Kuomintang (KMT) vice presidential candidate Jaw Shaw-kong said on Jan. 1 that pop superstar Taylor Swift turned down an offer to perform in Taiwan due to “geopolitical risks”.
Jaw made this claim while speaking about his concerns about Taiwan’s economy during the vice presidential candidates’ televised debate, Focus Taiwan reported.
His claim has not been confirmed nor debunked.
“Geopolitical risks”: Jaw
During the debate, Jaw claimed to have invited Swift to hold a concert in Taipei in his previous role as chairman of Taiwan’s broadcasting company Broadcasting Corporation of China.
According to Jaw, the singer initially agreed, but later declined, citing “geopolitical risks”.
He made this claim to criticise the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which he argued was responsible for increasing regional tensions.
He added that without a peaceful environment, investors would be discouraged from making investments in Taiwan, as reported by Taiwanese media outlet TVBS News.
Instead, companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) — the world’s largest maker of advanced computer chips — would choose to expand globally instead, Jaw said.
According to Nikkei Asia, TSMC announced in December 2022 that it would increase its investment in the U.S. to US$40 billion (S$53.08 billion), following up from a previous decision to build a factory in Arizona.
Overseas bands still performing in Taiwan
Taiwan’s culture ministry responded to Jaw in a statement on Jan. 1, Taipei Times reported. It argued that what Jaw said did not reflect reality.
While it did not weigh in on the specifics of his claim about Swift’s supposed withdrawal, the ministry’s statement said that overseas bands had been performing in Taiwan since the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted in October 2022.
According to the culture ministry, these bands included British rock band Coldplay, K-pop group Blackpink, and the American vocal group Backstreet Boys.
The ministry added that K-pop group Super Junior and English singer Ed Sheeran are expected to perform in Taiwan in 2024.
Taiwan’s foreign investment “second-highest” in 15 years: Ministry of Economic Affairs
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs also addressed Jaw’s claims in a statement.
According to TVBS, the ministry said that the ongoing geopolitical tensions did not deter foreign capital from making investments in Taiwan.
The economic ministry added that major semiconductor companies including Applied Materials and artificial intelligence companies such as Nvidia have recently invested “significantly” in Taiwan.
In addition, the ministry reportedly also pointed out that the island’s foreign investment in 2023 was the “second-highest” in 15 years at US$10.7 billion (S$14.2 billion) by November 2023.
However, according to official data from the island’s economic ministry, foreign direct investment decreased by around 13 per cent by November 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. Taiwan’s foreign direct investment in 2022 reached a total of US$13.30 billion (S$17.64 billion), the highest since 2007, Focus Taiwan reported.
KMT’s presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih is running against DPP candidate William Lai and Taiwan People’s Party candidate Ko Wen-je. Taiwanese voters will cast their ballots in the election on Jan. 13.
Top image via Taylor Swift/Facebook and 趙少康官方頻道/YouTube
