President Lai attends American Israel Public Affairs Committee banquet

2025/10/30

The annual meeting of the European chapter of the Formosa Club, a group of cross-party parliamentarians working to enhance relations with Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te said Oct. 27 that Taiwan will continue to enhance its self-defense capabilities while leveraging its advantages in semiconductors to deepen economic and trade cooperation with Israel and the U.S.
 
Lai made the remarks while attending an event in Taipei City hosted by the U.S.-based nonprofit American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
 
The president said that Taiwan often looks to the long history of the Jewish people for encouragement when facing threats to its sovereignty from China, Lai said, adding that Taiwan needs to channel the spirit of David confronting Goliath as it continues to stand against authoritarian coercion.
 
Next year’s defense budget will exceed 3.32 percent of the gross domestic product and reach 5 percent by 2030, Lai said, noting that plans are underway for a multilayer air defense system inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome. The government will continue to increase military investment by building capacities in the domestic defense industry and procuring necessary weapons and technology from other countries, he added.
 
According to Lai, Taiwan’s relationship with Israel is strong, as evidenced by last month’s visit by a parliamentary friendship group delegation and a joint statement backing Taiwan’s international participation signed by 72 Knesset members. The president added that the Knesset’s firm opposition to China’s distortion of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758 is deeply appreciated.
 
Taiwan, Israel and the U.S. should also strengthen trade and investment collaboration, Lai said, adding that with its advanced chip manufacturing, Taiwan is well positioned to enhance cooperation with Israel under U.S. President Donald Trump’s artificial intelligence action plan. Lai concluded by looking forward to expanding global market share and bolstering supply chain resilience by working with the U.S. and Israel on cybersecurity, information and communications technology, and semiconductors. 


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