During a meeting with Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb Monday, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said “Indiana stands to become a center for emerging technology within the U.S. semiconductor industry.”
Her remarks came as Holcomb visited the country, the first U.S. governor to go there since the onset of the pandemic. With his trip to East Asia, Holcomb is looking to increase economic development and cement existing relationships.
He’s not shying away from Taiwan, despite China’s threats to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she visited the country earlier this month. Part of those threats included Chinese military drills firing missiles over the island.
This summer, Purdue University partnered with Taiwanese semiconductor company MediaTek to open the company’s first design center in the Midwest. Holcomb hopes others will follow.
#INTaiwan | @SecChambersIN and I joined Taiwan Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chern Chyi “C.C.” Chen and @MOFA_Taiwan Jaushieh Wu to sign a MOU between #Indiana and #Taiwan, formalizing our mutual cooperation and embracing the full benefits of furthering this partnership. pic.twitter.com/DVHZaqQQeY
— Governor Eric Holcomb (@GovHolcomb) August 22, 2022
The governor and representatives from Purdue signed a handful of memorandums of understanding with Taiwan’s president Monday.
“The Indiana-Taiwan agreement is focused on building upon those economic ties and critical industries — semiconductors and bioscience; agriculture; advanced manufacturing and technology,” Holcomb told Tsai Ing-wen. “And at Purdue University, the memorandums of understanding they will sign will equally propel us forward on that research front in those areas and many more.”
Tsai Ing-wen assured Holcomb, “We’ll use the academic exchange and cooperation between Purdue University and National Yang Ming University and National Cheng Kung University.”
The Taiwan president sees semiconductor relationships as a kind of diplomacy.
“Economic security is an important pillar of national and regional security. Taiwan is willing and able to strengthen cooperation with democratic partners in building sustainable supply chains or democracy or chips.”
Indiana is home to 10 Taiwanese companies and 12 from South Korea. Holcomb will be in South Korea Aug. 25-26.
