CHANGE:
The trade group welcomed its new president Patrick Lin, who said now is a crucial moment in Taiwan-US relations and pledged to help protect Taiwan’s future
By Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter
The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham) yesterday welcomed the positive evolution of Taiwan-US trade and economic cooperation after hearing a speech from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) on Tuesday.
Chang last week attended the APEC leaders’ summit in San Francisco on behalf of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Chang achieved his goals of restarting the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, advancing a double taxation avoidance agreement with the US, committing to accelerating the schedule for stage two negotiations on the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade and promoting cooperation to include third-party countries.
Photo courtesy of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan
All of the issues have been of longstanding concern to AmCham, the organization said.
Chang shared memories of his early interactions with Taiwan during his time as Texas Instruments Inc global vice president in the 1960s, including discussions with then-minister of economic affairs Li Kwoh-ting (李國鼎), who has been dubbed “the father of Taiwan’s economic miracle.”
Li worked tirelessly to overcome intellectual property rights and land use challenges in establishing a Texas Instruments factory, which finally allowed the firm to take root in Taiwan, Chang said.
He said this initial experience involving US investment in Taiwan was an important milestone in the nation’s economic development.
Chang’s speech drew record attendance, AmCham said.
AmCham chairman Vincent Shih (施立成) also welcomed Patrick Lin (林博智) as the chamber’s president, saying his leadership and rich experience in industry and innovation would inject vitality into it and help it grow.
This is the most important moment in Taiwan-US relations in 40 years, Lin said.
Over the past year, AmCham has hosted a record number of US delegations that have included members of congress, state governments, think tanks and industry associations, as well as the four leading Taiwan presidential candidates in closed-door discussions with its members.
Lin said that AmCham would continue to promote economic and trade cooperation between Taiwan and the US, attract foreign investment in Taiwan and work with the government to align business operations in Taiwan with international standards, fulfilling its responsibility of helping to safeguard Taiwan’s future.
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