Taiwan a trusted tech giant globally: Former U.S. official

Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) A former United States official on Thursday lauded Taiwan as a technology powerhouse that is trusted worldwide and is seen as an inspirational beacon of democracy.

Taiwan is an "embodiment of the trust doctrine," Keith Krach, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, said at an annual semiconductor expo in Taipei.

The semiconductor industry is "a perfect example how Taiwan's trusted technology brand can expand global influence by adhering to democratic values and by focusing on trust and transparency," Krach said in a talk at SEMICON Taiwan 2024.

Trust is a symbol of tech diplomacy, and "Taiwan is trusted all over the world," he said in the talk titled "Technology Diplomacy - the Semiconductor Industry's New Role in Global Affairs."

He said tech diplomacy did not emerge overnight, but rather was born out of necessity in a world where technology and global affairs have become inseparable.

Against that backdrop, Taiwan is not just a technological powerhouse, "but a beacon of democracy and liberty that inspires nations far beyond its borders," Krach said.

In an oblique reference to China, he said that when he was under secretary in the U.S. government, his foreign counterparts would say in meetings that it was "a really important trading partner" but would also whisper, "we don't trust them."

During the discussion period after his talk, Krach was asked how China's access to advanced tech could be effectively blocked.

In response, he said the world is waking up and no longer thinks that capitalism would equal democracy.

"We need to treat them not how we hope they'd be, but how they truly are," he said, referring to China. "The only way to deal with them is with strength," which can be seen "here in Taiwan in all different dimensions."

Krach said technology is no longer just a tool but a medium through which nations interact, cooperate and compete.

As such, trust turns transformational technologies such as semiconductors "into a force for good," he said, adding that trust played a decisive role four years ago, when he and his team at the U.S. State Department brokered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC) expansion into the U.S.

"The deal was the largest foreign investment in U.S. history at the time, and it could not have happened if the U.S. and Taiwan did not trust each other," said Krach, who is the architect of the Clean Network Alliance of Democracies, an initiative that seeks to address "the long-term threat to data privacy, security, human rights and principled collaboration posed to the free world from authoritarian malign actors."

Following Krach's speech on Thursday, SEMI President and CEO Ajit Manocha said that in the future, he would like to have a session at the expo dedicated to tech diplomacy.

"Everybody should understand and learn that we really have to play by trust and transparency principles and also that we do not support any company or country if it does not comply with the international laws for national security, IP security, [and] cyber security," he said.

With emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing poised to "change the nature of the game even more," semiconductors now have become "very fundamental for humanity," Manocha said.

That makes tech diplomacy even more important, as the "bad guys" need to be prevented from "messing up," he said.

The session was co-sponsored by SEMI and the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, which Krach chairs.