Mayor of Taoyuan, Cheng Wen-tsan, is promoting his city’s advantages as an important investment destination and supply chain for US businesses and calling for closer Taiwan–US cooperation.
At the SDG Series luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan) today, the mayor was invited to give a speech entitled “Taoyuan: Your best partner in Taiwan–US tech industry cooperation”, in which he stressed the values shared by both Taiwan and the US, including human rights, democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. He also said that bilateral cooperation now encompasses areas of regional security as part of the US Indo-Pacific strategy, promotion of democracy and freedom, technology, economy, energy, education, culture, intellectual property protection, and information security.
The mayor then detailed the city’s unique advantages as the primary destination for US businesses—its position as the country’s gateway, convenient transportation and logistics networks, high degree of industrial development, and highly mature industrial clusters. As many renowned US technology companies have suppliers in Taoyuan, the city’s supply chain guarantees the quality of US brands “made in Taoyuan”, said the mayor.
According to the mayor, investment by US businesses is an important engine to enable industries in Taoyuan to grow to a global scale. During the pandemic, Taiwan has seen significant growth in its optoelectronics and IT industries, while its semiconductor industry has also continued to expand. In addition to the science parks in Taichung and Tainan, Taoyuan is now home to an increasing number of semiconductor suppliers, including Applied Materials, global leader in materials engineering solutions for the semiconductor industry, which has made the city its main overseas hub.
In his speech, the mayor gave several examples of how his city government is working with US businesses: As part of the Asia Silicon Valley project in Taoyuan, Cisco Systems Taiwan is teaming up with the city government to create a demo site for innovative 5G applications. The effort will turn Taoyuan from an ICT hub into a powerhouse for 5G technology. As Taiwan pushes for energy transformation, GE is set to co-organize the GE Innovation Challenge Awards with the city government to encourage new ideas on energy conservation and reduction of carbon emissions. An important energy partner and exemplary corporate citizen, GE has also worked with the local community to contribute wherever possible.
The mayor expressed pride in his city’s efficient and friendly service to US businesses and the positive relationship between the two sides. He told the audience how the city government’s one-stop service helped expedite the administrative process and permitting in the Micron plant expansion and facilitated Costco’s opening of its biggest retail store in Taiwan. The mayor said the Taoyuan City Government will continue to offer the best services and expressed his ambition to reach out to the rest of the world, including forging an even closer partnership with the US.
Host Leo Seewald, president of the newly renamed AmCham Taiwan (formerly AmCham Taipei), said his organization will seek to work with Taiwan in many more fields and will act as a bridge between the two sides. Commenting on the businesses present at the luncheon, Seewald said they are all very active in Taiwan and the event was a great opportunity for them to interact with delegates from Taoyuan.
The mayor of Taoyuan was originally scheduled to give a speech at the AmCham Taiwan luncheon in February, but the event was delayed owing to the pandemic. The mayor told the audience how his city has acted as the frontline in Taiwan’s efforts to combat the pandemic and that therefore Taoyuan’s airport, hospitals, and communities have shouldered the most risks and responsibilities. Thanks to cooperation between city and central governments, said the mayor, Taiwan has had a minimal number of confirmed Covid-19 cases and local infections and extremely low mortality. The mayor attributed the country’s stellar economic growth to its success in containing the pandemic. He also pointed out that sectors of the “low-touch economy” in particular—including electronics, optoelectronic equipment, and ICT products—saw double-digit year-on-year increases in both production and export orders.