The speech was delivered by the Director General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC), Chennai on the occasion of the 113th National Day Celebration
Article 40/2024
In January 2024, Taiwan successfully completed its eighth direct presidential and vice presidential election, setting a new milestone in its constitutional democratic governance. Taiwan’s mature, healthy, and resilient democracy garnered immense international acclaim. About 1,600 prominent political figures from more than 100 countries worldwide expressed congratulations, taking concrete actions to support democratic Taiwan. This again underscored the objective fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a free and democratic nation and that neither democratic Taiwan nor authoritarian communist China is subordinate to the other.
China has maliciously misrepresented United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758, attempting to mislead the global community into accepting it as equivalent to its “one China principle” and seeking to establish a legal argument that undermines the objective fact that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign nation.
Solidarity among democratic countries is a pivotal force of deterrence against China’s authoritarian expansion. The US government made a four-point public rebuttal in April as to the misapplication of UNGA Resolution 2758. It pointed out that (1) the resolution did not endorse, is not equivalent to, and does not reflect a consensus for China’s “one China principle”; (2) the resolution has no bearing on countries’ sovereign choices with respect to their relationships with Taiwan; (3) the resolution did not constitute the UN taking an institutional position on the ultimate political status of Taiwan; and (4) the resolution does not preclude Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system and other multilateral forums.
The government of Taiwan thanks countries worldwide for expressing support for Taiwan and devoting significant efforts toward maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. To maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and ensure prosperity and development in the region, President Lai Ching-te proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan, calling for strengthened national defense, improved economic security, enhanced partnerships with democratic countries, and stable and principled cross-strait leadership. Building on a foundation of trust, friendship, and mutual assistance for mutual benefit, Taiwan will steadily deepen cooperative partnerships with diplomatic allies and like-minded countries, continue to serve as a force for good, show that Taiwan can help, and demonstrate that Taiwan can lead in the international community.
Taiwan is an important and indispensable member of the global democratic community and occupies a critical position in geopolitics and global supply chains. For Taiwan, the present moment is the best moment in its history, but also the most challenging moment in its history.
Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region is the international consensus. From its strategic position in the first island chain in the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan stands on the front line of the democratic world’s defense against authoritarian expansion.
Taiwan is an island of high technology, a global nation, and a people-centered society. It looks forward to making greater contributions to such global issues as supply chain security, public health, climate change, and countermeasures against digital threats. Taiwan needs the world just as the world needs Taiwan. As Taiwan embraces the world, we welcome the world to embrace Taiwan.
When the Indian government initiated “Look East Policy” in early 1991, Taiwan and India started to approach each other and loosen visa restrictions. In 1995 the two countries established representative offices in each other’s capitals. Over the nearly 3 decades, the cooperation between Taiwan and India has witnessed significant progress in numerous domains, including economics and trade, science and technology, critical supply chains, culture, education, and traditional medicine.
Taiwan government actively promotes the "New Southbound Policy," assisting businesses in diversifying their presence overseas. India, benefiting from a demographic dividend and robust domestic market demand, is considered a crucial partner country under our "New Southbound Policy".
To date, approximately 265 Taiwanese businesses have made investments in India, primarily in the electronics, information and communication technology, petrochemicals, steel, shipping, footwear manufacturing, automotive and motorcycle components, finance, and construction industries. 60% of the Taiwanese companies that have invested in India are located in southern India, and most of them are in Tamil Nadu.
Taiwan has the advantage of being a leader in the high-tech sector, especially in semiconductors. It forms a vital part of global supply chains, producing more than 60 percent of the world’s semiconductors, including over 90% of the most advanced ones. That is to say, Taiwan is a high-tech economy that punches well above its weight. Taiwan’s semiconductor and electronics industries enjoy technological and manufacturing advantages. It has been internationally acclaimed for its critical role in global supply chains.
To jointly create diverse and resilient supply chains, Taiwan is expanding cooperation with other democracies in fields from high precision manufacturing to artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and biotechnology.
With its enormous market and business opportunities, India has emerged as a major investment destination for global enterprises. India has the potential to replace China as the world factory.
Taiwanese businesses in China are looking to relocate to other countries. But India has competition from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. There are around 4,250 Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam and 2,000 Taiwanese businesses in Indonesia while there are only 265 Taiwanese businesses in India.
The majority of Taiwanese businesses are micro, small and medium enterprises and many of them move in packs. This means that enticing these businesses requires creating favorable conditions for entire industry supply chains. Besides, Taiwanese businesses in India have encountered some issues such as tax stability, contract enforcement and regulations while doing business. If India would like Taiwanese businesses to do for its economy what they did for the Chinese economy, it needs to have a more ambitious Taiwan policy.
As highlighted by its New Southbound Policy, Taiwan is willing to enhance engagements. But India still sticks to a cautious approach. To unleash the real potential of Taiwan-India economic ties, there has to be greater political consultations between the two sides.
If India and Taiwan could sign a free trade, it would definitely remove trade barriers and increase the trade between the two countries. If India could send parliamentary delegations to Taiwan as many other countries have been doing, or allow state chief ministers to lead delegations to visit Taiwan, Taiwanese businesses would feel more comfortable to invest in India.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Chennai—a de-facto Taiwanese consulate, will continue to work with the governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala to promote cooperation and exchanges in terms of investment, trade, culture, education, etc. between Taiwan and India.
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