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Taiwan is looking to engage with other countries despite facing enormous pressure from China, which claims the island as its own. Taiwanese economy minister Wang Mei-Hua assured the European Union that the island will remain a trusted partner in the global chip industry.
In a report by Reuters, Wang met with officials from the European Union in rare high-profile discussions described by Taipei as a major “breakthrough.” Wang assured the EU officials that Taiwan will continue to be a trusted partner in the industry, as the island nation is a major semiconductor producer.
The European Union has been reaching out to Taiwan to build plants in the West despite the island’s continuing resistance to China. Taiwan is also determined to show that it can be a good ally to its fellow democratic governments around the world.
Wang’s ministry issued a statement about the talks with the EU’s director-general for trade, Sabine Weyand, saying that the meeting mostly focused on semiconductor cooperation.
“Taiwan will continue to be a trusted partner of the global semiconductor industry and help stabilize supply chain resilience,” the ministry stressed in the statement, adding that Taiwan is doing what it can to help the EU and other partners resolve a global shortage of chips.
Back in February, the EU introduced the European Chips Act, mentioning Taiwan as one of the partners that the bloc would like to work with.
The European Commission confirmed the recent talks, noting that it is still in line with the “One China” policy and strategy to increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Taiwan is also set to hold more trade discussions with the United States, with its lead negotiator John Deng, after the island was not included in the US economic plan for the region.
Deng has pushed for Taiwan’s inclusion in Washington’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework as the US looks to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
Taiwanese Cabinet spokesperson Lo Ping-cheng told reporters this week Deng would be holding online discussions with one of the deputies of US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Sarah Bianchi, on trade issues between the two nations. Deng and Tai previously met in April.
