U.S., U.K., France envoys open national pavilions at 2026 SEMICON Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) Representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom and France to Taiwan opened their respective countries' pavilions at SEMICON Taiwan 2026 on Wednesday to highlight three of the record 18 national pavilions at this year's show.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the U.S. Pavilion, Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), praised the continued strengthening of U.S.-Taiwan semiconductor cooperation.

"The U.S.-Taiwan semiconductor partnership has never been stronger," he said.

"Our companies work together across the entire value chain, from research, chip design, materials, equipment and manufacturing to advanced packaging, logistics, cybersecurity, and workplace development," he said.

"As artificial intelligence transforms the global economy, this partnership will be made even more important by shared prosperity, resilience and technological leadership," he said.

At the France Pavilion, the new director of the French Office in Taipei, Frédéric Laplanche, who officially assumed his post two weeks ago, said this year's pavilion features a record 10 participants.

That "symbolizes the strong growth and solid commitment of French industry and [its] research [sector] to the relationship with Taiwan" while also demonstrating "the depth of the French semiconductor ecosystem and its strong synergy with Taiwan," he said.

Also attending the pavilion's opening was Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu (吳志中), who previously served as Taipei's top envoy to Paris from 2018 to 2024.

Wu said the strength of Taiwan's semiconductor industry "is not measured only by how many chips we can produce."

"Its true strength is in the trust. Taiwan has earned [a reputation] as a reliable partner. We use technology to connect with the world, not to control it," Wu said.

Meanwhile, Ruth Bradley-Jones, the United Kingdom's representative to Taiwan, said at her country's pavilion opening that the U.K. is making its fourth consecutive appearance at SEMICON Taiwan.

"We all know the tech race is increasingly a hardware race, so not only is the U.K. delegation the biggest group of U.K. companies we've ever had. It is also, in my view, the best set of companies to be engaging with the Taiwanese hardware ecosystem.

"This delegation shows off the breadth and depth of U.K. expertise in photonics, compound materials, advanced packaging, quantum and much more," she said.

Andy McLean, CEO of the UK Semiconductor Center, also attended Wednesday's opening.

In another first this year, Sweden and Finland are participating in SEMICON Taiwan with a joint pavilion featuring 12 companies from the two countries.

According to SEMICON Taiwan, its 2026 edition features a record 18 national pavilions and 220 booths.