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On the evening of March 26, President Lai Ching-te attended the annual Hsieh Nien Fan (謝年飯) banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan). In remarks, President Lai stated that based on the trust built from adherence to democratic values, Taiwan has become a proactive contributor to global economic development and a co-builder of global supply chain resilience. He noted in particular that the economic ties between Taiwan and the United States are now closer than ever, and that the two sides signed the Joint Statement on the Pax Silica Declaration and Taiwan-US Economic Security Cooperation, as well as a memorandum of understanding on investment to solidify our bilateral investment framework. The president said that Taiwan and the US are more than just trade partners, as both also jointly maintain economic security. President Lai stated that the government will continue optimizing the investment environment, forge ahead with 10 new AI infrastructure initiatives, and boost national defense and whole-of-society resilience in hopes of laying the most solid foundation possible for Taiwan's industries. He said that together, we will usher in a golden age of Taiwan-US economic cooperation.
A transcript of President Lai's remarks follows:
AmCham Taiwan is a vital bridge for the promotion of Taiwan-US cooperation in trade and the economy. For many years, AmCham's White Paper and policy recommendations have helped Taiwan to optimize its investment environment and showcase the power and potential of Taiwan's industries on the international stage.
So tonight, on behalf of our government, I would like to express appreciation to our AmCham friends for committing to Taiwan and trusting in Taiwan.
Today's Taiwan is a crucial node in global technology supply chains, and it is a solid, trustworthy partner for democracies worldwide. Our strength comes not only from our world-leading semiconductor and ICT industries, but also from our agile and innovative MSMEs. Our close-knit network in which businesses of all sizes thrive together, each focusing on what it does best, makes Taiwan flexible and adaptable when responding to global impacts.
Today's Taiwan is more than just a manufacturing base for chips and components. Thanks to the trust we built from our adherence to democratic values, Taiwan has become a proactive contributor to global economic development and a co-builder of global supply chain resilience.
It is also a great pleasure to see Taiwan and the US further developing our comprehensive strategic partnership. In particular, I want to note that the economic ties between Taiwan and the US are now closer than ever.
This January, AmCham published its 2026 Business Climate Survey . In it, we see that 84 percent of the companies reported stable or increased revenue last year. And 92 percent said they plan to maintain or increase investment in Taiwan.
In recent years, we have also seen many new developments, including Entegris' new Kaohsiung facility, Micron's Taichung facilities , AMD's R&D centers in southern Taiwan, and Google's AI infrastructure R&D center, as well as NVIDIA's announcement of an overseas headquarters in Taiwan. These examples demonstrate the importance and confidence that major American tech firms place in Taiwan.
Taiwanese enterprises are also continuing to expand investment in the US, and our economic and trade ties are steadily deepening. The US is now Taiwan's top outward investment destination. It is also Taiwan's largest export market.
This January, Taiwan and the US held our sixth annual Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue. During the meeting, we signed the Joint Statement on the Pax Silica Declaration and Taiwan-US Economic Security Cooperation. That same month, we also signed an MOU on investment to solidify our bilateral investment framework.
These are important milestones for Taiwan-US economic and trade relations, showing that our cooperation is growing more institutionalized, more stable, and more predictable. Taiwan and the US are more than just trade partners – we invest in each other, we innovate together, and we jointly maintain economic security.
To sustain our key role in the international community, Taiwan must have a robust foundation at home. Last year, our economy grew by 8.68 percent, reflecting our strong industrial capabilities.
To keep the momentum going, this year our government will continue optimizing the investment environment and forge ahead with 10 new AI infrastructure initiatives. We will also boost our national defense and whole-of-society resilience. This way, we hope to lay the most solid foundation possible for our industries.
Taiwan is like a tree. To thrive, stand tall, and reach to the sky, it must have strong, healthy roots set firmly in the earth. My administration is committed to enriching this land, ensuring our industrial foundations strike deeper and spread wider.
To close, I want to again thank AmCham Taiwan and all our friends in business who have walked alongside us. Taiwan treasures your trust. Through policies that are more open, stable, and forward-looking, we will together usher in a golden age of Taiwan-US economic cooperation.
After remarks, President Lai, AmCham Taiwan Chairperson Anita Chen (陳幼臻), and American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene raised their glasses in recognition of the strong Taiwan-US friendship.
