Taiwan pledges to buy more produce, natural gas from U.S.: Lai

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) Taiwan will purchase more American goods, ranging from agricultural products to natural gas, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) told a business community in Taipei on Thursday, as part of efforts to reduce the trade deficit with the United States.

"Taiwan is going to expand procurement from the U.S. of industrial and agricultural products, as well as natural gas," Lai said at the Hsieh Nien Fan banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan).

The president also turned to visiting Governor of Alaska Mike Dunleavy and said Taiwan "[is] very interested in buying Alaskan natural gas because it can meet our needs and ensure our energy security."

Lai's comments reflected his administration's broader efforts to reduce Taiwan's trade deficit with the U.S. following tariff threats by President Donald Trump.

The comments, made in front of around 800 attendees, including officials and business representatives from Taiwan and the U.S., also came hours after Taiwan's top diplomat Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) revealed that an official delegation would visit the U.S. in September to purchase agricultural goods.

Lai also described Taiwan as "an indispensable partner" for the U.S. as the latter seeks to re-industrialize and consolidate its high-tech leadership.

"I am confident that Taiwanese and American companies can leverage their respective high-tech expertise and invest in each other, boosting growth in industrial innovation and development for both our economies," Lai said.

He said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC) expansion in the U.S."highlight[s]" such enduring prosperity shared by Taiwan and the U.S., noting that Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing "plays an irreplaceable part in the supply chain."

Lai was referring to TSMC's recent pledge to invest US$100 billion to build three more foundries, an R&D center, and two packaging facilities in Arizona, in addition to its previous commitment to invest a total of US$65 billion in three chip foundries, one of which has begun operation.

TSMC's newly announced venture to produce cutting-edge semiconductors has raised concerns from Taiwanese opposition party figures and critics that Taiwan could lose its competitive advantage and unique importance as the hub of global chipmaking.

In a bid to dispel such concerns, Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Taipei Main Office, compared TSMC's investment in the U.S. with that of American tech companies in Taiwan.

"TSMC's new fabs in Arizona are not going to reduce demand in the world for the world's most efficient semiconductor ecosystem here in Taiwan," Greene said.

Semiconductor technology partnership is not a zero-sum game, he said, adding that the U.S. is "a launchpad for Taiwan companies, providing unparalleled access to the world's largest consumer market and most advanced research ecosystem."

On the security front, Greene maintained that the U.S. "stands strong with Taiwan and our allies in the Indo-Pacific region to deter conflict and coercion," in what appeared to be another effort to ease anxieties in Taiwan following Trump's policy shift on the war in Ukraine.

"The United States has made clear that we oppose any forced, compelled, or coercive change to the status of Taiwan," said Greene, whose agency represents Washington's interest with Taipei in the absence of formal diplomatic ties between the two sides.

"Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is absolutely critical for the economic well-being of the United States and the entire world," he said.