TAIPEI (TVBS News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) expressed optimism Tuesday (Oct. 7) about Taiwan's pivotal role in supporting America's reindustrialization efforts and artificial intelligence ambitions. Speaking on "The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show" podcast, Lai emphasized the robust economic partnership between Taiwan and the United States.
A statement from the Office of the President detailed Lai's insights during the interview, covering cross-strait relations and Taiwan-U.S. economic partnership. He emphasized collaborative efforts that have fueled Taiwan's technological advancements through cooperation between government, academia, and research sectors. Lai attributed Taiwan's tech industry success to this multi-sector collaboration and strong public support.
Lai highlighted that although Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is significant in the semiconductor ecosystem, it represents only one component. He noted America's pivotal role in innovation, research and development, and design, while maintaining the world's largest market. Taiwan focuses primarily on wafer logic manufacturing, demonstrating the complementary nature of the bilateral tech partnership.
The Taiwanese government has supported TSMC's investments in the United States, Japan, and Germany, according to Lai. He believes TSMC will play a crucial role in America's reindustrialization and artificial intelligence development, further solidifying bilateral ties. Lai's remarks follow recent calls by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for a 50-50 split in chip production for the American market, a proposal Taiwan rejected given its dominance in high-end semiconductor manufacturing. ◼