Media Mention: Council President talks about Taiwan on CNBC

US-Taiwan Business Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers appeared on CNBC on July 8, 2022. He talked about the importance of Taiwan, and how the island’s economy has shifted to become an engine in the global technology supply chain. He also discussed the threat to Taiwan from China.

I think for older generations, they may remember a Taiwan that produced cheap toys. That, however, has really shifted.

 

Predating 1979, we recognized Taiwan as the sole and legitimate government of China. Then under the Carter Administration, that recognition was switched [to the PRC].

 

[On strategic ambiguity.] Things have changed now primarily for two reasons. The threat from China has simply become too significant to ignore. Its military has grown enormously since the 1990s. With Taiwan, with its democracy, we don’t have that same concern – or certainly it’s significantly reduced that Taiwan would unilaterally declare independence. Taiwan has managed to position itself over the last thirty years as a contract manufacturer or original design manufacturer of choice for many of the world’s leading technology companies – most of which come from the States quite frankly – companies like Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and others.

 

We’re still seeing capital being plowed into Taiwan at really significant levels. Yes, their attention is on the Taiwan Strait. But the global business communities see Taiwan right now as an important place to deploy capital, and that’s taking place.

Source: CNBC

Watch the video  on the CNBC website.