Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-Hua attended the Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) online event on the evening of October 26th. The event emphasized that the trusted Taiwan-U.S. partnership on semiconductors would accelerate the development of next generation technology.
Titled "A Time to Choose: How the U.S. and Allies Can Maintain Semiconductor Leadership," the event was kicked off by opening remarks from Admiral Dennis Blair, chairman of SAFE. This was followed by a fireside chat between Minister Wang and U.S.-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) Chairman Michael Splinter, in which they exchanged views on Taiwan's perspectives concerning semiconductor production.
Regarding Chairman Michael Splinter's question about the future of Taiwan-U.S. technology cooperation, Minister Wang pointed out that this cooperation goes beyond the semiconductor industry because electric vehicles (EVs) and 5G are also potential areas for further cooperation. As for EVs, Taiwan's strength in the information and communications technology (ICT) and semiconductor industries has made it a competitive partner. Taiwan has abundant manufacturing and R&D capabilities in key electric systems, including electronic controls, motors, smart driver assistance systems, and the Internet of Vehicles (IoV). In fact, Taiwan has become a supply chain partner of top automakers such as Tesla, GM, and Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA).
In response to the question about how the Taiwan-U.S. semiconductor partnership could strengthen the potential for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA), Minister Wang indicated that a BTA could strengthen supply chain cooperation between like-minded partners. A Taiwan-U.S. BTA could ensure a more stable investment environment and trade protection for our respective industries. It could further strengthen important rules that are essential for the development of the semiconductor, ICT, and 5G industries, such as intellectual property rights (IPR), protection of trade secrets and other policies.