Taiwan’s Tsai touts ‘democracy chips’ in meeting with US governor

Taiwan looks forward to producing “democracy chips” with the United States, President Tsai Ing-wen has told the visiting governor of the US state of Arizona.

Taiwan has been keen to show the US, its most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, that it is a reliable friend as a global chip crunch affects auto production and consumer electronics.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), a major Apple Inc supplier and the world’s largest contract chipmaker, is constructing a $12bn plant in Arizona.

“In the face of authoritarian expansionism and the challenges of the post-pandemic era, Taiwan seeks to bolster cooperation with the United States in the semiconductor and other high-tech industries,” Tsai said during a meeting with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on Thursday.

“This will help build more secure and more resilient supply chains. We look forward to jointly producing democracy chips to safeguard the interests of our democratic partners and create greater prosperity.”

Ducey, a Republican, is the latest in a succession of officials from the US to visit, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early August, defying pressure from China for such trips not to take place.

He told Tsai that their partnership with Taiwan was “the greatest” in the semiconductor industry.

“TSMC’s legacy investment has elevated the potential for what’s possible between Arizona and Taiwan,” Ducey said.

“Arizona stands with Taiwan, and we look forward to building on the many opportunities ahead.”

Arizona is also where Taiwanese F-16 pilots train, at Luke Air Force Base, which Tsai also mentioned.

“Taiwan and the United States will continue to build on our important alliance to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” she said.

China claims Taiwan as its territory despite the strong objections of the democratically elected government in Taipei, which rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

China has been carrying out military drills near Taiwan since Pelosi’s visit to express its anger at what it views as stepped-up US support for the island.