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2020-04-19
Vice President Chen interviewed by The Daily Telegraph

Vice President Chen Chien-jen was recently interviewed by The Daily Telegraph, and responded to questions regarding issues such as Taiwan's experiences in fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, disease prevention strategies, the impact of Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization (WHO), and international cooperation to fight the pandemic.

Following is the text of the interview:

Q: So maybe we could start first of all with looking back at Taiwan's history, recent history. You were hit very badly by the SARS outbreak in 2003, 2002. So what did you learn from that, and did you plan for mass testing in a future pandemic? What did you plan in terms of equipment, PPE, extra capacity in ICU, ventilators, critical care beds?

A: Basically, dating back to the year 2003, we had very severe attack of SARS outbreak in Taiwan. And from this SARS outbreak event, basically we learned a lot from it. And there are three major items I would like to mention: prudent action and rapid response, as well as the early deployment. And from this and the prudent action, I think that it is very important for us to monitor this and any emerging infectious disease around the world. And dating back to year 2002, and we get early information from Hong Kong, and then we know that there's a SARS outbreak. But at that time, we consider that the disease won't spread out so quickly, but it's not the case. And I think the monitoring of any emerging infectious disease around the world is very important, especially in this region. We know that China is a big country, and there's a lot of people there, and a different kind of emerging infectious diseases appeared in this country. And I will say that, in addition to SARS in 2003, there's H1N1 avian flu in 2005, and also there's H7N9 avian flu and also this time the COVID-19. So we know that once we are quite near to China, so we have to be very careful to monitor if there are any kind of emerging infectious diseases. And fortunately, our colleagues in Taiwan CDC, from this and PTT from the internet, they found an announcement in Wuhan on December 31. Then, a vice director-general shared the information in their group and then they send some emails to the Chinese CDC, and also they send to the WHO, IHR counterparts.

So basically, this is a kind of a spirit we found that we have to prudently and very carefully monitor all this possible disease around us. And the second one is the quick announcement of the travel alert if necessary. And the third one is the optimization of border quarantine to identify any imported cases. For instance, for this time, when we know that there's a so-called atypical pneumonia in China, it means an infectious diseases without known the cause. And then they already isolate the patient for treatment, it means that it's quite likely to have person-to-person transmission. So, we implement that onboard quarantine for all passengers from that direct flight back from Wuhan. So, optimization of border quarantine is very important. And then, the reinforcement of this 14-day home quarantine of close contact of passengers from the affected area is also very important. And at that time, when the SARS outbreak [happened], we found that those home infections, hospital-acquired infections are very dangerous. So we have to be very careful about it. So upgrade of healthcare system for infectious diseases, especially for hospital infection control, and to have isolation room for infected people, is very important. And we definitely have to have a national network of the healthcare centers for infectious disease. This time, we adopted that our several medical centers, they have to take care of patients in their own isolation room in order to not squeeze every patient into one hospital. And this kind of strategy has to be planned before any kind outbreak. And of course you just mentioned about this PPE. The adequate supply of PPE and other medical materials are very important. Dating back to year 2000, we run short of N95 face masks, and it is quite challenging to us. So this time we learned from it, and we know that we have to have a rationing system for face masks and also we have to increase our production, the manufacture of face mask. And thanks to our national team for face masks, we nowadays may produce more than 13 million face masks per day.

Q: Thirteen?

A: Yes. Thirteen. And we are expecting to have 15 million face masks [daily] in the coming week, I think. So, and then there's a promotion of health education to let people know what they have to do when there's a home quarantine or what school children have to do when they were at school, and so forth. The health education is very important, and risk communication is also important. So we have to keep all this outbreak information quite transparent. An open data system is definitely essential.

Q: Great. Can I ask you just briefly on the equipment? How many critical care beds do you have per head of population, and how's your—what kind of supply of ventilators do you have?

A: Okay. For the ventilators and as well as for the isolation rooms, the necessary negative pressure isolation room, in full capacity, we may have 20,000 rooms for the isolation room and 14,000 ventilators. That's the situation in Taiwan. And another thing is that we have to set up the National Epidemic Command Center, because control of an outbreak is not only the mission of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, it's an inter-ministerial effort. We have to talk about border quarantine, that's the Ministry of Transportation and Communications involved, and also there is the Ministry of the Interior, which is also important because the policemen and the civil welfare workers have to do this home quarantine people checkup and so forth. So this National Epidemic Command Center is very essential in order to coordinate and integrate all the efforts of different ministries in Taiwan. So basically, we learned that one thing that's very important, that everyone in this country has to be involved in outbreak control, not only the Ministry of Health and Welfare and not only the government; the government and the people are all important.

Q: Taiwan has a population of close to 24 million. It's an island. How can its pandemic strategy be successfully replicated in other bigger countries like the US or the UK? Is there more that these countries could have done to prepare better? Is it too late for countries that already have wide community spread to copy Taiwan's successful model? Or can lessons still be learned?

A: Yes, sure. It is never too late to control any kind of outbreak in any country. Of course, all these strategies have to be adopted by a country according to their time and place of the current situation, but I think that there are still a lot of chances for different countries to adopt good strategies developed here to help the containment of the outbreak. For instance, social distancing is definitely very important and I think that in Taiwan we implemented social distancing and it was also done in different countries. But I think that social distancing is important, but another thing that's also important is how to teach this, let people know to maintain a very good health behavior. I mean, wash your hands frequently, measure your body temperature and also put on your face mask if necessary, and, at home, if they are close contacts, they don't live together or don't dine together, they can live in the single room and so forth. I think this kind of health behavior has to go together with social distancing and they cannot separate them. And also for social distancing, I don't think that it's necessary to stop all these activities of the people. According to the theoretical calculation for social distancing, as long as there is more than 50 percent of the total population engaged to reduce 50 percent of their social contacts, then the outbreak can be controlled. So it is unnecessary that all the activities be stopped. So they can go to school, go to work, go to do any necessary work. But they have to reduce the so-called not-so-essential or not necessary recreation, like going to recreation centers, tourism, and so forth. So, I think that as long as people change their lifestyles and reduce their unnecessary social contacts, then the disease can be controlled quite well. So social distancing is one thing, and I think that home quarantine is definitely important for all the countries. Once there is close contact, they have to stay at home for 14 days. And during this period of time, we have to check their health status. That's our policeman and our civil workers that help us to check all these home quarantine people, that have a telephone contact every day to check about their health status and what they need, what help they need. And through this way, then people at home will say, "Well, they are safe and they are taken care of." So I think it's very important. Home quarantine is also very important. And the third one, I think, is that it's important is to supply adequate PPE to the frontline healthcare workers and in the UK, as well as in the United States, they are trying their best to do that. And Taiwan is also willing to help. And I think another thing that is also important is, we have to help each other and to collaborate with each other to develop rapid diagnostic tests, antivirals, or even vaccines, as soon as possible. And through these efforts, I think that we can contain this outbreak.

Q: Yes. Just on the UK specifically. Is there anything that... Unfortunately, we're seeing high infection rates, high death rates... Is there anything you'd recommend to the UK in particular? Could mass testing help in this case?

A: In Taiwan, we didn't practice any mass testing. The reason for that is that among the 395 confirmed cases, there is only 14 percent [that] were locally transmitted. And among these 55 cases, only 10 [cases] we could not trace back their infection sources. So we can trace this transmission chain, propagation chain, quite clearly, so we don't need to do mass testing. As long as there are a lot of patients without known infection sources, then you have to do mass testing. But sometimes mass testing is not efficient and also not cost effective, so I think there's something between the mass testing and designated testing. I would suggest that you have to test these close contacts as the first priority. And then the high-risk group—the high-risk group means health care workers and cashiers of the supermarkets and drivers of public transportation, vehicles such as buses and taxis, and so forth. These are the people at high risk of infection, and they have to be tested first. If they are not infected, then the others won't be infected either. So it's important to do high-risk testing. But sometimes you have to identify—have to classify, who's at high risk and who's not. Anyone who's a colleague or classmate of these people, I mean close contacts, they definitely have to be monitored more carefully. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time but with very low efficiency and not so effective.

Q: When you look at Western pandemic planning documents, it's clear that they never envisaged this type of lockdown that we're seeing now in Europe or parts of the US. Why do you think that was, and do you think that Western countries could have used the two-month lag better to learn more from Asia about how Asia was tackling this pandemic?

A: Unfortunately, Asian countries are always in greater danger to come across this attack by these emerging infectious diseases. I just mentioned the reason for that. So when there's the SARS outbreak—you name it—there's Vietnam, in Hanoi, and also in Singapore and Hong Kong, they were severely affected. So we are a so-called biological time bomb. The emerging diseases will come out now and then so it's very difficult to predict. So we are much more well prepared. That's the reason why in Hong Kong and Singapore they are also doing a very good job. And in Korea, they didn't have the SARS attack, but they have the MERS issue, so they learn from it. And when there's an H5N1 outbreak—it's avian flu, but it can transmit to humans and then of course the fatality is very high. At that time there's Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia—we all have kept alert to it. So basically, we're in a much more dangerous situation than people in America and Europe. So I think that people always learn from disasters, so I think this is very important. But I would like to say that, nowadays, our world is getting smaller and smaller into small villages. We are all family, and we definitely have to share this information and get it very transparently and very rapidly to let everybody know. So basically, I would say this is the mission of the World Health Organization. Once they get an alert, they have to be very vigilant to it and then quickly respond to it. I would like to mention about this situation. After the SARS outbreak in year 2003, WHO set up a so-called alert system PHEIC, Public Health Emergency of International Concern. And when there was an H1N1, new influenza in 2009, they announced there's a PHEIC around one month after the first case occurred. At that time, only three countries were affected, and then they announced the PHEIC to let everybody know: "Hi, there is a danger!" And everybody had to pay attention to it. So the whole world developed rapid diagnostics, we prepared this antiviral Remdesivir as well as Tamiflu, and then we developed a vaccine very quickly. That was in May of 2009, and by September of 2009 we already have the vaccine to it because we get this alert quite quickly. But for this time, the COVID-19, the first case—well somebody said early December, some people said mid-December of 2019. But this PHEIC was announced at the end of January, and even worse is that, at that time, they still considered that this PHEIC is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, but we don't need any kind of travel alert. I cannot imagine that. In that case, why do you announce that there's a PHEIC? And at the time, there were already 19 countries affected, with more than 8,000 reported confirmed cases. So it's too late. So I think it's very important we have to listen to the one who's responsible for collecting all this information. All countries have to be alert and have to respond very quickly.

Q: Why do you think the WHO's response was different than during COVID-19, and what impact has Taiwan's exclusion had in this instance on Taiwan and the rest of the world?

A: Well I don't know why WHO didn't—because WHO didn't invite us to participate. There's an emergency meeting on January 22 and 23. But before then we already sent a request to China's CDC to send our two experts to Wuhan to look at the situation. Although we did not get any so-called very informative information, based on their observations and personal dialogue, we found that the situation was quite severe. And also, we considered that the situation in mid-January was really worse [bad]. At that time, they already discussed whether to isolate the entire Wuhan city or not in mid-January. I don't know why the WHO did not take action as quickly as previously for H1N1 or even for SARS. When there was the SARS outbreak, we were not involved fully. At that time [WHO] Director-General Dr. Gro Bruntland, who used to be the Prime Minister of Norway, although she had very big political pressure, she still sent a delegation to Taiwan and asked the US CDC to help Taiwan before the WHO delegation came here. This time I really don't know why WHO responded so differently.

Q: When you say that your experts went to Wuhan in mid-January, who was considering at that point a lockdown of the city? Was that the local health authorities in Wuhan?

A: Because the situation in the hospitals in Wuhan was really worse [bad], and also in Wuhan we found one thing that is very important. They paid much more attention to the hospitalized severe cases, and when we asked how did you follow up to trace the close contact and how did you take care of this with patients with mild symptoms or signs, we didn't get a very good response. To us, there's a very good way to do this, and if very close contact tracing is done, then the disease won't be spread by the patients. If not isolated and treated in the hospital, they will transmit it. They had mild symptoms, and [the authorities] didn't take care of [following up on] the close contacts of the patients.

Q: So what do you think in general of China's response to this pandemic, and do you have any insights into how this virus started?

A: Well, I think on the frontline, healthcare workers in Wuhan were doing a very good job taking care of the severe cases of atypical pneumonia with unknown causes. And I think they also tried their best to share the information with the health authorities in Wuhan. But I don't know why this information was not taken into consideration very seriously. Usually, epidemiologists or infectious disease physicians consider that once there is a cluster of patients in the hospitals, it only represents the tip of the iceberg. The severe cases are only the [tip of the] iceberg. There must be a lot of infected people. So that's the reason why some medical doctors in Wuhan shared this warning with their colleagues, but unfortunately it was not taken into consideration very seriously.

Q: Do you think that there was a political cover-up?

A: I really don't know, but if we compare it to the alerts of healthcare workers, the alerts were not sent out to the public, not mention to the entire world.

Q: You mentioned earlier that your own CDC had seen a notice on PTT from the Wuhan authorities. What did that notice say?

A: The notice said that there are seven cases of atypical pneumonia, and that they were atypical pneumonia but not considered SARS. The specimens were tested for possible causes. However, all these patients were isolated for treatment. And the PTT had another announcement by the health authority, but it was just kind of a general announcement, not very serious like an alert.

Q: Do you believe that based on your medical intelligence, that the virus began in a market, as has been suggested?

A: Originally they were saying that the virus originated at Huanan Seafood Market, but if we look back at all the reports among the first 42 cases published in academic journals, around 10 of them have no history of going to Huanan Seafood Market. I think that this is a very important hint to us that Huanan Seafood Market may not be the origin of this infection. There were cases of infection in Wuhan in the beginning of December [2019], and in the middle of January [2020] there were cases reported in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan. But none of those cases had any history of going to the Huanan Seafood Market. So Huanan Market, maybe there is a small cluster there, but not all of them got infected there. And I think that from an epidemiological point of view, once there's a patient or a cluster of patients, you have to ask all their contacts, and then to follow these contacts. [You have] to trace two things: their infection sources and whether the surrounding people have been affected. But they have never paid attention to these so-called mild or asymptomatic cases.

Q: Looking ahead now, we can't stay isolated forever, we can't keep our borders closed forever. What in your view is the right exit strategy to wind down the lockdowns? Will it happen in phases, in social groups, in regions?

A: Basically, I always consider that COVID-19 is becoming flu-like. It means that it's highly contagious and also has a large proportion of mild cases or asymptomatic cases. And also, it can be transmitted through droplets and also contaminated areas. I think that we won't get rid of this kind of virus totally. It will stay with us. If this is the case, then it's something like the H1N1 new influenza in 2009. So we definitely have to prepare for its long existence. That's the reason why we have to develop rapid diagnosis and also antivirals. If we have rapid diagnosis and antivirals, then the mild cases can go to private practitioners. And then they get the rapid diagnosis. Once they're [tested] positive, they can get the antivirals. The mild cases can be treated very well in the community by private physicians. Severe cases we'll send to medical centers. In the medical centers, we also have this rapid diagnosis and antivirals, and then we can treat the patient. Once the patient is cured, it means the virulence is going down. Then it won't infect others, either. So treatment of patient using antivirals basically is to cure the patient. Another important thing is protect his or her close contacts from being infected. The third thing, maybe in the future in, maybe, one and a half years, we may have a vaccine. If we have the vaccine, then we can use vaccination to prevent the disease the same as in [the] 2009 influenza pandemic, and it's quite helpful. But before that, we definitely have to keep social distancing. I just mentioned that it's not necessary to stop all activities, as long as more than 50 percent of the people reduce 50 percent of their social contacts, then we can live in a limited way, but still make our daily living, a so-called semi-normal.

Q: Is there a way that we can coordinate better globally in terms of the exit strategy? Every country is at a different stage. So how do we open up travel and trade again? How do we coordinate that response?

A: I think that in order to coordinate better on international transportation and so forth, I think that all the nations have to open their data and make their outbreak status very transparent for others to let the people know that some of the countries have only sporadic cases, and so forth. We need to carry out some so-called zero epidemiological studies, to test the blood of a sample of the people to know what's the infection status of each country. I think that we have to be sure that the disease won't be spread out. We have to be very careful that if we want to wind down the lockdowns, then we have to be sure that the big outbreak won't come again. Basically, nowadays, I'm discussing how to do this 'return to normal' with different universities such as Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford, and so forth. We are thinking about that. It's not ready yet. Maybe I just mentioned that we have to rely on new rapid diagnostics, antivirals, and vaccines. Before that, we still have [to limit] our social contact frequency a little.

Q: Just finally, I'm aware of the time, but could you just tell me a little bit about Taiwan's contribution in terms of developing these diagnostic tests and also a vaccine?

A: There are three groups in Taiwan that are developing vaccines in collaboration with different international groups. One is Academia Sinica; another is the National Health Research Institute, and the third one is a private industry [company] that's Medigen. Medigen is collaborating with the US NIH to develop the vaccine. So we have three vaccine development teams in Taiwan in collaboration with the EU [and] with the United States to develop this vaccine. With regard to the rapid diagnostic, they are preparing this so-called prototype. They are doing clinical validation of this rapid diagnostic. I know that Academia Sinica has had discussions with EU countries; Taiwan and [the] Czech Republic have signed a bilateral cooperation agreement to do R&D together and collaborate with each other. So for the rapid diagnostic, there are two types. One is to test some antigens for the virus. Now we use RTPCR to do that but we hope that someday we can have a much rapider diagnostic. Another one is to test the blood, the serologic markers, and to test antibodies. So those are two ways we are doing that. We hope that all these efforts can be done quite well and then we can get a license as soon as possible and of course we are more than glad to share all our new developments and new diagnostics [with] all the countries in the world just as what we have been doing for face masks. I think it's important. And with regard to pharmaceuticals, now we have this quinine, and we are also involved in clinical trials of Remdesivir. Clinical trials in Taiwan seem quite successful. Remdesivir is quite good for severe cases, but also even better for mild cases. We have some argument among colleagues: "Should we use antivirals for mild cases?" Mild cases will recover naturally but there will be a possibility of infecting others. So if we give these mild cases the antivirals, then they will recover even sooner and then reduce the chance to infect others. So that's another good way to test the antivirals for mild cases, not only for severe cases. So Taiwan we have two sets of clinical trials going on, one is for the severe cases; another one is for the mild cases.

Q: Will life return to normal anytime soon, do you think?

A: I once gave a prediction about the end of May; but it's very difficult to do the prediction. But in Europe, I consider that it's already reached the peak; it's going down. In the United States, it's still going up. So we hope that by the end of May, the situation--we can see the twilight of this disease. I really cannot predict that very accurately, but I think that this time, all nations are mobilized, and they are doing much better than one month ago. It's a kind of good phenomenon of globalization of COVID-19 containment.

Q: Just as we close, can I clarify just one thing? When you said that there's evidence to suggest that this didn't originate in the market in Wuhan, is there any indication of where else it could have come from?

A: When we try to trace back the index case, it's very difficult. If the case has mild disease, you can never find it out. According to this so-called infection pyramid of COVID-19, so-called infection pyramid or iceberg is that severe cases [are] only a small proportion of that. So for COVID-19, it is much more difficult than SARS to identify the so-called zero case because there's a lot of mild cases or even asymptomatic cases there. When can we return to normal life? We have to be very careful about asymptomatic carriers as well as mild cases. So if there's a good reporting system, then we can test so-called mild cases of respiratory disease patients, then we can identify the possible infection source, infection seeds in this community. It has to be done before we say we are safe.

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2025-05-22
President Lai presides over fourth meeting of Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee
On the afternoon of May 22, President Lai Ching-te presided over the fourth meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. In his opening statement, the president emphasized that building a Healthy Taiwan requires inter-ministerial collaboration and public-private cooperation, and that even more, it requires full public participation to keep people healthy and make the nation stronger so that the world embraces Taiwan. President Lai indicated that promotional efforts for the government’s policies have already been elevated to a cooperative endeavor involving the entire government through a division of labor, continuously expanding whole-of-society participation, noting that the task for the next phase is to achieve public consensus. Looking ahead, he said, the government will promote sports and athletics among citizens through four main strategies: creating the right social climate, building a supportive physical environment, enhancing people’s awareness of self-health, and integrating information systems. The president stated that through inter-ministerial collaboration, we will create a comprehensive health education support system so that health is an everyday habit. A translation of President Lai’s opening statement follows: Today is the fourth meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. The day before yesterday, Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao and I completed one year in office. I want to thank the three deputy conveners and all of our advisors and committee members for their efforts and dedication regarding various health policies since the committee’s first meeting last August. On the 27th of last month, we also helped our friends in the medical community learn about the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee’s achievements, the government’s current policies, and our goals going forward at the 2025 Healthy Taiwan national forum. I want everyone to know that whether it is today’s committee, the National Climate Change Committee, or the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, over the past year, we have worked to implement the spirit of inter-departmental, cross-disciplinary, and public-private collaboration. Currently, the discussions and promotional efforts for various policies have shifted from individual departments performing their respective duties to a cooperative division of labor involving the entire government, continuously expanding whole-of-society participation. In the next phase, our task is to achieve public consensus. We need to actively initiate campaigns that the public can participate in, promoting awareness and concepts that everyone should have, so that the ideas and practices that promote better health, respond to climate change, and boost whole-of-society defense resilience can be integrated into people’s lives. When policies have a palpable impact and public participation, working together, we can achieve the goals set by each committee. For example, last year at the first meeting, we set a Healthy Taiwan goal to increase the average life expectancy of the public from 79 years to 82 years within 8 years, and reduce time spent living with illness or disability from 10 percent to 8 percent of the average life expectancy. To achieve that goal, we must integrate the strengths of various ministries and agencies, establish a comprehensive sports network, and promote regular exercise habits for people of all ages nationwide. 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Therefore, at today’s meeting, in addition to hearing a report by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on the status of certain items listed in the third committee meeting, we have also specially invited the MOHW to deliver a report on promoting sports and athletics to drive citizen health, and the Ministry of Education (MOE) to deliver a report on courses and teaching activities regarding health promotion for schools at the high school level and below. As I mentioned earlier, promotional efforts for our policies have already been elevated to a cooperative endeavor involving the entire government through a division of labor. Today’s report from the MOHW incorporates plans from the Ministry of Transportation, MOE, and Ministry of Labor, along with guidance from Committee Member Chien Wen-jen (簡文仁) and the Executive Yuan prior to the meeting. 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2025-05-20
President Lai interviewed by Nippon Television and Yomiuri TV
In a recent interview on Nippon Television’s news zero program, President Lai Ching-te responded to questions from host Mr. Sakurai Sho and Yomiuri TV Shanghai Bureau Chief Watanabe Masayo on topics including reflections on his first year in office, cross-strait relations, China’s military threats, Taiwan-United States relations, and Taiwan-Japan relations. The interview was broadcast on the evening of May 19. During the interview, President Lai stated that China intends to change the world’s rules-based international order, and that if Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted. Therefore, he said, Taiwan will strengthen its national defense, prevent war by preparing for war, and achieve the goal of peace. The president also noted that Taiwan’s purpose for developing drones is based on national security and industrial needs, and that Taiwan hopes to collaborate with Japan. He then reiterated that China’s threats are an international problem, and expressed hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war. Following is the text of the questions and the president’s responses: Q: How do you feel as you are about to round out your first year in office? President Lai: When I was young, I was determined to practice medicine and save lives. When I left medicine to go into politics, I was determined to transform Taiwan. And when I was sworn in as president on May 20 last year, I was determined to strengthen the nation. Time flies, and it has already been a year. Although the process has been very challenging, I am deeply honored to be a part of it. I am also profoundly grateful to our citizens for allowing me the opportunity to give back to our country. The future will certainly be full of more challenges, but I will do everything I can to unite the people and continue strengthening the nation. That is how I am feeling now. Q: We are now coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and over this period, we have often heard that conflict between Taiwan and the mainland is imminent. Do you personally believe that a cross-strait conflict could happen? President Lai: The international community is very much aware that China intends to replace the US and change the world’s rules-based international order, and annexing Taiwan is just the first step. So, as China’s military power grows stronger, some members of the international community are naturally on edge about whether a cross-strait conflict will break out. The international community must certainly do everything in its power to avoid a conflict in the Taiwan Strait; there is too great a cost. Besides causing direct disasters to both Taiwan and China, the impact on the global economy would be even greater, with estimated losses of US$10 trillion from war alone – that is roughly 10 percent of the global GDP. Additionally, 20 percent of global shipping passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, so if a conflict breaks out in the strait, other countries including Japan and Korea would suffer a grave impact. For Japan and Korea, a quarter of external transit passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, and a third of the various energy resources and minerals shipped back from other countries pass through said areas. If Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted, and therefore conflict in the Taiwan Strait must be avoided. Such a conflict is indeed avoidable. I am very thankful to Prime Minister of Japan Ishiba Shigeru and former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio, as well as US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, and the other G7 leaders, for continuing to emphasize at international venues that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential components for global security and prosperity. When everyone in the global democratic community works together, stacking up enough strength to make China’s objectives unattainable or to make the cost of invading Taiwan too high for it to bear, a conflict in the strait can naturally be avoided. Q: As you said, President Lai, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is also very important for other countries. How can war be avoided? What sort of countermeasures is Taiwan prepared to take to prevent war? President Lai: As Mr. Sakurai mentioned earlier, we are coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. There are many lessons we can take from that war. First is that peace is priceless, and war has no winners. From the tragedies of WWII, there are lessons that humanity should learn. We must pursue peace, and not start wars blindly, as that would be a major disaster for humanity. In other words, we must be determined to safeguard peace. The second lesson is that we cannot be complacent toward authoritarian powers. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile. They will keep growing, and eventually, not only will peace be unattainable, but war will be inevitable. The third lesson is why WWII ended: It ended because different groups joined together in solidarity. Taiwan, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region are all directly subjected to China’s threats, so we hope to be able to join together in cooperation. This is why we proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. First, we will strengthen our national defense. Second, we will strengthen economic resilience. Third is standing shoulder to shoulder with the democratic community to demonstrate the strength of deterrence. Fourth is that as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity, Taiwan is willing to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China, and seek peace and mutual prosperity. These four pillars can help us avoid war and achieve peace. That is to say, Taiwan hopes to achieve peace through strength, prevent war by preparing for war, keeping war from happening and pursuing the goal of peace. Q: Regarding drones, everyone knows that recently, Taiwan has been actively researching, developing, and introducing drones. Why do you need to actively research, develop, and introduce new drones at this time? President Lai: This is for two purposes. The first is to meet national security needs. The second is to meet industrial development needs. Because Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are all part of the first island chain, and we are all democratic nations, we cannot be like an authoritarian country like China, which has an unlimited national defense budget. In this kind of situation, island nations such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines should leverage their own technologies to develop national defense methods that are asymmetric and utilize unmanned vehicles. In particular, from the Russo-Ukrainian War, we see that Ukraine has successfully utilized unmanned vehicles to protect itself and prevent Russia from unlimited invasion. In other words, the Russo-Ukrainian War has already proven the importance of drones. Therefore, the first purpose of developing drones is based on national security needs. Second, the world has already entered the era of smart technology. Whether generative, agentic, or physical, AI will continue to develop. In the future, cars and ships will also evolve into unmanned vehicles and unmanned boats, and there will be unmanned factories. Drones will even be able to assist with postal deliveries, or services like Uber, Uber Eats, and foodpanda, or agricultural irrigation and pesticide spraying. Therefore, in the future era of comprehensive smart technology, developing unmanned vehicles is a necessity. Taiwan, based on industrial needs, is actively planning the development of drones and unmanned vehicles. I would like to take this opportunity to express Taiwan’s hope to collaborate with Japan in the unmanned vehicle industry. Just as we do in the semiconductor industry, where Japan has raw materials, equipment, and technology, and Taiwan has wafer manufacturing, our two countries can cooperate. Japan is a technological power, and Taiwan also has significant technological strengths. If Taiwan and Japan work together, we will not only be able to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the Indo-Pacific region, but it will also be very helpful for the industrial development of both countries. Q: The drones you just described probably include examples from the Russo-Ukrainian War. Taiwan and China are separated by the Taiwan Strait. Do our drones need to have cross-sea flight capabilities? President Lai: Taiwan does not intend to counterattack the mainland, and does not intend to invade any country. Taiwan’s drones are meant to protect our own nation and territory. Q: Former President Biden previously stated that US forces would assist Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. President Trump, however, has yet to clearly state that the US would help defend Taiwan. Do you think that in such an event, the US would help defend Taiwan? Or is Taiwan now trying to persuade the US? President Lai: Former President Biden and President Trump have answered questions from reporters. Although their responses were different, strong cooperation with Taiwan under the Biden administration has continued under the Trump administration; there has been no change. During President Trump’s first term, cooperation with Taiwan was broader and deeper compared to former President Barack Obama’s terms. After former President Biden took office, cooperation with Taiwan increased compared to President Trump’s first term. Now, during President Trump’s second term, cooperation with Taiwan is even greater than under former President Biden. Taiwan-US cooperation continues to grow stronger, and has not changed just because President Trump and former President Biden gave different responses to reporters. Furthermore, the Trump administration publicly stated that in the future, the US will shift its strategic focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. The US secretary of defense even publicly stated that the primary mission of the US is to prevent China from invading Taiwan, maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific, and thus maintain world peace. There is a saying in Taiwan that goes, “Help comes most to those who help themselves.” Before asking friends and allies for assistance in facing threats from China, Taiwan must first be determined and prepared to defend itself. This is Taiwan’s principle, and we are working in this direction, making all the necessary preparations to safeguard the nation. Q: I would like to ask you a question about Taiwan-Japan relations. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, you made an appeal to give Japan a great deal of assistance and care. In particular, you visited Sendai to offer condolences. Later, you also expressed condolences and concern after the earthquakes in Aomori and Kumamoto. What are your expectations for future Taiwan-Japan exchanges and development? President Lai: I come from Tainan, and my constituency is in Tainan. Tainan has very deep ties with Japan, and of course, Taiwan also has deep ties with Japan. However, among Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities, Tainan has the deepest relationship with Japan. I sincerely hope that both of you and your teams will have an opportunity to visit Tainan. I will introduce Tainan’s scenery, including architecture from the era of Japanese rule, Tainan’s cuisine, and unique aspects of Tainan society, and you can also see lifestyles and culture from the Showa era.  The Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan was completed by engineer Mr. Hatta Yoichi from Kanazawa, Japan and the team he led to Tainan after he graduated from then-Tokyo Imperial University. It has nearly a century of history and is still in use today. This reservoir, along with the 16,000-km-long Chianan Canal, transformed the 150,000-hectare Chianan Plain into Taiwan’s premier rice-growing area. It was that foundation in agriculture that enabled Taiwan to develop industry and the technology sector of today. The reservoir continues to supply water to Tainan Science Park. It is used by residents of Tainan, the agricultural sector, and industry, and even the technology sector in Xinshi Industrial Park, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Because of this, the people of Tainan are deeply grateful for Mr. Hatta and very friendly toward the people of Japan. A major earthquake, the largest in 50 years, struck Tainan on February 6, 2016, resulting in significant casualties. As mayor of Tainan at the time, I was extremely grateful to then-Prime Minister Abe, who sent five Japanese officials to the disaster site in Tainan the day after the earthquake. They were very thoughtful and asked what kind of assistance we needed from the Japanese government. They offered to provide help based on what we needed. I was deeply moved, as former Prime Minister Abe showed such care, going beyond the formality of just sending supplies that we may or may not have actually needed. Instead, the officials asked what we needed and then provided assistance based on those needs, which really moved me. Similarly, when the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 or the later Kumamoto earthquakes struck, the people of Tainan, under my leadership, naturally and dutifully expressed their support. Even earlier, when central Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake in 1999, Japan was the first country to deploy a rescue team to the disaster area. On February 6, 2018, after a major earthquake in Hualien, former Prime Minister Abe appeared in a video holding up a message of encouragement he had written in calligraphy saying “Remain strong, Taiwan.” All of Taiwan was deeply moved. Over the years, Taiwan and Japan have supported each other when earthquakes struck, and have forged bonds that are family-like, not just neighborly. This is truly valuable. In the future, I hope Taiwan and Japan can be like brothers, and that the peoples of Taiwan and Japan can treat one another like family. If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem; if Japan has a problem, then Taiwan has a problem. By caring for and helping each other, we can face various challenges and difficulties, and pursue a brighter future. Q: President Lai, you just used the phrase “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem.” In the event that China attempts to invade Taiwan by force, what kind of response measures would you hope the US military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take? President Lai: As I just mentioned, annexing Taiwan is only China’s first step. Its ultimate objective is to change the rules-based international order. That being the case, China’s threats are an international problem. So, I would very much hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war – prevention, after all, is more important than cure.
Details
2025-05-20
President Lai delivers address on first anniversary of taking office  
On the morning of May 20, President Lai Ching-te delivered an address on the first anniversary of his taking office. In his address, the president stated that the Taiwan of today is a Taiwan of the world, and whether it is global technological development, divisions of labor within international supply chains, worldwide economic and trade exchanges, or regional security matters, Taiwan plays a pivotal and indispensable role. He said that, looking forward, we will not cower in the face of challenges; rather, we will bravely march forward into the future. We will maintain solidarity, he emphasized, and with our resilience, perseverance, and enthusiasm as Taiwanese, forge ahead with transition, steadily and solidly.  President Lai stated that moving forward, the government will set up a fund to boost Taiwan’s economic momentum. He also stated that he will be instructing the national security team to initiate a major national security briefing for the chairs of opposition parties, in the hope that leaders of all parties can prioritize our nation’s interests and uphold our nation’s security so that we can tackle our nation’s challenges side by side. A translation of President Lai’s address follows: Yesterday, outside of Beida Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District, there was a major traffic accident that, sadly, claimed several lives and resulted in multiple injuries. The Executive Yuan immediately formed a task force, and last night I personally visited the victims in hospital. Central government agencies and the local government will cooperate to provide assistance to the victims’ families. They will work as quickly as possible to determine the cause of the accident and assess areas for improvement, so as to prevent reoccurrence of accidents like this. Today, let me express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families for the unfortunate loss of life and my hope for the quick and full recovery of those injured. The purpose of government is to serve the people. I want to thank the people of Taiwan for entrusting me, one year ago today, with the responsibility of leading the nation bravely forward. I want to thank all my fellow citizens for working hand in hand with the government over this past year. Together, we have overcome numerous challenges to ensure that our nation will keep moving forward.  As we face three major challenges that receive international attention and create the largest impact on our citizens: climate change, the promotion of health, and social resilience, I decided to establish three committees at the Presidential Office. In each committee, we have thus far seen incremental progress. We are working to align ourselves with international standards. The voluntary bottom-up plans of different government agencies plus the top-down approach of the Executive Yuan National Council for Sustainable Development’s Net Zero Emissions Transition Taskforce have produced 20 flagship carbon reduction projects for six major sectors. The government is expected to continue to inject over NT$1 trillion in the budget for the net-zero transition by 2030; and we expect to spur at least NT$5 trillion in private green investment and financing as we work toward the new 2035 NDC target for emissions reductions of 38±2 percent. Taiwan’s air quality has been steadily improving. From 2015 to today, the annual average PM2.5 concentration has dropped from 21.82 to 12.8 μg/m3. Taiwan officially began collecting fees for its carbon fee system this year. With firm resolve, a steady pace, and flexible strategies, we will work to realize the vision of net-zero transition by 2050; and together with the world we will pursue sustainable growth and prosperous development. To address the challenges in the post-pandemic world, we are establishing a national center for disease prevention and control, strengthening our central pandemic response. To promote health for all, we are promoting cancer screening, establishing a fund for new cancer drugs, and launching the five-year, NT$48.9 billion Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan. This year, we significantly increased the total National Health Insurance budget by NT$71.2 billion to achieve sustainable NHI development. We aim to create a Healthy Taiwan, keeping people healthy and making the nation stronger so that the world embraces Taiwan. We are also hard at work to enhance our whole-of-society defense resilience. In addition to continuing to assess various aspects of preparedness at the national level and conduct field verification, we have concerted the efforts of various ministries to propose 17 major strategies to respond to national security and united front threats, uniting our people to resist division and protecting our cherished free and democratic way of life. Recently, the Executive Yuan made special budget allocations of NT$410 billion, of which NT$150 billion is aimed to enhance national resilience. On this, we look forward to mutual support from the ruling and opposition parties. As our nation continues on the path forward, challenges and obstacles will continue to emerge. Early last month, the United States announced its new tariff policy, and in response I proposed five major strategies. I also launched industry listening tours, with the aim of working alongside industries to overcome challenges and open up new opportunities. The Executive Yuan is also soliciting opinions from all sectors as quickly as possible to put forward a special act to enhance the resilience of Taiwan’s national security. The annual surplus will be utilized in the special budget allocations totaling NT$410 billion to not only support industries and stabilize employment, but also strengthen the economy, protect people’s livelihoods, enhance resilience in homeland security, and ensure that Taiwan’s industries continue to steadily advance amidst changing circumstances. Notably, in our discussions across different industries, all sectors advocated against raising electricity prices and were in support of government subsidies for Taiwan Power Company. These would offset Taipower’s losses from subsidies to support people’s livelihoods and for industrial electricity usage since the COVID-19 pandemic and Russo-Ukrainian War, both strengthening its finances and stabilizing electricity prices. We look forward to cooperation among the ruling and opposition parties to pass the Executive Yuan’s special budget. All sectors hope to maintain a stable power supply. As energy security is national security, ensuring a stable power supply while developing more forms of green energy is, whether now or in the future, one of the government’s most important tasks. Aside from the issue of electricity prices, the Taiwanese people have also been closely following the recent Taiwan-US tariff negotiations. The first round of in-person talks have concluded, and tariff negotiations are currently still going smoothly. The government will uphold the principles of ensuring national interests and safeguarding industry development, under no circumstances sacrificing any one sector. We will stand firm on Taiwan’s position and, from the basis of deepening Taiwan-US economic and trade relations, strive for optimal negotiation results in a well-paced, balanced manner. Taiwan shares democratic values with our democratic partners around the world. When combined with our adherence to free market principles to foster mutual prosperity, those values are our greatest assets. They form a protective umbrella that allows Taiwanese businesses to unleash their vitality and energy. They are also the most significant mark of distinction between us and authoritarian regimes. For many years now, Taiwan, the US, and our democratic partners have actively engaged in exchange and cooperation, spurring mutual growth. Among friends, there is always some friction; but that friction is always resolvable. Just as it says in the Bible, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Through mutual exchange, friends can smooth out their shortcomings and further hone their strengths. Even when differences arise, so long as there is a foundation built on trust and honest dialogue, friends can better understand one another and further deepen their bonds. Now, Taiwan’s market is global; its stage is international. Going forward, we will hold firm to our democratic values and expand into diverse markets. First, Taiwan’s economic path is clearly established. Taking a market-oriented approach, we will promote an economic path of staying firmly rooted in Taiwan and expanding the global presence of our enterprises while strengthening ties with the US. In recent years, Taiwan has updated investment protection agreements with such countries as the Philippines, India, Vietnam, and Thailand, and signed a foreign investment promotion and protection arrangement with Canada. Moving forward, we will endeavor to sign investment protection agreements and double taxation avoidance agreements with our friends and allies. Second, Taiwan’s trade strategy is clearly defined. We will extend our market connections with the US and other free, democratic nations, expanding our presence worldwide. To that end, we have completed the signing of the first agreement under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade and signed an enhanced trade partnership arrangement with the United Kingdom. We are in active negotiations on trade agreements with other countries, and we continue to seek admission to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and other mechanisms for regional economic integration. Third, we must ensure that Taiwan’s economy is export-led while expanding domestic demand, concurrently prioritizing strong technological R&D and upgraded traditional industries, and boosting software development, production, and manufacturing. We must also continue tapping into Taiwan’s strengths to attract international firms here to invest and collaborate. In just the past few years, Entegris opened a new manufacturing facility in Kaohsiung, Micron launched a new facility in Taichung, and Google further solidified Taiwan as its biggest R&D hub outside of the US by opening a new office here. AMD, Nvidia, and major cloud computing companies from the US have also been expanding their presence here. And yesterday, Nvidia even announced that it will establish an overseas headquarters in Taiwan. Through such collaboration across borders, we are introducing advanced technology from overseas and engaging in international R&D. We will build Taiwan into an even more resilient economy. Moving forward, the government will set up a fund to boost Taiwan’s economic momentum. With our sights set on the whole globe, we will invest in international markets, while the government will also set up a sovereign wealth fund and build a national-level investment platform. We will make full use of Taiwan’s industrial advantages and, with the government taking the lead and synergizing private-sector enterprises, expand our global presence and link with major target markets of the AI era. Domestically, we will bolster local supply chains and strengthen industries’ ability to adapt to changing circumstances. The government will enhance the functions of the National Development Fund to achieve industrial restructuring and assist domestic industries and small- and medium-sized enterprises with upgrading and transformation, raising international competitiveness and consolidating domestic industry foundations. My fellow citizens, our market and our values are defined by democracy. Democracy is also a display of our national strength. Taiwan was once the country with the world’s longest martial law period, but now, we are a beacon for democracy in Asia. Our past generations, through valiant sacrifice and devotion, bravely resisted authoritarianism and pursued democracy. Today’s younger generations are able to proactively engage in politics, protect the nation, further entrench democracy, and strive for a diverse Taiwan through all manner of constitutional and legal means, without fear of difficulty. This is the democratic Taiwan we take pride in. I am confident that no one Taiwanese would give up their free and democratic way of life. And no president can abandon the values of freedom and democracy. On the path of democracy, Taiwan never relied on the mobilization of hate; rather, it relied on the participation and coming together of citizens. We do not fear differences in opinion because the core of democracy is about finding, within difference, unity. I have always believed that democratic disputes are resolved through greater exercise of democracy. Over the past year, despite the domestic political situation, ruling and opposition parties formed a delegation to attend the inaugural ceremonies of the president and vice president of the US, demonstrating that democratic Taiwan stands united for deepening Taiwan-US ties. I also, in accordance with the powers granted me by the Constitution, convened a national policy meeting with the heads of the five branches of government, with the hope of achieving reconciliation and encouraging cooperation. I have always been willing, with open arms, to work hard for cross-party dialogue and strengthened cooperation among our political parties. That is why I will be instructing our national security team to initiate a major national security briefing for the chairs of opposition parties. It is hoped that leaders of all parties, regardless of political stance, can prioritize our nation’s interests and uphold our nation’s security; and grounded in shared facts, we can openly and honestly exchange views and discuss matters of national importance, so that we can tackle our nation’s challenges side by side. Later today is the opening ceremony of COMPUTEX TAIPEI, an event that will be closely followed in the international community. Taiwan, as the world’s silicon island, is a central pillar in the global economy and the field of AI, and this event will therefore attract important tech industry figures from around the world. Once a small-scale expo initially held near Taipei’s Songshan Airport, COMPUTEX has continued to grow in scale over the past 40-plus years, and now marks an important milestone in the development of global technological innovation. COMPUTEX is a microcosm of the Taiwan story, an achievement that the people of Taiwan share. The Taiwan of today is a Taiwan of the world. Whether it is global technological development, divisions of labor within international supply chains, worldwide economic and trade exchanges, or regional security matters, Taiwan plays a pivotal and indispensable role. My fellow citizens, we do not cower in the face of challenges; rather, we bravely march forward into the future. As the saying goes, success is 30 percent destiny and 70 percent hard work. We will maintain solidarity, and with our resilience, perseverance, and enthusiasm as Taiwanese, forge ahead with transition, steadily and solidly. That is the spirit of us Taiwanese. We will keep working together in solidarity and meet challenges with firm strides, making Taiwan a global beacon, a pilot for world peace, and a force for global prosperity. Thank you.  
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2025-05-13
President Lai interviewed by Japan’s Nikkei  
In a recent interview with Japan’s Nikkei, President Lai Ching-te responded to questions regarding Taiwan-Japan and Taiwan-United States relations, cross-strait relations, the semiconductor industry, and the international economic and trade landscape. The interview was published by Nikkei on May 13. President Lai indicated that Nikkei, Inc. is a global news organization that has received significant recognition both domestically and internationally, and that he is deeply honored to be interviewed by Nikkei and grateful for their invitation. The president said that he would like to take this rare opportunity to thank Japan’s government, National Diet, society, and public for their longstanding support for Taiwan. Noting that current Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio have all strongly supported Taiwan, he said that the peoples of Taiwan and Japan also have a deep mutual affection, and that through the interview, he hopes to enhance the bilateral relationship between Taiwan and Japan, deepen the affection between our peoples, and foster more future cooperation to promote prosperity and development in both countries. In response to questions raised on the free trade system and the recent tariff war, President Lai indicated that over the past few decades, the free economy headed by the Western world and led by the US has brought economic prosperity and political stability to Taiwan and Japan. At the same time, he said, we have also learned or followed many Western values. The president said he believes that Taiwan and Japan are exemplary students, but some countries are not. Therefore, he said, the biggest crisis right now is China, which exploits the free trade system to engage in plagiarism and counterfeiting, infringe on intellectual property rights, and even provide massive government subsidies that facilitate the dumping of low-priced goods worldwide, which has a major impact on many countries including Japan and Taiwan. If this kind of unfair trade is not resolved, he said, the stable societies and economic prosperity we have painstakingly built over decades, as well as some of the values we pursue, could be destroyed. Therefore, President Lai said he thinks it is worthwhile for us to observe the recent willingness of the US to address unfair trade, and if necessary, offer assistance. President Lai emphasized that the national strategic plan for Taiwanese industries is for them to be rooted in Taiwan while expanding their global presence and marketing worldwide. Therefore, he said, while the 32 percent tariff increase imposed by the US on Taiwan is indeed a major challenge, we are willing to address it seriously and find opportunities within that challenge, making Taiwan’s strategic plan for industry even more comprehensive. When asked about Taiwan’s trade arrangements, President Lai indicated that in 2010 China accounted for 83.8 percent of Taiwan’s outbound investment, but last year it accounted for only 7.5 percent. In 2020, he went on, 43.9 percent of Taiwan’s exports went to China, but that figure dropped to 31.7 percent in 2024. The president said that we have systematically transferred investments from Taiwanese enterprises to Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the US. Therefore, he said, last year Taiwan’s largest outbound investment was in the US, accounting for roughly 40 percent of the total. Nevertheless, only 23.4 percent of Taiwanese products were sold to the US, with 76.6 percent sold to places other than the US, he said.  The president emphasized that we don’t want to put all our eggs in one basket, and hope to establish a global presence. Under these circumstances, he said, Taiwan is very eager to cooperate with Japan. President Lai stated that at this moment, the Indo-Pacific and international community really need Japan’s leadership, especially to make the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) excel in its functions, and also requested Japan to support Taiwan’s CPTPP accession. The president said that Taiwan hopes to sign an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan to build closer ties in economic trade and promote further investment, and that we also hope to strengthen relations with the European Union, and even other regions. Currently, he said, we are proposing an initiative on global semiconductor supply chain partnerships for democracies, because the semiconductor industry is an ecosystem. The president raised the example that Japan has materials, equipment, and technology; the US has IC design and marketing; Taiwan has production and manufacturing; and the Netherlands excels in equipment, saying we therefore hope to leverage Taiwan’s advantages in production and manufacturing to connect the democratic community and establish a global non-red supply chain for semiconductors, ensuring further world prosperity and development in the future, and ensuring that free trade can continue to function without being affected by dumping, which would undermine future prosperity and development. The president stated that as we want industries to expand their global presence and market internationally while staying rooted here in Taiwan, having industries rooted in Taiwan involves promoting pay raises for employees, tax cuts, and deregulation, as well as promoting enterprise investment tax credits. He said that we have also proposed Three Major Programs for Investing in Taiwan for Taiwanese enterprises and are actively resolving issues regarding access to water, electricity, land, human resources, and professional talent so that the business community can return to Taiwan to invest, or enterprises in Taiwan can increase their investments. He went on to say that we are also actively signing bilateral investment agreements with friends and allies so that when our companies invest and expand their presence abroad, their rights and interests as investors are ensured.  President Lai mentioned that Taiwan hopes to sign an EPA with Japan, similar to the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade and the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, or the Enhanced Trade Partnership arrangement with the United Kingdom, or similar agreements or memorandums of understanding with Canada and Australia that allow Taiwanese products to be marketed worldwide, concluding that those are our overall arrangements. Looking at the history of Taiwan’s industrial development, President Lai indicated, of course it began in Taiwan, and then moved west to China and south to Southeast Asia. He said that we hope to take this opportunity to strengthen cooperation with Japan to the north, across the Pacific Ocean to the east, and develop the North American market, making Taiwan’s industries even stronger. In other words, he said, while Taiwan sees the current reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US as a kind of challenge, it also views these changes positively. On the topic of pressure from China affecting Taiwan’s participation in international frameworks such as the CPTPP or its signing of an EPA with Japan, President Lai responded that the key point is what kind of attitude we should adopt in viewing China’s acts of oppression. If we act based on our belief in free trade, he said, or on the universal values we pursue – democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights – and also on the understanding that a bilateral trade agreement between Taiwan and Japan would contribute to the economic prosperity and development of both countries, or that Taiwan’s accession to the CPTPP would benefit progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, then he hopes that friends and allies will strongly support us. On the Trump administration’s intentions regarding the reciprocal tariff policy and the possibility of taxing semiconductors, as well as how Taiwan plans to respond, President Lai said that since President Trump took office, he has paid close attention to interviews with both him and his staff. The president said that several of President Trump’s main intentions are: First, he wants to address the US fiscal situation. For example, President Lai said, while the US GDP is about US$29 trillion annually, its national debt stands at US$36 trillion, which is roughly 124 percent of GDP. Second, he went on, annual government spending exceeds US$6.5 trillion, but revenues are only around US$4.5 trillion, resulting in a nearly US$2 trillion deficit each year, about 7 percent of GDP. Third, he said, the US pays nearly US$1.2 trillion in interest annually, which exceeds the US$1 trillion defense budget and accounts for more than 3 percent of GDP. Fourth, President Trump still wants to implement tax cuts, aiming to reduce taxes for 85 percent of Americans, he said, noting that this would cost between US$500 billion and US$1 trillion. These points, President Lai said, illustrate his first goal: solving the fiscal problem. President Lai went on to say that second, the US feels the threat of China and believes that reindustrialization is essential; without reindustrialization, the US risks a growing gap in industrial capacity compared to China. Third, he said, in this era of global smart technology, President Trump wants to lead the nation to become a world center of AI. Fourth, he aims to ensure world peace and prevent future wars, President Lai said. In regard to what the US seeks to achieve, he said he believes these four areas form the core of the Trump administration’s intentions, and that is why President Trump has raised tariffs, demanded that trading partners purchase more American goods, and encouraged friendly and allied nations to invest in the US, all in order to achieve these goals. President Lai indicated that the 32 percent reciprocal tariff poses a critical challenge for Taiwan, and we must treat it seriously. He said that our approach is not confrontation, but negotiation to reduce tariffs, and that we have also agreed to measures such as procurement, investment, resolving non-tariff trade barriers, and addressing origin washing in order to effectively reduce the trade deficit between Taiwan and the US. Of course, he said, through this negotiation process, we also hope to turn challenges into opportunities. The president said that first, we aim to start negotiations from the proposal of zero tariffs and seek to establish a bilateral trade agreement with the US. Second, he went on, we hope to support US reindustrialization and its aim to become a world AI hub through investment, while simultaneously upgrading and transforming Taiwan’s industries, which would help further integrate Taiwan’s industries into the US economic structure, ensuring Taiwan’s long-term development.  President Lai emphasized again that Taiwan’s national industrial strategy is for industries to stay firmly rooted in Taiwan while expanding their global presence and marketing worldwide. He repeated that we have gone from moving westward across the Taiwan Strait, to shifting southbound, to working closer northward with Japan, and now the time is ripe for us to expand eastward by investing in North America. In other words, he said, while we take this challenge seriously to protect national interests and ensure that no industry is sacrificed, we also hope these negotiations will lead to deeper Taiwan-US trade relations through Taiwanese investment in the US, concluding that these are our expectations. The president stated that naturally, the reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US will have an impact on Taiwanese industries, so in response, the Taiwanese government has already proposed support measures for affected industries totaling NT$93 billion. In addition, he said, we have outlined broader needs for Taiwan’s long-term development, which will be covered by a special budget proposal of NT$410 billion, noting that this has already been approved by the Executive Yuan and will be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review. He said that this special budget proposal addresses four main areas: supporting industries, stabilizing employment, protecting people’s livelihoods, and enhancing resilience. As for tariffs on semiconductors, President Lai said, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has committed to investing in the US at the request of its customers. He said he believes that TSMC’s industry chain will follow suit, and that these are concrete actions that are unrelated to tariffs. However, he said, if the US were to invoke Section 232 and impose tariffs on semiconductors or related industries, it would discourage Taiwanese semiconductor and ICT investments in the US, and that we will make this position clear to the US going forward. President Lai indicated that among Taiwan’s exports to the US, there are two main categories: ICT products and electronic components, which together account for 65.4 percent. These are essential to the US, he said, unlike final goods such as cups, tables, or mattresses. He went on to say that what Taiwan sells to the US are the technological products required by AI designers like NVIDIA, AMD, Amazon, Google, and Apple, and that therefore, we will make sure the US understands clearly that we are not exporting end products, but the high-tech components necessary for the US to reindustrialize and become a global AI center. Furthermore, the president said, Taiwan is also willing to increase its defense budget and military procurement. He stated that Taiwan is committed to defending itself and is strongly willing to cooperate with friends and allies to ensure regional peace and stability, and that this is also something President Trump hopes to see. Asked whether TSMC’s fabs overseas could weaken Taiwan’s strategic position as a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, and whether that could then give other countries fewer incentives to protect Taiwan, President Lai responded by saying that political leaders around the world including Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba and former Prime Ministers Abe, Suga, and Kishida have emphasized, at the G7 and other major international fora, that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential for global security and prosperity. In other words, he explained, the international community cares about Taiwan and supports peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait because Taiwan is located in the first island chain in the Indo-Pacific, directly facing China. He pointed out that if Taiwan is not protected, China’s expansionist ambitions will certainly grow, which would impact the current rules-based international order. Thus, he said, the international community willingly cares about Taiwan and supports stability in the Taiwan Strait – that is the reason, and it has no direct connection with TSMC. He noted that after all, TSMC has not made investments in that many countries, stressing that, on that point, it is clear. President Lai said that TSMC’s investments in Japan, Europe, and the US are all natural, normal economic and investment activities. He said that Taiwan is a democratic country whose society is based on the rule of law, so when Taiwanese companies need to invest around the world for business needs, the government will support those investments in principle so long as they do not harm national interests. President Lai said that after TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) held a press conference with President Trump to announce the investment in the US, Chairman Wei returned to Taiwan to hold a press conference with him at the Presidential Office, where the chairman explained to the Taiwanese public that TSMC’s R&D center will remain in Taiwan and that the facilities it has already committed to investing in here will not change and will not be affected. So, the president explained, to put it another way, TSMC will not be weakened by its investment in the US. He further emphasized that Taiwan has strengths in semiconductor manufacturing and is very willing to work alongside other democratic countries to promote the next stage of global prosperity and development. A question was raised about which side should be chosen between the US and China, under the current perception of a return to the Cold War, with East and West facing off as two opposing blocs. President Lai responded by saying that some experts and scholars describe the current situation as entering a new Cold War era between democratic and authoritarian camps; others assert that the war has already begun, including information warfare, economic and trade wars, and the ongoing wars in Europe – the Russo-Ukrainian War – and the Middle East, and the Israel-Hamas conflict. The president said that these are all matters experts have cautioned about, noting that he is not a historian and so will not attempt to define today’s political situation from an academic standpoint. However, he said, he believes that every country has a choice, which is to say, Taiwan, Japan, or any other nation does not necessarily have to choose between the US and China. What we are deciding, he said, is whether our country will maintain a democratic constitutional system or regress into an authoritarian regime, and this is essentially a choice of values – not merely a choice between two major powers. President Lai said that Taiwan’s situation is different from other countries because we face a direct threat from China. He pointed out that we have experienced military conflicts such as the August 23 Artillery Battle and the Battle of Guningtou – actual wars between the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China. He said that China’s ambition to annex Taiwan has never wavered, and that today, China’s political and military intimidation, as well as internal united front infiltration, are growing increasingly intense. Therefore, he underlined, to defend democracy and sovereignty, protect our free and democratic system, and ensure the safety of our people’s lives and property, Taiwan’s choice is clear. President Lai said that China’s military exercises are not limited to the Taiwan Strait, and include the East China Sea, South China Sea, and even the Sea of Japan, as well as areas around Korea and Australia. Emphasizing that Taiwan, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines are all democratic nations, the president said that Taiwan’s choice is clear, and that he believes Japan also has no other choice. We are all democratic countries, he said, whose people have long pursued the universal values of democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights, and that is what is most important. Regarding the intensifying tensions between the US and China, the president was asked what roles Taiwan and Japan can play. President Lai responded that in his view, Japan is a powerful nation, and he sincerely hopes that Japan can take a leading role amid these changes in the international landscape. He said he believes that countries in the Indo-Pacific region are also willing to respond. He suggested several areas where we can work together: first, democracy and peace; second, innovation and prosperity; and third, justice and sustainability. President Lai stated that in the face of authoritarian threats, we should let peace be our beacon and democracy our compass as we respond to the challenges posed by authoritarian states. Second, he added, as the world enters an era characterized by the comprehensive adoption of smart technologies, Japan and Taiwan should collaborate in the field of innovation to further drive regional prosperity and development. Third, he continued, is justice and sustainability. He explained that because international society still has many issues that need to be resolved, Taiwan and Japan can cooperate for the public good, helping countries in need around the world, and cooperating to address climate change and achieve net-zero transition by 2050. Asked whether he hopes that the US will continue to be a leader in the liberal democratic system, President Lai responded by saying that although the US severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China, for the past few decades it has assisted Taiwan in various areas such as national defense, security, and countering threats from China, based on the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances. He pointed out that Taiwan has also benefited, directly and indirectly, in terms of politics, democracy, and economic prosperity thanks to the US, and so Taiwan naturally hopes that the US remains strong and continues to lead the world. President Lai said that when the US encounters difficulties, whether financial difficulties, reindustrialization issues, or becoming a global center for AI, and hopes to receive support from its friends and allies to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, Taiwan is willing to stand together for a common cause. If the US remains strong, he said, that helps Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific region, and the world as a whole. Noting that while the vital role of the US on the global stage has not changed, the president said that after decades of shouldering global responsibilities, it has encountered some issues. Now, it has to make adjustments, he said, stating his firm belief that it will do so swiftly, and quickly resume its leadership role in the world. Asked to comment on remarks he made during his election campaign that he would like to invite China’s President Xi Jinping for bubble tea, President Lai responded that Taiwan is a peace-loving country, and Taiwanese society is inherently kind, and therefore we hope to get along peacefully with China, living in peace and mutual prosperity. So, during his term as vice president, he said, he was expressing the goodwill of Taiwanese society. Noting that while he of course understands that China’s President Xi would have certain difficulties in accepting this, he emphasized that the goodwill of Taiwanese society has always existed. If China reflects on the past two or three decades, he said, it will see that its economy was able to develop with Taiwan as its largest foreign investor. The president explained that every year, 1 to 2 million Taiwanese were starting businesses or investing in China, creating numerous job opportunities and stabilizing Chinese society. While many Taiwanese businesses have profited, he said, Chinese society has benefited even more. He added that every time a natural disaster occurs, if China is in need, Taiwanese always offer donations. Therefore, the president said, he hopes that China can face the reality of the Republic of China’s existence and understand that the people of Taiwan hope to continue living free and democratic lives with respect for human rights. He also expressed hope that China can pay attention to the goodwill of Taiwanese society. He underlined that we have not abandoned the notion that as long as there is parity, dignity, exchange, and cooperation, the goodwill of choosing dialogue over confrontation and exchange over containment will always exist. Asked for his view on the national security reforms in response to China’s espionage activities and infiltration attempts, President Lai said that China’s united front infiltration activities in Taiwan are indeed very serious. He said that China’s ambitions to annex Taiwan rely not only on the use of political and military intimidation, but also on its long-term united front and infiltration activities in Taiwanese society. Recently, he pointed out, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office of the Ministry of Justice prosecuted 64 spies, which is three times the number in 2021, and in addition to active-duty military personnel, many retired military personnel were also indicted. Moreover, he added, Taiwan also has the Chinese Unification Promotion Party, which has a background in organized crime, Rehabilitation Alliance Party, which was established by retired military personnel, and Republic of China Taiwan Military Government, which is also composed of retired generals. He explained that these are all China’s front organizations, and they plan one day to engage in collaboration within Taiwan, which shows the seriousness of China’s infiltration in Taiwan. Therefore, the president said, in the recent past he convened a high-level national security meeting and proposed 17 response strategies across five areas. He then enumerated the five areas: first, to address China’s threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty; second, to respond to the threat of China’s obscuring the Taiwanese people’s sense of national identity; third, to respond to the threat of China’s infiltrating and recruiting members of the ROC Armed Forces as spies; fourth, to respond to the threat of China’s infiltration of Taiwanese society through societal exchanges and united front work; and fifth, to respond to the threat of China using “integration plans” to draw Taiwan’s young people and Taiwanese businesses into its united front activities. In response to these five major threats, he said, he has proposed 17 response strategies, one of which being to restore the military trial system. He explained that if active-duty military personnel commit military crimes, they must be subject to military trials, and said that this expresses the Taiwanese government’s determination to respond to China’s united front infiltration and the subversion of Taiwan. Responding to the question of which actions Taiwan can take to guard against China’s threats to regional security, President Lai said that many people are worried that the increasingly tense situation may lead to accidental conflict and the outbreak of war. He stated his own view that Taiwan is committed to facing China’s various threats with caution. Taiwan is never the source of these problems, he emphasized, and if there is an accidental conflict and it turns into a full-scale war, it will certainly be a deliberate act by China using an accidental conflict as a pretext. He said that when China expanded its military presence in the East China Sea and South China Sea, the international community did not stop it; when China conducted exercises in the Taiwan Strait, the international community did not take strong measures to prevent this from happening. Now, he continued, China is conducting gray-zone exercises, which are aggressions against not only the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, and the East China Sea, but also extending to the Sea of Japan and waters near South Korea. He said that at this moment, Taiwan, the Philippines, Japan, and even the US should face these developments candidly and seriously, and we must exhibit unity and cooperation to prevent China’s gray-zone aggression from continuing to expand and prevent China from shifting from a military exercise to combat. If no action is taken now, the president said, the situation may become increasingly serious. Asked about the view of some US analysts who point out that China will have the ability to invade Taiwan around 2027, President Lai responded that Taiwan, as the country on the receiving end of threats and aggression, must plan for the worst and make the best preparations. He recalled a famous saying from the armed forces: “Do not count on the enemy not showing up; count on being ready should it strike.” This is why, he said, he proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. First, he said, we must strengthen our national defense. Second, he added, we must strengthen economic resilience, adding that not only must our economy remain strong, but it must also be resilient, and that we cannot put all our eggs in the same basket, in China, as we have done in the past. Third, he continued, we must stand shoulder to shoulder with friends and allies such as Japan and the US, as well as the democratic community, and we must demonstrate the strength of deterrence to prevent China from making the wrong judgment. Fourth, he emphasized, as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity, Taiwan is willing to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China and seek cross-strait peace and mutual prosperity through exchanges and cooperation. Regarding intensifying US-China confrontation, the president was asked in which areas he thinks Taiwan and Japan should strengthen cooperation; with Japan’s Ishiba administration also being a minority government, the president was asked for his expectations for the Ishiba administration. President Lai said that in the face of rapid and tremendous changes in the political situation, every government faces considerable challenges, especially for minority governments, but the Japanese government led by Prime Minister Ishiba has quite adequately responded with various strategies. Furthermore, he said, Japan is different from Taiwan, explaining that although Japan’s ruling party lacks a majority, political parties in Japan engage in competition domestically while exhibiting unity externally. He said that Taiwan’s situation is more challenging, because the ruling and opposition parties hold different views on the direction of the country, due to differences in national identity. The president expressed his hope that in the future Taiwan and Japan will enjoy even more comprehensive cooperation. He stated that he has always believed that deep historical bonds connect Taiwan and Japan. Over the past several decades, he said, when encountering natural disasters and tragedies, our two nations have assisted each other with mutual care and support. He said that the affection between the people of Taiwan and Japan is like that of a family. Pointing out that both countries face the threat of authoritarianism, he said that we share a mission to safeguard universal values such as democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights. The president said that our two countries should be more open to cooperation in various areas to maintain regional peace and stability as well as to strengthen cooperation in economic and industrial development, such as for semiconductor industry chains and everyday applications of AI, including robots and drones, adding that we can also cooperate on climate change response, such as in hydrogen energy and other strategies. He said our two countries should also continue to strengthen people-to-people exchanges. He then took the opportunity to once again invite our good friends from Japan to visit Taiwan for tourism and learn more about Taiwan, saying that the Taiwanese people wholeheartedly welcome our Japanese friends.  
Details
2025-04-06
President Lai delivers remarks on US tariff policy response
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.
Details
2025-05-20
President Lai interviewed by Nippon Television and Yomiuri TV
In a recent interview on Nippon Television’s news zero program, President Lai Ching-te responded to questions from host Mr. Sakurai Sho and Yomiuri TV Shanghai Bureau Chief Watanabe Masayo on topics including reflections on his first year in office, cross-strait relations, China’s military threats, Taiwan-United States relations, and Taiwan-Japan relations. The interview was broadcast on the evening of May 19. During the interview, President Lai stated that China intends to change the world’s rules-based international order, and that if Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted. Therefore, he said, Taiwan will strengthen its national defense, prevent war by preparing for war, and achieve the goal of peace. The president also noted that Taiwan’s purpose for developing drones is based on national security and industrial needs, and that Taiwan hopes to collaborate with Japan. He then reiterated that China’s threats are an international problem, and expressed hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war. Following is the text of the questions and the president’s responses: Q: How do you feel as you are about to round out your first year in office? President Lai: When I was young, I was determined to practice medicine and save lives. When I left medicine to go into politics, I was determined to transform Taiwan. And when I was sworn in as president on May 20 last year, I was determined to strengthen the nation. Time flies, and it has already been a year. Although the process has been very challenging, I am deeply honored to be a part of it. I am also profoundly grateful to our citizens for allowing me the opportunity to give back to our country. The future will certainly be full of more challenges, but I will do everything I can to unite the people and continue strengthening the nation. That is how I am feeling now. Q: We are now coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and over this period, we have often heard that conflict between Taiwan and the mainland is imminent. Do you personally believe that a cross-strait conflict could happen? President Lai: The international community is very much aware that China intends to replace the US and change the world’s rules-based international order, and annexing Taiwan is just the first step. So, as China’s military power grows stronger, some members of the international community are naturally on edge about whether a cross-strait conflict will break out. The international community must certainly do everything in its power to avoid a conflict in the Taiwan Strait; there is too great a cost. Besides causing direct disasters to both Taiwan and China, the impact on the global economy would be even greater, with estimated losses of US$10 trillion from war alone – that is roughly 10 percent of the global GDP. Additionally, 20 percent of global shipping passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, so if a conflict breaks out in the strait, other countries including Japan and Korea would suffer a grave impact. For Japan and Korea, a quarter of external transit passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, and a third of the various energy resources and minerals shipped back from other countries pass through said areas. If Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted, and therefore conflict in the Taiwan Strait must be avoided. Such a conflict is indeed avoidable. I am very thankful to Prime Minister of Japan Ishiba Shigeru and former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio, as well as US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, and the other G7 leaders, for continuing to emphasize at international venues that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential components for global security and prosperity. When everyone in the global democratic community works together, stacking up enough strength to make China’s objectives unattainable or to make the cost of invading Taiwan too high for it to bear, a conflict in the strait can naturally be avoided. Q: As you said, President Lai, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is also very important for other countries. How can war be avoided? What sort of countermeasures is Taiwan prepared to take to prevent war? President Lai: As Mr. Sakurai mentioned earlier, we are coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. There are many lessons we can take from that war. First is that peace is priceless, and war has no winners. From the tragedies of WWII, there are lessons that humanity should learn. We must pursue peace, and not start wars blindly, as that would be a major disaster for humanity. In other words, we must be determined to safeguard peace. The second lesson is that we cannot be complacent toward authoritarian powers. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile. They will keep growing, and eventually, not only will peace be unattainable, but war will be inevitable. The third lesson is why WWII ended: It ended because different groups joined together in solidarity. Taiwan, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region are all directly subjected to China’s threats, so we hope to be able to join together in cooperation. This is why we proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. First, we will strengthen our national defense. Second, we will strengthen economic resilience. Third is standing shoulder to shoulder with the democratic community to demonstrate the strength of deterrence. Fourth is that as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity, Taiwan is willing to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China, and seek peace and mutual prosperity. These four pillars can help us avoid war and achieve peace. That is to say, Taiwan hopes to achieve peace through strength, prevent war by preparing for war, keeping war from happening and pursuing the goal of peace. Q: Regarding drones, everyone knows that recently, Taiwan has been actively researching, developing, and introducing drones. Why do you need to actively research, develop, and introduce new drones at this time? President Lai: This is for two purposes. The first is to meet national security needs. The second is to meet industrial development needs. Because Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are all part of the first island chain, and we are all democratic nations, we cannot be like an authoritarian country like China, which has an unlimited national defense budget. In this kind of situation, island nations such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines should leverage their own technologies to develop national defense methods that are asymmetric and utilize unmanned vehicles. In particular, from the Russo-Ukrainian War, we see that Ukraine has successfully utilized unmanned vehicles to protect itself and prevent Russia from unlimited invasion. In other words, the Russo-Ukrainian War has already proven the importance of drones. Therefore, the first purpose of developing drones is based on national security needs. Second, the world has already entered the era of smart technology. Whether generative, agentic, or physical, AI will continue to develop. In the future, cars and ships will also evolve into unmanned vehicles and unmanned boats, and there will be unmanned factories. Drones will even be able to assist with postal deliveries, or services like Uber, Uber Eats, and foodpanda, or agricultural irrigation and pesticide spraying. Therefore, in the future era of comprehensive smart technology, developing unmanned vehicles is a necessity. Taiwan, based on industrial needs, is actively planning the development of drones and unmanned vehicles. I would like to take this opportunity to express Taiwan’s hope to collaborate with Japan in the unmanned vehicle industry. Just as we do in the semiconductor industry, where Japan has raw materials, equipment, and technology, and Taiwan has wafer manufacturing, our two countries can cooperate. Japan is a technological power, and Taiwan also has significant technological strengths. If Taiwan and Japan work together, we will not only be able to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the Indo-Pacific region, but it will also be very helpful for the industrial development of both countries. Q: The drones you just described probably include examples from the Russo-Ukrainian War. Taiwan and China are separated by the Taiwan Strait. Do our drones need to have cross-sea flight capabilities? President Lai: Taiwan does not intend to counterattack the mainland, and does not intend to invade any country. Taiwan’s drones are meant to protect our own nation and territory. Q: Former President Biden previously stated that US forces would assist Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. President Trump, however, has yet to clearly state that the US would help defend Taiwan. Do you think that in such an event, the US would help defend Taiwan? Or is Taiwan now trying to persuade the US? President Lai: Former President Biden and President Trump have answered questions from reporters. Although their responses were different, strong cooperation with Taiwan under the Biden administration has continued under the Trump administration; there has been no change. During President Trump’s first term, cooperation with Taiwan was broader and deeper compared to former President Barack Obama’s terms. After former President Biden took office, cooperation with Taiwan increased compared to President Trump’s first term. Now, during President Trump’s second term, cooperation with Taiwan is even greater than under former President Biden. Taiwan-US cooperation continues to grow stronger, and has not changed just because President Trump and former President Biden gave different responses to reporters. Furthermore, the Trump administration publicly stated that in the future, the US will shift its strategic focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. The US secretary of defense even publicly stated that the primary mission of the US is to prevent China from invading Taiwan, maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific, and thus maintain world peace. There is a saying in Taiwan that goes, “Help comes most to those who help themselves.” Before asking friends and allies for assistance in facing threats from China, Taiwan must first be determined and prepared to defend itself. This is Taiwan’s principle, and we are working in this direction, making all the necessary preparations to safeguard the nation. Q: I would like to ask you a question about Taiwan-Japan relations. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, you made an appeal to give Japan a great deal of assistance and care. In particular, you visited Sendai to offer condolences. Later, you also expressed condolences and concern after the earthquakes in Aomori and Kumamoto. What are your expectations for future Taiwan-Japan exchanges and development? President Lai: I come from Tainan, and my constituency is in Tainan. Tainan has very deep ties with Japan, and of course, Taiwan also has deep ties with Japan. However, among Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities, Tainan has the deepest relationship with Japan. I sincerely hope that both of you and your teams will have an opportunity to visit Tainan. I will introduce Tainan’s scenery, including architecture from the era of Japanese rule, Tainan’s cuisine, and unique aspects of Tainan society, and you can also see lifestyles and culture from the Showa era.  The Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan was completed by engineer Mr. Hatta Yoichi from Kanazawa, Japan and the team he led to Tainan after he graduated from then-Tokyo Imperial University. It has nearly a century of history and is still in use today. This reservoir, along with the 16,000-km-long Chianan Canal, transformed the 150,000-hectare Chianan Plain into Taiwan’s premier rice-growing area. It was that foundation in agriculture that enabled Taiwan to develop industry and the technology sector of today. The reservoir continues to supply water to Tainan Science Park. It is used by residents of Tainan, the agricultural sector, and industry, and even the technology sector in Xinshi Industrial Park, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Because of this, the people of Tainan are deeply grateful for Mr. Hatta and very friendly toward the people of Japan. A major earthquake, the largest in 50 years, struck Tainan on February 6, 2016, resulting in significant casualties. As mayor of Tainan at the time, I was extremely grateful to then-Prime Minister Abe, who sent five Japanese officials to the disaster site in Tainan the day after the earthquake. They were very thoughtful and asked what kind of assistance we needed from the Japanese government. They offered to provide help based on what we needed. I was deeply moved, as former Prime Minister Abe showed such care, going beyond the formality of just sending supplies that we may or may not have actually needed. Instead, the officials asked what we needed and then provided assistance based on those needs, which really moved me. Similarly, when the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 or the later Kumamoto earthquakes struck, the people of Tainan, under my leadership, naturally and dutifully expressed their support. Even earlier, when central Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake in 1999, Japan was the first country to deploy a rescue team to the disaster area. On February 6, 2018, after a major earthquake in Hualien, former Prime Minister Abe appeared in a video holding up a message of encouragement he had written in calligraphy saying “Remain strong, Taiwan.” All of Taiwan was deeply moved. Over the years, Taiwan and Japan have supported each other when earthquakes struck, and have forged bonds that are family-like, not just neighborly. This is truly valuable. In the future, I hope Taiwan and Japan can be like brothers, and that the peoples of Taiwan and Japan can treat one another like family. If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem; if Japan has a problem, then Taiwan has a problem. By caring for and helping each other, we can face various challenges and difficulties, and pursue a brighter future. Q: President Lai, you just used the phrase “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem.” In the event that China attempts to invade Taiwan by force, what kind of response measures would you hope the US military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take? President Lai: As I just mentioned, annexing Taiwan is only China’s first step. Its ultimate objective is to change the rules-based international order. That being the case, China’s threats are an international problem. So, I would very much hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war – prevention, after all, is more important than cure.
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