By Caribbean News Global
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Following a telephone meeting on December 3, Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida and French president Emmanuel Macron announced the 2023-2027 Roadmap on Japan-France Cooperation under their exceptional partnership, says a report from the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association.
The announcement Sunday, December 3, 2023, said:
“The two leaders reaffirmed that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait were indispensable to international security and prosperity, called for the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, and endorsed Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said it “sincerely welcomes and appreciates this support.”
According to the Roadmap: “Japan and France expressed opposition to any actions that escalated tensions, jeopardized regional stability, undermined the freedom of navigation and overflight, or otherwise threatened the international legal order; and conveyed strong concerns over developments in the East and South China Seas and urged that tensions in the Indo-Pacific region be resolved through dialogue.”
“As a responsible and important country in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with the United States, Japan, European partners, and other like-minded countries to jointly safeguard an open and prosperous Indo-Pacific as well as global peace and stability,” MOFA welcomes any actions by the international community that contribute to cross-strait peace.”
Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are crucial to security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. Taiwan’s democracy and freedom; and the country’s sustainable development are reflective of Taiwan’s global standings.
President Tsai Ing-wen address at the 2023 Taiwan Business Alliance Conference on November 27, 2023, TaiNEX 2, commented on the continuous foreign investment in Taiwan despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, global inflation, and supply chain disruptions.
“Since 2016, foreign investment in Taiwan has reached USD 79.5B, reaching a new high last year in the past 15 years. The total investment under the Three Major Programs for Investing in Taiwan has surpassed $2.16 trillion NTD. With Taiwan’s semiconductor industry producing 90 percent of advanced chips, we continue to attract significant foreign investment in expansions, especially in key industries such as AI, 5G, and high-performance computing (HPC). Taiwan is building a reliable and predictable investment environment to connect with the global community and become a driver of global economic growth.”
TaiNEX 2 reported on many successes and declared the confidence of foreign businesses in Taiwan’s future, that “the geopolitical developments have thrust Taiwan into the international spotlight. Along with the development of AI and 5G, we are dedicated to making Taiwan a more favourable investment destination and a reliable supply chain partner to the world.”
Fourteen companies have invested in and brought key technologies to Taiwan over the past three years, and cumulatively, invested over $100 billion NTD in Taiwan. In particular, Taiwan’s mature semiconductor industry cluster and high-quality talents have attracted leading equipment and materials manufacturers such as ASML, Entegris, Hitachi, High-Tech, Merck, and Tohcello, etc., to localize R&D and production.
In addition, business opportunities are emerging in the Six Core Strategic Industries. Mitsui is involved in the Hai Long offshore wind power project, Siemens Gamesa built the first local offshore nacelle plant. NITTOBO expanded the production line for Low DK glass fiber yarn required for AI servers. AGC introduced processes and technologies for large panels. Heineken is establishing a local production line aimed at becoming the brewing center of East Asia. Mitsui Fudosan, DON DON DONKI, Tsutaya, and Yokohama Hakkeijima (Xpark) invested in commercial, leisure, and recreational facilities, driving local development and creating employment opportunities.
Letters of Intent (LOIs) with 10 representative businesses accumulating an estimated $90 billion NTD in investments over the next three years. Of the 10 signatory companies, four are from Japan, three are from the US, and the rest are from Germany, France, and the UK. A majority seven are in the semiconductor materials and equipment industry, and the rest are in biotechnology, logistics, and general retail.
Taiwan’s industrial clusters, innovative process technologies, and research and development talents have attracted key material and equipment suppliers to settle in Taiwan, such as Air Liquide, Air Products, FUJIFULM, IQE, Lam Research, Nitto, and SUSS MicroTec. In addition, Coupang is establishing its third logistics center in Taiwan, MUJI is planning to expand its stores actively, and ZACROS is expanding its capacity in Taiwan.
At a campaign rally for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Sunday, December 3, 2023, said:
“Only with dignity and autonomy can there be a lasting peace. Only with lasting peace can the economy achieve long-term and steady development,” president Tsai Ing-wen emphasized: ” We will not doubt our friends who support Taiwan and will continue to earn the trust of the world.”
“Dignified peace is peace achieved through the support of democratic partners aligning with universal values worldwide and walking side by side with Taiwan,” the president added: “Peace with democratic values, global support, and self-defence capabilities is dignified peace.”
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