Lai: Taiwan-U.S. joint statement a boost to economic security

Taipei, Feb. 3 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Tuesday that a joint statement recently signed between Taiwan and the United States demonstrated the two sides' shared commitment to strengthening economic security.

Lai was referring to the joint statement endorsing the principles of the Pax Silica Declaration, a U.S.-led initiative aimed at securing global semiconductor supply chains for advanced technologies.

Under the joint statement, the two sides affirmed a cooperation roadmap to bolster economic security, Lai said at the Presidential Office, noting that security, reliability and resilience are playing increasingly critical roles in the AI and semiconductor sectors amid geopolitical uncertainties.

To that end, Lai added, both sides are working to establish working groups to maintain close contact regarding issues of mutual interest.

The joint statement was signed on Jan. 27 during the sixth Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue (EPPD) in Virginia.

According to the joint statement issued by the U.S. Department of State, Taipei and Washington agreed to "endorse the principles of the Pax Silica Declaration" and "work together to further deepen our economic cooperation, in close coordination with the Pax Silica signatories."

It did not, however, comment on whether Taiwan would become a signatory to the declaration, which currently includes Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Addressing the issue in late December, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said, "I anticipate Taiwan's participation in Pax Silica-related discussions to continue … if there is a mutual coming of the minds on the text of the declaration that lends itself well to them signing, that's a decision that will be made at a later point in time."

As of press time, CNA had been unable to obtain further comment from Taiwan's government agencies regarding the matter.

According to Lai, the EPPD meeting covered a wide range of topics, including AI supply chains, digital infrastructure, critical minerals, drone supply chains, and cooperation with third countries, which he said signaled that Taiwan-U.S. cooperation had expanded significantly.