TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) was the main speaker at AmCham’s 57th Hsieh Nian Fan on Thursday and covered trade relations, security, energy, and other topics.
Addressing the audience in English, Lai said he was confident Taiwanese and US companies would help each other maximize their technological expertise through mutual investments. He said he hopes Taiwan-US trade relations continue to grow.
Lai noted recent investments by Google, AMD, Nvidia, and other tech companies in Taiwan. He said US businesspeople’s confidence in Taiwan shows it is an “ideal investment destination.”
Lai said Taiwan’s business strengths were shown in a recent AmCham survey. The survey found that 80% of respondents were confident of Taiwan’s economic prospects for the next 12 months, and 90% of companies planned to maintain or increase their investments.
Lai said TSMC’s investment in Arizona in 2021 and this month’s announcement the investment would be expanded highlight the “enduring prosperity” of the US-Taiwan relationship. He noted that Taiwan's GlobalWafers had also established itself in Texas. "This will be followed by many other industries,” he said.
Lai said Taiwan is an indispensable partner in the US’ recent efforts to “reindustrialize” its economy and become an AI hub. “While the US is a leader in chip design, Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing plays an irreplaceable part in the supply chain.”
Taiwan will improve its investment environment and boost industrial innovation for both countries, Lai said. He said in addition to technology, Taiwan will expand trade with the US in agricultural products and natural gas.
Acknowledging Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy in the crowd, Lai thanked him for their meeting hours earlier. He said Taiwan is “very interested in buying Alaskan natural gas" for energy security.
Lai also hoped AmCham would advance a Taiwan-US double taxation agreement, echoing former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) comments at last year’s Hsieh Nian Fan. He said removing tax barriers will reinforce the two sides’ trade partnership.
Lai also committed to increasing Taiwan's defense spending to over 3% of GDP. He thanked US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru for their recent joint statement on the Taiwan Strait.
Lai said the US and Taiwan can work together to develop their defense industries. He said the government will prioritize special defense budgets, reform Taiwan's military, and welcomes US cooperation in Taiwan’s defense sector.
Dunleavy, AmCham Director Dan Silver, and AIT Director Raymond Green also spoke at the event. Green reflected many of Lai’s points and said US-Taiwan semiconductor, defense, and trade cooperation would strengthen both sides.
AmCham’s Hsieh Nian Fan is an annual event attended by Taiwanese and US business leaders and government officials. Typically, AmCham Taiwan members and companies sponsor seating at the event to the tune of at least NT$65,000 (US$2,030) per table, or NT$6,600 per member.
