TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan and the U.S. concluded the sixth Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue (EPPD) on Monday (Jan. 27) U.S. Eastern time, marking a new chapter in bilateral relations. Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), Taiwan's Minister of Economic Affairs, and Jacob Helberg, a U.S. Under Secretary of State, led the discussions, resulting in seven key agreements to strengthen ties. The parties signed the Pax Silica Declaration and a joint economic security statement, underscoring Taiwan's strategic role in the global AI supply chain, according to a press release.
This year's EPPD was the first in-person meeting since the dialogue's inception in 2020. Discussions covered seven critical areas, including AI supply chains and digital infrastructure. Both sides agreed to establish multiple working groups to maintain ongoing dialogue on these essential topics. They committed to fostering partnerships between Taiwanese and U.S. companies in AI technology and advanced robotics. They also aim to promote the use of a reliable Traditional Chinese corpus in large language models (LLMs).
In a bid to enhance Taiwan's digital infrastructure resilience, the parties supported exploring low-orbit satellite cooperation and submarine cable security measures. They also agreed to strengthen collaboration in the mining and refining of critical minerals and to facilitate exchanges of electronic waste recycling technologies. The dialogue further paved the way for market entry and commercial development through drone certification, aiming to create a "non-red" supply chain for Taiwan-U.S. drone cooperation.
They also agreed to explore cooperative projects in priority regions such as the Philippines and Latin America. This initiative aims to bolster Taiwan's preparedness against economic coercion. Additionally, the dialogue emphasized ongoing cooperation in investment review and resolving double taxation issues. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (經濟部) said that the meeting, the first EPPD dialogue since President Trump's tenure, highlighted the importance both nations place on this mechanism.