Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) departed Wednesday for Japan, where she will open the three-day Taiwan Expo in Tokyo Thursday, as part of efforts to deepen the partnership between the two countries.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said in a statement that Wang is leading a delegation on a visit to Japan from Nov. 8-13.
During the visit, she will preside over the opening of the Taiwan Expo, the first ever to be held in Japan, in which quality products from Taiwan will be displayed to the Japanese public in the hope of boosting two-way exchanges based on an already solid foundation, the statement said.
Wang will also attend the Japan-Taiwan Semiconductor Forum slated for Thursday in Tokyo, participate in an activity to mark the 50th anniversary of the Hsinchu-based Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and invite leading Japanese companies in the semiconductor sector to invest in Taiwan.
In addition, the minister will seek to forge a Taiwan-Japan technology partnership, wherein the two countries will share and co-develop opportunities in the global digital economy and further expand smart applications in the field of digital transition and low-carbon economies as part of their contribution to global sustainability, the statement said.
ITRI, the key promoter of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, established an office in Japan in 1987. Since then, Taipei and Tokyo have jointly engaged in R&D related to the manufacture and technological development of semiconductors.
With the help of ITRI, Tokuyama, a Japan-based supplier of high-purity chemicals, established its first factory in Hsinchu in 1996, and has since become a supplier to multiple Taiwanese semiconductor companies, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., United Microelectronics Corp . and Winbond Electronics Corp.
(By Flor Wang and Joy Tseng)
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