President Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan is a key player in promoting growth and exchange across the Indo-Pacific region. Tsai spoke on Friday at the Yushan Forum, an annual platform for cooperation between neighboring countries in the region.
Taiwan's New Southbound Policy is an example of the country's efforts to strengthen relationships with many countries in the region. Under this policy, bilateral trade with partner countries reached a record high of US$149 billion.
President Tsai says Taiwan's progress in smart-manufacturing and AI data analysis has helped it build a more flexible supply chain with its New Southbound partners. She says an increasing number of Taiwanese businesses are also investing in these neighboring countries.
Tsai says Taiwan can play a key role in promoting regional development as the world attempts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. She adds that the Indo-Pacific region is dealing with many issues in terms of the economy, security, authoritarianism, and climate change.
Tsai says the New Southbound Policy is critical to Taiwan's regional relations, and she hopes that all partners can continue to promote collective prosperity.