Czech science minister arrives in Taiwan for SEMICON

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) Czech Minister for Science and Research Marek Ženíšek is visiting Taiwan to launch the Czech Pavilion at SEMICON Taiwan 2025, which will be held from Wednesday to Friday in Taipei.

Ženíšek will open the pavilion on Wednesday at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei said in a news release Monday. The office represents the Czech Republic's interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

This year's Czech Pavilion will feature representatives from business and academia in the semiconductor sector, the office said.

Exhibitors include ADVACAM, Brno University of Technology, Charles University, the Czech National Semiconductor Cluster, DCT Czech, HiLASE Centre, Meopta, SVCS Process Innovation, UNITES Systems, Vakuum Servis, and CzechInvest, it added.

In a separate news release issued Monday, Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NTSC) confirmed that Ženíšek had arrived and met with NTSC head Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) on Friday.

The two discussed ongoing cooperation in advanced chips, including the Advanced Chip Design and Research Center (ACDRC) in Brno, according to the NTSC.

Ženíšek and his delegation are also scheduled to visit Hsinchu Science Park to learn from Taiwan's experience in developing high-tech industry clusters.

Other stops include the Industrial Technology Research Institute, the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, the National Center for Instrumentation Research, and the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute, all located in Hsinchu, the NTSC said.

Czech media reported that this marks the first visit to Taiwan by a minister-level official from a Central European country, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations.

According to the organizers of SEMICON Taiwan, the 2025 event will feature more than 1,200 semiconductor and technology companies, with over 4,100 booths and an expected attendance of more than 100,000 industry professionals.