TAIWAN: President Tsai Ing-wen said on Monday that Taiwan wants to make sure that its allies have stable access to semiconductors, or “democracy chips,” and that because of China’s threats, democratic allies must work together.
After U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s brief visit, which infuriated China, which sees the island nation as its own territory, Governor Eric Holcomb is made his third journey to Taiwan this month with a delegation from the United States.
Soon after Pelosi’s visit, China conducted significant military drills close to the island nation. Beijing’s claims of sovereignty are rejected by the island nation, which maintains that only the island’s residents have the authority to make such decisions.
“I landed in Taipei to kick off an economic development trip in Taiwan & South Korea. Indiana’s home to 10 Taiwanese & 12 South Korean businesses. This week marks my 2nd trip to South Korea as Governor & I’m proud to be the first governor to visit Taiwan since before the pandemic,” Holcomb said.
During a meeting at her office in Taipei, Tsai informed Holcomb that the island nation had faced military threats from China in and around the Taiwan Strait.
She further stated in statements that were broadcast live on her social media accounts that “democratic allies at this time must stand together and strengthen collaboration across all fields.”
Holcomb to meet Taiwan’s semiconductor companies
As ties between his state and Taiwan are growing, Holcomb met the representatives of the country’s semiconductor companies during his visit.
Tsai declared that “economic security is a crucial component of national and regional security.” The island nation is prepared and able to deepen its collaboration with democratic allies to create long-lasting supply networks for democracy chips.
Holcomb spoke on his state’s efforts to help the tech sector, citing the June launch of a new design centre in Indiana in partnership with Purdue University by Taiwan’s MediaTek Inc (2454.TW), the world’s fourth-largest chip designer by revenue.
He stated, “We eagerly anticipate working with them to design the future. According to Holcomb, the best high-technology talent in the world was available in Taiwan.”
“To make supply chain hardships into supply chain profits is something we’re especially addressing. Doing it together, in my opinion, will help us get there faster and more resolutely,” he said.
Wistron Corp (3231. TW), a Taiwanese electronics contract manufacturer and Purdue signed a cooperation agreement under Holcomb’s supervision. Simon Lin, the chairman of Wistron, mentioned potential areas of cooperation, such as cybersecurity and smart factories.
As a global chip shortage affects consumer electronics and vehicle production, the East Asian country has been eager to prove to the United States, its biggest overseas supporter, that it is a trustworthy ally.
Following the enactment this month of a U.S. bill to support the domestic semiconductor industry as it competes with Chinese and other international manufacturers, Tsai claimed Indiana stood to become a centre for chip technology.
In the American state of Arizona, TSMC is constructing a $12 billion facility.
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