Dr. Chang said that Chinese Taipei lies somewhere in the middle, and that while we are not in a position to donate vaccines, the shortage he mentioned in July seems to have eased. The second issue of common concern, Dr. Chang said, was economic recovery and the question of how to use technology and digitalization to revive our economies in an inclusive way, so that the resulting economic prosperity is not limited to only a minority of people. Other issues discussed included sustainability and climate change. Dr. Chang then answered questions from the media. Asked whether other APEC members had responded to his statement during the AELM expressing our desire to join the CPTPP and citing Taiwan's competitive advantages, Dr. Chang said that AELM participants delivered their statements in alphabetical order, with no time allotted in the agenda for responses. He added that, in regard to our CPTPP accession, he had made clear in his remarks that Chinese Taipei plays an irreplaceable role in global high-tech supply chains, has a highly transparent market economy, and is willing and able to respect the CPTPP's high standards, all of which are strong qualifications for entry. Dr. Chang was also asked if China had expressed goodwill or sought to clarify its previously stated position that, in order to participate in mechanisms for economic cooperation, Taiwan or Chinese Taipei must do so under the "one China principle." Dr. Chang responded in the negative, saying that China did not bring up the "one China principle" in the meeting. Dr. Chang was further asked if other leaders had expressed concern about chip shortages or had discussed related issues with him. Dr. Chang responded that none of the other leaders had broached the topic, and that he was the only one to mention it, adding that he brought it up only as a good example of why the free market is the best solution to shortages or oversupply problems. Regarding the chip shortage, Dr. Chang said that, in a free-market environment, the private sector can quickly ramp up production capacity before any government takes action. Dr. Chang also referred to his statement during the AELM that free trade seems to carry more conditions and qualifications than it used to, citing the US as a longtime free trade advocate which has now suddenly added conditions requiring more domestic production of semiconductors and integrated circuits.

In response to the United States' second donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, which comprised 1.5 million Moderna doses and arrived around noon on November 1, Presidential Office Spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) stated that the Presidential Office sincerely thanks the United States government for once again taking concrete action to support Taiwan. Noting that the US has to date donated a total of 4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan, Spokesperson Chang said this latest donation reflects a virtuous cycle of cooperation between democratic partners in our fight against the pandemic, shows that the Taiwan-US friendship is flourishing in the spirit of "real friends, real progress," and highlights that US government support for Taiwan is rock-solid. Spokesperson Chang noted that this past June, when Taiwan was facing a serious challenge from the pandemic, the US government acted quickly to donate 2.5 million vaccine doses, which helped Taiwan significantly in overcoming that challenge. During her visit to Taiwan that month, US Senator Tammy Duckworth declared that the US would not let Taiwan "stand alone," a remark which deeply touched the people of Taiwan. As US President Joe Biden said, vaccines are the product of the power of democracy and scientific ingenuity; the US government's move to again extend a helping hand demonstrates a firm belief in democratic values and that Taiwan is not alone. Spokesperson Chang also noted that, thanks to the tireless work of Taiwan's pandemic response professionals, the togetherness of our people, and continued assistance from our democratic partners, Taiwan gradually emerged from the outbreak of COVID-19 earlier this year, which has been effectively brought under control. To date, over 70% of people in Taiwan have received at least one vaccine shot, and over 30% have received two. The spokesperson again expressed sincere gratitude to the US government for its timely vaccine donations, and said that inspections of this shipment will proceed quickly so that the doses can be distributed and administered via Taiwan's vaccination program. Spokesperson Chang reiterated that the Presidential Office is deeply thankful to the members of Taiwan's diplomatic corps as well as all others on both sides who were involved in facilitating the prompt delivery of these vaccines. Taiwan and the US are steadfast partners who share the same values, and we are convinced that Taiwan-US cooperation can overcome the challenges of the pandemic and contribute to global public health. Taiwan will continue to deepen all facets of its cooperative partnership with the US, as we work together to maintain regional peace and stability and promote prosperity and development.

Responding to Japan's sixth donation of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, which comprised 300,000 doses and arrived in Taiwan on the morning of October 27, Presidential Office Spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) stated that the Presidential Office once again expresses heartfelt and sincere thanks to the Japanese government. Spokesperson Chang noted that Japan has donated a total of more than 4.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan over six shipments, demonstrating our genuine friendship. Spokesperson Chang stated that the "friendship vaccines" donated by the Japanese government have contributed substantially to raising overall vaccination coverage in Taiwan and better protecting our society. The people of Taiwan have been deeply moved by these vaccine donations, which reflect the resolute friendship between Taiwan and Japan and are a testament to the enduring virtuous cycle of mutual support between our countries. Spokesperson Chang said that the Presidential Office once again expresses sincere thanks to our diplomatic personnel and all others who contributed to this effort. The spokesperson added that Taiwan and Japan are steadfast partners who share common values, and that we will continue to strengthen our bilateral cooperation to enhance the well-being of our peoples, while upholding peace and stability and promoting prosperity and development in the region. Spokesperson Chang emphasized the government's belief that, through continued cooperation, Taiwan and Japan will overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and be a positive force for global public health.

On April 6, President Lai Ching-te delivered recorded remarks regarding the impact of the 32 percent tariff that the United States government recently imposed on imports from Taiwan in the name of reciprocity. In his remarks, President Lai explained that the government will adopt five response strategies, including making every effort to improve reciprocal tariff rates through negotiations, adopting a support plan for affected domestic industries, adopting medium- and long-term economic development plans, forming new “Taiwan plus the US” arrangements, and launching industry listening tours. The president emphasized that as we face this latest challenge, the government and civil society will work hand in hand, and expressed hope that all parties, both ruling and opposition, will support the measures that the Executive Yuan will take to open up a broader path for Taiwan’s economy. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: My fellow citizens, good evening. The US government recently announced higher tariffs on countries around the world in the name of reciprocity, including imposing a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan. This is bound to have a major impact on our nation. Various countries have already responded, and some have even adopted retaliatory measures. Tremendous changes in the global economy are expected. Taiwan is an export-led economy, and in facing future challenges there will inevitably be difficulties, so we must proceed carefully to turn danger into safety. During this time, I want to express gratitude to all sectors of society for providing valuable opinions, which the government regards highly, and will use as a reference to make policy decisions.  However, if we calmly and carefully analyze Taiwan’s trade with the US, we find that last year Taiwan’s exports to the US were valued at US$111.4 billion, accounting for 23.4 percent of total export value, with the other 75-plus percent of products sold worldwide to countries other than the US. Of products sold to the US, competitive ICT products and electronic components accounted for 65.4 percent. This shows that Taiwan’s economy does still have considerable resilience. As long as our response strategies are appropriate, and the public and private sectors join forces, we can reduce impacts. Please do not panic. To address the reciprocal tariffs by the US, Taiwan has no plans to adopt retaliatory tariffs. There will be no change in corporate investment commitments to the US, as long as they are consistent with national interests. But we must ensure the US clearly understands Taiwan’s contributions to US economic development. More importantly, we must actively seek to understand changes in the global economic situation, strengthen Taiwan-US industry cooperation, elevate the status of Taiwan industries in global supply chains, and with safeguarding the continued development of Taiwan’s economy as our goal, adopt the following five strategies to respond. Strategy one: Make every effort to improve reciprocal tariff rates through negotiations using the following five methods:  1. Taiwan has already formed a negotiation team led by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君). The team includes members from the National Security Council, the Office of Trade Negotiations, and relevant Executive Yuan ministries and agencies, as well as academia and industry. Like the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, negotiations on tariffs can start from Taiwan-US bilateral zero-tariff treatment. 2. To expand purchases from the US and thereby reduce the trade deficit, the Executive Yuan has already completed an inventory regarding large-scale procurement plans for agricultural, industrial, petroleum, and natural gas products, and the Ministry of National Defense has also proposed a military procurement list. All procurement plans will be actively pursued. 3. Expand investments in the US. Taiwan’s cumulative investment in the US already exceeds US$100 billion, creating approximately 400,000 jobs. In the future, in addition to increased investment in the US by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, other industries such as electronics, ICT, petrochemicals, and natural gas can all increase their US investments, deepening Taiwan-US industry cooperation. Taiwan’s government has helped form a “Taiwan investment in the US” team, and hopes that the US will reciprocate by forming a “US investment in Taiwan” team to bring about closer Taiwan-US trade cooperation, jointly creating a future economic golden age.  4. We must eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade. Non-tariff barriers are an indicator by which the US assesses whether a trading partner is trading fairly with the US. Therefore, we will proactively resolve longstanding non-tariff barriers so that negotiations can proceed more smoothly. 5. We must resolve two issues that have been matters of longstanding concern to the US. One regards high-tech export controls, and the other regards illegal transshipment of dumped goods, otherwise referred to as “origin washing.” Strategy two: We must adopt a plan for supporting our industries. For industries that will be affected by the tariffs, and especially traditional industries as well as micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, we will provide timely and needed support and assistance. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and his administrative team recently announced a package of 20 specific measures designed to address nine areas. Moving forward, the support we provide to different industries will depend on how they are affected by the tariffs, will take into account the particular features of each industry, and will help each industry innovate, upgrade, and transform. Strategy three: We must adopt medium- and long-term economic development plans. At this point in time, our government must simultaneously adopt new strategies for economic and industrial development. This is also the fundamental path to solutions for future economic challenges. The government will proactively cooperate with friends and allies, develop a diverse range of markets, and achieve closer integration of entities in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of industrial supply chains. This course of action will make Taiwan’s industrial ecosystem more complete, and will help Taiwanese industries upgrade and transform. We must also make good use of the competitive advantages we possess in such areas as semiconductor manufacturing, integrated chip design, ICT, and smart manufacturing to build Taiwan into an AI island, and promote relevant applications for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, as well as military, security and surveillance, next-generation communications, and the medical and health and wellness industries as we advance toward a smarter, more sustainable, and more prosperous new Taiwan. Strategy four: “Taiwan plus one,” i.e., new “Taiwan plus the US” arrangements: While staying firmly rooted in Taiwan, our enterprises are expanding their global presence and marketing worldwide. This has been our national economic development strategy, and the most important aspect is maintaining a solid base here in Taiwan. We absolutely must maintain a solid footing, and cannot allow the present strife to cause us to waver. Therefore, our government will incentivize investments, carry out deregulation, and continue to improve Taiwan’s investment climate by actively resolving problems involving access to water, electricity, land, human resources, and professional talent. This will enable corporations to stay in Taiwan and continue investing here. In addition, we must also help the overseas manufacturing facilities of offshore Taiwanese businesses to make necessary adjustments to support our “Taiwan plus one” policy, in that our national economic development strategy will be adjusted as follows: to stay firmly rooted in Taiwan while expanding our global presence, strengthening US ties, and marketing worldwide. We intend to make use of the new state of supply chains to strengthen cooperation between Taiwanese and US industries, and gain further access to US markets. Strategy five: Launch industry listening tours: All industrial firms, regardless of sector or size, will be affected to some degree once the US reciprocal tariffs go into effect. The administrative teams led by myself and Premier Cho will hear out industry concerns so that we can quickly resolve problems and make sure policies meet actual needs. My fellow citizens, over the past half-century and more, Taiwan has been through two energy crises, the Asian financial crisis, the global financial crisis, and pandemics. We have been able to not only withstand one test after another, but even turn crises into opportunities. The Taiwanese economy has emerged from these crises stronger and more resilient than ever. As we face this latest challenge, the government and civil society will work hand in hand, and I hope that all parties in the legislature, both ruling and opposition, will support the measures that the Executive Yuan will take to open up a broader path for Taiwan’s economy. Let us join together and give it our all. Thank you.