German office looks to boost ties with Taiwan on aerospace, healthcare

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) The new head of the German Trade Office Taipei (GTO) said Tuesday that she is looking to enhance Germany's collaborations with Taiwan in aerospace, healthcare and machinery industries.

The GTO's new chief representative, Eva Langerbeck, told CNA that in addition to semiconductors, German companies are keen to explore collaboration opportunities with Taiwan in aerospace technologies, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and automated machinery.

Those are the areas she plans to place at the "forefront" of her work in Taiwan, said Langerbeck, who assumed the role of GTO head in June. She was previously posted to Malaysia.

In that regard, a delegation comprising nine German companies will visit Taiwan in October to explore potential business collaborations, which will be followed by more groups next year, said Langerbeck, who doubles as GTO executive director.

As everyone is "heavily focused on semiconductors," she continued, the office will continue working to serve "the wave of the semiconductor investment" among German and Taiwanese chip suppliers.

Langerbeck added that she is "confident" bilateral trade ties between Taiwan and Germany will "go further now with the TSMC investment."

She was referring to plans by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, to build a 10 billion euro (US$11.04 billion) chip fab in Dresden, eastern Germany.

Construction of the fab began in late August, with chip production expected to commence in 2027.

Supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the GTO represents 46 corporate members with operations in Taiwan.