Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) is to be the nation’s representative to next month’s APEC leaders’ summit in Papua New Guinea, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced yesterday.
Chang is the best choice to represent Taiwan at the summit, which is themed “Harnessing Inclusive Opportunities, Embracing the Digital Future,” Tsai told a news conference at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.
Chang was widely expected to be chosen as the representative.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Despite its status as a full member of the 21-member APEC forum since 1991, Taiwan’s presidents are traditionally prohibited from attending the yearly summit due to China’s opposition.
Chang told the news conference that he plans to address how small economies can deal with the challenges of emerging economic nationalism.
Taiwan is an integral part of the global innovation supply chain and has a major role to play in shaping the future of the global digital economy, said Chang, who built TSMC into the world’s biggest contract semiconductor maker.
However, some nations are embracing protectionism by insisting that products be made within their borders and prioritizing their own national interests, which poses growing challenges to small economies such as Taiwan, he said.
Chang said he would also exchange views with world leaders on how to address these challenges.
Tsai said there were several reasons behind her decision, including Chang’s stature within the international business community and outstanding contributions to the development of Taiwan’s technology industry and digital economy.
Chang is also highly respected throughout Taiwan and is representative of all sectors of society, she added.
Tsai said she hopes the delegation would fulfill two missions: explore potential areas for cooperation and present to the world Taiwan’s strength in and vision for the digital economy.
The summit is to be held from Nov. 12 to 18, with the leaders’ meeting scheduled for the final day.
Taiwan’s delegation would also include Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中), National Development Council Minister Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶), Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) and National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥), the Presidential Office said.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
SECURITY RISK: If there is a conflict between China and Taiwan, ‘there would likely be significant consequences to global economic and security interests,’ it said China remains the top military and cyber threat to the US and continues to make progress on capabilities to seize Taiwan, a report by US intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The report provides an overview of the “collective insights” of top US intelligence agencies about the security threats to the US posed by foreign nations and criminal organizations. In its Annual Threat Assessment, the agencies divided threats facing the US into two broad categories, “nonstate transnational criminals and terrorists” and “major state actors,” with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea named. Of those countries, “China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat