Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan, on the morning of July 12 (US time), attended the US-Taiwan Business Summit. The Mayor stated, during the media interview before the summit, that after the US-China trade war, the global supply chain has gradually transferred from China to the United States. According to statistics in the first half of this year (2019), the amount of Taiwan’s electronic products shipping directly to the United States has increased 20%. The United States also sees Taiwan as a reliable business partner that protects intellectual property rights. He believes that in the future, there will be flourishing trade and business exchange between Taiwan and the United States. The visit this time facilitates business and trade dialogue between Taiwan and the United States for more cooperation and exchange in the future. In addition, it also shows that Taiwan, under the Indo-Pacific strategy led by the United States, is not only a democratic partner, but also an indispensable strategic partner and a reliable technology partner.
Mayor Cheng pointed out that after the US-China trade war, many Taiwanese companies have returned to Taiwan, and according to the number of return projects registered and approved, it is expected by the end of this year, investments will exceed 20 billion US dollars. Take Taoyuan for example. Taoyuan has approved 16 applications with the amount of 3.4 billion US dollars in total, and the number is still increasing. Taoyuan has established a designated task force for businesses returning to Taiwan to solve issues such as lands, utilities, and employee recruitment in order to speed up the process. Mayor Cheng stressed that the city government and the Ministry of Economic Affairs have set up a one-stop mechanism, and that he would mention the cooperation direction for Taiwan and the US in the technology industry in the summit.
Mayor Cheng mentioned that yesterday, he visited Deputy Assistant Secretary Ian Steff of the Department of Commerce. Deputy Assistant Secretary Steff was very interested and supportive of US-Taiwan industry exchange and investments. The Mayor also said that he hopes that in the future, the Department of Commerce can help facilitate business and trade cooperation between Taiwan and the United States. In addition, he also had a quick exchange with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia Diane Farrell of the International Trade Administration on city governance and invited her to visit Taiwan.