NDC chief eyes deeper ties with U.S. tech sector

Washington, June 27 (CNA) Taiwan and the United States should work more closely on exchanges in the tech sector, in particular on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, telecoms, and space exploration, National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said during a visit to Washington D.C. Monday.

In a speech given at the Global Taiwan Institute, a think tank researching Taiwan's international policy, Kung said deeper bilateral cooperation would not only create business opportunities but also serve as a major driving force for related developments across the world, such as digital transformation.

The fact that he is leading a 265-member delegation to the SelectUSA Investment Summit, an annual event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce aimed at attracting foreign investment into the U.S., was a good example of such ties, Kung said.

Taiwan is sending the largest non-U.S. delegation to SelectUSA for the fourth consecutive year.

Kung also noted that Taiwan and the U.S. held the inaugural U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade meeting on Monday, which was attended by Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi and Taiwan's chief trade negotiator John Deng (鄧振中).

"Taiwan-U.S. relations are at their best for over 40 years," Kung said, adding that the two countries made suitable trade partners thanks to their shared democratic values.

Kung also touched on Taiwan-U.S. cooperation with regard to global supply chain restructuring, saying that trade volume between both sides had grown significantly since the U.S. and China began imposing tariffs on each other's goods in 2018.

More direct trade ties between Taiwan and the U.S. had helped prevent an overreliance on China, which had taken advantage of trade deficits in the past to demand technology or intellectual property transfers, Kung said.