TAIPEI (TVBS News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) emphasized Taiwan's commitment to enhancing trade ties with the U.S. by reviewing trade cooperation opportunities and expanding investments and procurement to balance bilateral trade on Friday (Feb. 14).
Following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a "fair" and "reciprocal" tariff plan, Lai convened a National Security Council (國家安全會議) meeting where he revealed plans for a "Global Semiconductor Democratic Supply Chain Partnership Initiative." (全球半導體民主供應鏈夥伴倡議)
The initiative aims to collaborate with the U.S. and other democratic partners to build a more resilient and diversified semiconductor supply chain. He also highlighted Taiwan's role as a reliable U.S. trade partner, noting investments exceeding US$100 billion by 2024, in the midst of creating nearly 400,000 jobs.
The Taiwanese president pointed out that in 2023 and 2024, Taiwan's investments in the U.S. accounted for over 40% of its total foreign investments, surpassing investments in China. Lai expressed his commitment to strengthening guidance and encouragement for Taiwanese businesses to increase U.S. investments and expand their global presence. He also stressed the importance of Taiwan-U.S. collaboration in Artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced semiconductor development and manufacturing.
The Taiwanese leader emphasized that he has instructed national security and administrative teams to swiftly implement these policies and to closely monitor international developments.