《TAIPEI TIMES》Taiwan to reach out to world, Tsai says

By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter

Taiwan has to cooperate with other countries in establishing a resilient and secure global supply chain in the face of authoritarian expansion, President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） said at the Asia Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce’s meeting of directors and supervisors yesterday.

請繼續往下閱讀...

Taiwan should “reach out to the world and become a key force in the global economy” as Asia-Pacific is the future economic center of the world, Tsai told the organization comprising of Taiwanese businesspeople based overseas.

Taiwanese industries should grasp development trends in the world and “shine brightly on the global stage,” she said.

The government has been actively promoting the New Southbound Policy in the past few years, which has provided some results, she said, citing the record trade volume of US$180.3 billion between Taiwan and New Southbound Policy’s target countries last year.

The government allocated a budget of NT$31.7 billion （US$1.02 billion） for three years to help small and medium-sized enterprises recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen Taiwan’s economic and social resilience, she said.

It also helped enhance the competitiveness of Taiwanese businesses through net zero carbon emission and digital transition, she said.

The establishment of 11 semiconductor colleges and research institutes in key national fields can help cultivate high-level talents to drive industrial progress and to attract students from all over the world to study in Taiwan, she said.

The government is also planning to launch the Talent Taiwan program, which is a one-stop service center to recruit international talent, she said.

Tsai thanked Taiwanese businesspeople based overseas for promoting diplomacy and their care for Taiwan’s industrial development.

She encouraged them to continue deepening the economic and trade links between Taiwan and Indo-Pacific countries and contributing to regional economic development.

Premier Chen Chien-jen （陳建仁） said that in response to the concerns raised by Taiwanese businesspeople based overseas when they visited Cabinet in April, the government expanded employment incentives and launched industry-academia collaboration programs to help fill shortages in the workforce.

Chen encouraged domestic and overseas Taiwanese businesses to promote the green transition of the industry to tackle the challenges posed by climate change.

He thanked Taiwanese businesspeople based overseas for advocating for Taiwan’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the WHO and the World Health Assembly.

Overseas Community Affairs Council Minister Hsu Chia-ching （徐佳青） said that number of overseas Taiwanese students who returned to Taiwan to study from Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand increased this year.

The council is to continue to work with overseas Taiwanese businesspeople to attract, nurture and retain overseas Taiwanese talents, she said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES