TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will continue to work with the U.S. and coordinate on supply chain issues, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday (Feb. 25).
MOFA Spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) stated that Taipei and Washington are important trading partners and that cooperation between the two countries on supply chain issues has always been close, CNA reported. Ou pointed to last November’s U.S.-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue and a virtual meeting held on Feb. 5 between Taiwanese and American officials, and business leaders, about automotive chips and supply chain-related issues as an example of the close relationship.
Ou stressed that Taiwan is a long-term and reliable partner to America and the Taiwan government will continue to work closely with the Biden administration to further develop the global partnership and economic exchanges between the two countries.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday (Feb. 24) signed an executive order calling for a 100-day review of critical supply chains aimed at strengthening American manufacturing of semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and other leading-edge technologies. The order calls for a review of four important supply chain areas: semiconductor chips, rare earth materials, pharmaceuticals, and large-capacity batteries.
The order also calls for of broader year-long review of supply chains dealing with defense, public health, energy, food production, communications technology, and transportation. Biden said the solution to supply chain issues will be to increase domestic production in some industries in addition to working with allies to mitigate future shortages.
When asked during a regular press briefing on Feb. 24 how Taiwan has responded to requests to increase semiconductor production, Peter Harrell, senior director of International Economics and Competitiveness at the National Security Council, said he could not get into specifics, but stressed, “Taiwan is an important partner of the United States, and we’ve had constructive conversations with them.”
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