TAIPEI- Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called on Monday for the signing of an economic partnership agreement with the European Union, saying it would boost cooperation in semiconductors and that as democracies the two sides should be working together.
Taiwan has pushed for the signing of investment and trade deals with the EU, in what would be politically significant for Taiwan given its diplomatic isolation and general exclusion from most global bodies and agreements.
For its part, the EU has been courting Taiwan as a “like-minded” partner under the European Chips Act to encourage more semiconductor production in Europe and lessen dependence on Asia, despite the lack of formal ties with the Chinese-claimed island.
Speaking at a Taiwan-EU investment forum in Taipei, Lai said that facing the threat of expanding authoritarianism, Taiwan and the EU must form a “strong democratic umbrella” and build secure supply chains for global democracies. “Looking to the future, Taiwan hopes to take an innovative approach towards the signing of an economic partnership agreement with the EU,” he said.
