Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

On the morning of December 8, President Tsai Ing-wen attended the opening ceremony of the 2021 Energy Taiwan exhibition. In remarks, President Tsai stated that by 2025 domestic construction of wind and solar power installations is set to generate NT$1.7 trillion in investments, more than NT$2 trillion in output value, and 160,000 job opportunities. The president also said that the government is making every effort to make Taiwan the green energy hub of Asia, while speeding up and expanding our green energy rollout so that Taiwan's energy sector will be an indispensable link in the international green energy supply chain. A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows: We're all aware that one of the key issues at last month's COP26 was the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. This goal has become a global consensus, and, going forward, countries around the world will be working toward reducing their carbon emissions. Transforming our energy sector is the key to reducing carbon emissions, and today's Energy Taiwan exhibition highlights Taiwan's determination and ability to develop renewable energy. Each of you here is an important partner to our government in our joint effort to promote Taiwan's energy transition. I have participated in this exhibition's opening ceremony for four consecutive years, not just to show how important energy issues are for this administration, but also to thank all of you in person. Because of your efforts, Taiwan has been able to engage with the international community and contribute more to the world. Climate change is a global challenge, and Taiwan is joining the global response. The Environmental Protection Administration is currently working on amendments to our nation's Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act, including writing the 2050 net-zero goal into law. And the Executive Yuan has set up a task force to evaluate possible paths toward net-zero emissions and draft a blueprint for our energy transition. Today's exhibition is our domestic green energy industry's largest platform for exchange. I want everyone to know that our government is making every effort to realize our vitally important goal of making Taiwan the green energy hub of Asia. In the future, global industrial demand for green energy will only continue to grow. This year, Taiwan began to implement provisions that will spur major power consumers to increase the proportion of renewable energy they use within five years. The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will also subject the carbon footprints of export products to more rigorous inspections. As such, many international enterprises have joined the RE100 initiative, under which they have committed to using 100-percent renewable energy in the future. Here, TSMC and UMC are among the companies which have joined RE100 and have acted on their green energy commitments. I'm sure you all noticed that last week, SEMI released new data showing that Taiwan's firms spent over US$7.3 billion on semiconductor manufacturing equipment in the third quarter, setting a domestic record and making Taiwan the world's largest market for such equipment. This year, the output value of Taiwan's semiconductor industry is projected to surpass NT$4 trillion for the first time ever. Our semiconductor industry is indeed thriving. To meet urgent industry demand for green energy, our government is speeding up and expanding our green energy rollout, and is helping make Taiwan's energy sector an indispensable link in the international green energy supply chain. I also want to share with you that Taiwan's solar energy installed capacity has grown by a factor of 4.7 over the past five years, and our second offshore wind farm has also started operation. We expect that, through 2025, wind and solar power construction projects in Taiwan will generate NT$1.7 trillion in investments, more than NT$2 trillion in output value, and 160,000 job opportunities. To further progress and develop, Taiwan must continue to promote the transformation of our energy sector. To reach our long-term goal of net-zero emissions, we need to use natural gas in this transitional period and build a more flexible and responsive power supply network. Building the third liquefied natural gas import terminal will help relieve the imbalance created by generating power for northern Taiwan in central and southern Taiwan, and will also reduce air pollution in central and southern Taiwan. This facility is crucial to Taiwan's energy sector and to achieving net-zero emissions. We all know how important energy is to our nation's economic development, industrial competitiveness, and people's everyday lives. So, however difficult this energy transition may be, our government will continue to engage with people throughout society to jointly resolve any issues we might encounter. I hope we can combine our collective strengths and resolutely forge ahead on this path. In closing, I want to thank the organizer and co-organizers for their efforts to expand the scope of this exhibition every year. I also want to congratulate today's award winners, and thank each of you for your contributions to transforming Taiwan's energy sector. Let's continue to work together toward this goal. Thank you, and I wish you all a successful exhibition. Following her address, President Tsai presented the SEMI Taiwan Industry Contribution Awards, Taiwan Excellent PV Awards, Top Solar Awards, and PVGSA Renewable PV Power System Promotion Awards to awardees and firms. The president also visited the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, United Renewable Energy, and Taiwan Solar Energy Corporation exhibition booths and listened to presentations introducing their products. Also in attendance at the exhibition were Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng (林全能), Chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council James C. F. Huang (黃志芳), SEMI Taiwan President Terry Tsao (曹世綸), and members of the diplomatic corps stationed in Taiwan.

On the afternoon of October 14, President Tsai Ing-wen delivered recorded opening remarks at the 2021 Taiwan Innotech Expo. President Tsai emphasized that, to respond to the need for digital transformation and innovative development in the business sector, the government has been guiding companies in upgrading their R&D capabilities, and has also been working to promote national digital transformation so that Taiwan can make further progress toward becoming a "smart nation." The president also expressed hope that the Taiwan Innotech Expo would facilitate the involvement of more people in these efforts, so that Taiwan can continually improve its R&D capabilities and make greater strides toward our goal of industrial innovation. A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows: The Taiwan Innotech Expo is being held this year as a hybrid event, with both physical and virtual exhibits. These exhibits cover everything from space technology and digital transformation to new agriculture, highlighting Taiwan's rich and diverse range of innovative capabilities. This year's expo brings together R&D achievements from 10 different government agencies, as well as outstanding R&D teams from Taiwan and around the world. There are more than 300 firms from 24 countries, with 1,300 tech products on display. I want to thank each of the government agencies involved for their hard work setting up this event. Over the past few years, to respond to the need for digital transformation and innovative development in the business sector, the government has been guiding companies to enhance their R&D capabilities and has been promoting national digital transformation so that Taiwan can make further progress toward becoming a "smart nation." Taiwan also places highly in rankings of global competitiveness. The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) ranked Taiwan eighth in its 2021 World Competitiveness Yearbook, up three spots from last year and the first time that Taiwan has ranked in the top 10. And in the IMD Yearbook's category of "total R&D personnel per capita," Taiwan was ranked first in the world. These rankings show once again that the world recognizes and respects Taiwan's R&D capabilities. Though the pandemic has tested us, we see it as an opportunity for Taiwan to innovate and transform itself. Today's opening highlights the foundation we have built with our 5+2 innovative industries plan, as well as the results of technological research under our Six Core Strategic Industries policy. We hope this expo will spur more people to help Taiwan continue to improve its R&D capabilities and make great strides in innovation. In closing, I wish everyone a successful and productive expo. Thank you.

On the morning of August 3, President Tsai Ing-wen met with leaders of the Reform for Resilience Commission's (R4R) Asia-Pacific Hub. In her remarks at the meeting, President Tsai highlighted the importance of promoting sustainable, balanced development and building a more robust social safety net as countries around the world continue to concurrently fight the pandemic and pursue economic recovery. The president expressed hope that the leaders of the R4R Asia-Pacific Hub would continue to contribute their expertise to advancing Taiwan's international cooperation and developing more resilient models for sustainable development, further aiding global disease prevention efforts. A translation of the president's remarks follows: I would like to welcome our visitors to the Presidential Office. All of you play key roles in academia or industry in Taiwan, and have long been involved in public affairs. You have also used your influence to speak up for Taiwan internationally, raising our global profile. For some time now, fighting COVID-19 has been the main focus of countries around the world, including Taiwan. I want to thank you all for your efforts to share the lessons learned in Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region with the world to strengthen both domestic and international disease prevention efforts, while also helping to promote Taiwan's global ties. Your work concerns the crucial challenge of "resilience" in the post-pandemic era, which has also become a popular topic in the field of global governance. In fact, our national security agencies have for a long time been conducting tests on many aspects of social resilience, and have been engaged in infrastructure projects to protect against the damage that we know natural disasters and pandemics can cause to the overall structure of our society. This is why I believe it is so important that your work has allowed us to engage with the international community on this issue. Taiwan has indeed faced many challenges recently, but we have withstood them one by one, demonstrating the resilience of Taiwanese society. I have often called Taiwan an "island of resilience," and we have weathered such storms for centuries. I believe that many challenges lie ahead, but as long as we work together, we can get through them all. At this stage of the pandemic, as countries around the world maintain disease prevention efforts and pursue economic recovery, we are all also thinking about how to promote sustainable, balanced development and build a more robust social safety net. I hope that Taiwan will have even more opportunities to share our experiences in this area with other nations. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate former Vice President Chen Chien-jen, who was named by Pope Francis as a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Your appointment let the whole world see Taiwan's academic achievements, and I believe it was an affirmation of Taiwan's democratic system in light of your past service as our vice president. To close, I would like to once again thank all the experts and scholars here today for everything you have done for Taiwan. I hope you will continue to contribute your expertise to strengthening Taiwan's international cooperation and developing more resilient models for sustainable development, further aiding global disease prevention efforts. Also in attendance at the meeting were R4R Commissioners former Vice President Chen Chien-jen and Acer founder Stan Shih (施振榮), as well as Prof. Chang-Chuan Chan (詹長權), Prof. Syaru Shirley Lin (林夏如), John Tzuchiang Li (李自強), and Prof. Chou Kuei-tien (周桂田), who serve, respectively, as Advisory Board Chair, Chair and Convenor, Executive Director, and research partner of the R4R Asia-Pacific Hub.

President Tsai Ing-wen attended a press conference announcing investment from Microsoft in Taiwan on the afternoon of October 26. In remarks, she commended their increased investment, and said that Microsoft will be an excellent partner for Taiwan, allowing us to make an international impact together, which is a powerful and crucial aspect of expanding Taiwan-US collaboration. Microsoft's latest Taiwan investment plan will give the Taiwan-US partnership a jolt of added vitality across the board, and will certainly be to the benefit of both sides. A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows: I am delighted to join you here today to witness this momentous occasion as Microsoft increases its investment in Taiwan. First, I would like to thank Microsoft for its long-standing optimistic approach to Taiwan, and its willingness to invest resources and make long-term commitments to Taiwan as an important partner. During my first term of office when we promoted our 5+2 innovative industries plan, Microsoft led the way in responding to our Asia Silicon Valley Development Plan by announcing the establishment of an IoT Innovation Center. Microsoft then continued to expand its investments in Taiwan. In 2018, the company set up Asia’s first artificial intelligence R&D center in Taiwan, and announced another major increase in investment this year. The current pandemic has led to massive changes in the global economy, and sped up the reorganization of global supply chains. This critical moment is the best time to deepen Taiwan-US cooperation. Taiwan holds a key advantage in high-end hardware manufacturing, and is a reliable and secure partner to the US, and other technologically-advanced countries, in information security and intellectual property rights protection. The US is the global leader in high-tech development. By combining Taiwan and the US’s respective strengths and enhancing our cooperation in supply chain realignment, those nations can make great leaps in technological advancement and an immense positive economic impact. Microsoft’s increased investment in Taiwan is a powerful and crucial aspect of expanding Taiwan's global collaboration, especially with the US, as Microsoft is a global leader in so many different technological fields. I am certain that Microsoft will be an excellent partner for us, working with Taiwan to make an international impact. Taiwan and the US are committed partners in developing global markets. Together we can create a global sales network, enter and establish ourselves in the Indo-Pacific region, build brand new supply chains, and develop vast new business opportunities. This latest Taiwan investment plan Microsoft is announcing today will play a key role in strengthening Taiwan-US cooperation. What is more, it is an important milestone in our joint efforts to build a "digital Taiwan." Microsoft's plans for Taiwan include the establishment of its first regional cloud data center as well as the expansion of its cloud hardware team. These investments can effectively drive the development of Taiwan's cloud industry, boost innovative momentum in our industries, and ensure that the world is aware of Taiwan's formidable R&D capabilities. On the industrial front, further enhancing 5G, AI, and AIoT industrial applications can spur digital transformation in medicine, the financial sector, and smart government. Beyond that, it can also drive robust development for enterprises throughout our economy. And finally, I would like to thank Microsoft for its exciting plans over the next several years to cultivate 200,000 digital professionals in Taiwan, provide more than 30,000 job opportunities, and generate more than NT$300 billion worth of industrial output. I firmly believe that this latest Taiwan investment plan of Microsoft's will give Taiwan-US cooperation a jolt of added vitality across the board, and will certainly be to the benefit of both all involved. President Tsai then joined the guests present in the launch ceremony. Among those on hand for the ceremony were American Institute in Taiwan Deputy Director Raymond Greene and Microsoft General Manager Ken Sun.  

On the morning of September 24, President Tsai Ing-wen met with directors and supervisors from SEMI and the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA), as well as other top executives of semiconductor enterprises from home and abroad. The president emphasized that SEMICON Taiwan being held as usual this year despite the pandemic highlights not only Taiwan's achievements in controlling the spread of COVID-19, but also the resilience of our semiconductor sector. She expressed hope that through the concerted efforts of our government and private sectors, the industry will continue to boost competitiveness, and remain a global leader. A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows: I attended the SEMICON Taiwan Leadership Gala Dinner with many of you yesterday, and I am delighted to host you today here at the Presidential Office so we can communicate further. Every year in September, the SEMICON Taiwan international semiconductor exhibition is a major event that receives a lot of attention in Taiwan, as well as global semiconductor industry circles. This year, as we face the challenges of a global pandemic, everyone either holding or participating in this exhibition is putting in a lot of extra effort. To serve international firms that could not come to Taiwan, this year there is a completely new, hybrid physical-virtual exhibit platform to help visitors from around the world overcome travel limitations and access the latest market information. Everyone has worked so hard to overcome existing obstacles for one purpose: to increase the competitiveness and impact of Taiwan's semiconductor industry. Last Tuesday, under the leadership of SEMI Taiwan President Terry Tsao (曹世綸), SEMI announced the establishment of a high-tech innovation and entrepreneurship platform. During the current SEMICON Taiwan exhibition, SEMI also held a semiconductor matchmaking event to support startup enterprises and help Taiwan enter global markets. Beginning last month, TSIA Chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) also began his term as this year's global chairman of the World Semiconductor Council (WSC). This year, TSIA also held the WSC annual meeting for the third time, with Chairman Liu taking on great responsibilities, which I am sure will strengthen the Taiwan semiconductor industry's international connections. I would like to take this opportunity to offer a special thanks to SEMI and TSIA for their contributions, and to all of you for your tremendous efforts to spur overall industry development. Taiwan's semiconductor industry is a key force in global supply chains. We see semiconductors as a critical strategic industry, and will actively assist industry players to resolve difficult problems to continue consolidating domestic semiconductor industry advantages, and even more importantly, accelerating transformation and development. In my 2020 inauguration speech, I mentioned that our Six Core Strategic Industries include many semiconductor-related industries, which are key industries for our next generation of industrial development and a top priority. We are addressing the talent issue that everyone is concerned about. Our Executive Yuan, through cooperation among government agencies including the National Development Council, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Ministry of Education, has recently discussed various ways to meet industry needs, including setting up an advanced semiconductor education program, and increasing the number of faculty and students in related academic departments. So wherever you want to go, we will be able to send talent there. We are also continuing to implement our plan to make Taiwan an advanced manufacturing center for semiconductors. Focal points for future development include the localization of material supplies, boosting technological autonomy, the localization of foreign equipment manufacturing, and increasing domestic production of advanced packaging equipment. We will implement these initiatives one-by-one to give Taiwan's semiconductor industry more potent technological capabilities and more complete industry supply chains, enhancing our key position in global supply chains. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of SEMI, and its half-century of history makes this an especially significant year. The fact that SEMICON Taiwan was held as usual this year amidst a pandemic highlights not only Taiwan's achievements in controlling the spread of COVID-19, but also the resilience of our semiconductor sector. Through this exhibition, Taiwan's semiconductor industry provides access to the latest industry trends and market opportunities, promoting international cooperation and exchanges while accelerating the global economic recovery. This is the impact of Taiwan's semiconductor industry. In the future, I hope that through the concerted efforts of our government and private sectors, the industry will continue to boost competitiveness, and remain a leader in the global semiconductor industry. Also attending the meeting were TSIA Chairman Mark Liu, ASE Technology Holding Company Director and Chief Operating Officer Tien Wu (吳田玉), SEMI Taiwan President Terry Tsao, and Etron Technology Chairman & CEO Nicky Lu (盧超群).

On the morning of August 1, President Lai Ching-te delivered remarks at the Presidential Office on the response to the reciprocal tariff policy of the United States. President Lai explained that technical consultations with the US are finished, but as the final concluding meeting has not yet taken place, 20 percent has been set for Taiwan as an interim tariff rate. The president said that Taiwan will work towards a more favorable and reasonable rate in the subsequent negotiations, and that the US has expressed its willingness to continue talks. He added that a support plan for Taiwan’s export supply chain in response to US tariffs has been proposed to assist small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in responding to the US tariff policy. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: Earlier today, the US government informed our lead negotiator, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), that an interim tariff rate for Taiwan has been set at 20 percent. Since April 2, when the US introduced its new tariff policy targeting countries worldwide, Taiwan has actively engaged in four in-person rounds of negotiation and multiple discussions over videoconference with the US government. Throughout the process, both sides have negotiated in good faith based on the shared goal of addressing the trade deficit between Taiwan and the US and creating complementary and mutually beneficial outcomes. Although we have achieved an interim reduction in the tariff rate from 32 percent to 20 percent at this point in the negotiations, 20 percent was never our goal. We hope to work towards a more favorable and reasonable rate for Taiwan in the subsequent negotiations, and the US has expressed its willingness to continue talks. We have finished technical consultations, but as the final concluding meeting has not yet taken place, a final tariff rate has not yet been reached. This is the reason for the setting of an interim tariff rate. I extend my sincere gratitude to Vice Premier Cheng and Minister without Portfolio of the Executive Yuan Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) for working tirelessly over the past few months leading the negotiation team, remaining on call whether in Taiwan or the US. From here in Taiwan I, along with Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), and Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安), have also provided full support to our negotiating team in the US. Regardless of the final tariff rate, Taiwan’s industries will inevitably be impacted. I am deeply grateful to Premier Cho for proposing on April 4 a support plan for Taiwan’s export supply chain in response to US tariffs, and for holding over 20 industry consultation sessions. The special budget has also been increased from NT$88 billion to NT$93 billion. This special act has already been submitted to the Legislative Yuan and passed review. I hope that the Executive Yuan will promptly submit the budget request for legislative review so that the special budget can be implemented as soon as possible to assist SMEs in responding to this new US tariff policy.