VP Lai thanks Google for upping investment in Taiwan

2021/02/08

Vice President Lai Ching-te thanked U.S.-based technology giant Google Feb. 4. for increasing investment in Taiwan, calling the company one of the country’s most important partners as it moves toward the goal of becoming a digital nation and smart island.
 
 Lai also praised Google for playing a pivotal role in the country’s fight against COVID-19. Through the company’s search engine and YouTube platform, users can quickly obtain disease prevention information disseminated by the government, he said.
 
 The vice president made the remarks while attending the opening event of Google’s hardware R&D base in New Taipei City’s Banqiao District. The new facility is the company’s largest such hub outside the U.S.
 
 According to Lai, Ted Osius, Google’s vice president for Public Policy and Government Relations for the Asia Pacific, has vowed on behalf of the company to continue expanding operations while cultivating local talent through the annual Intelligent Taiwan project.
 
 To attain these goals, Google has plans in the works to supplement its Changhua County data center in central Taiwan with additional facilities in the southern city of Tainan and western county of Yunlin. Such efforts will bolster the country’s economy and help upgrade domestic industries, Lai said.
 
 Google’s investment is in line with the government efforts to shape Taiwan into a smart country, the vice president said. Examples include the five-plus-two innovative industries initiative launched by President Tsai Ing-wen after her inauguration in 2016 and a smart nation development plan passed by the Cabinet during Lai’s term as premier.
 
 A key plank in the government’s national development strategy, the five-plus-two innovative industries initiative centers on the high-growth sectors of biotech, green energy, national defense, smart machinery and Internet of Things, as well as promoting two core concepts: the circular economy and a new paradigm for agricultural development.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)