Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said March 15 that the government is committed to supporting Taiwan’s unmanned aerial vehicle development with the goal of transforming the country into a regional UAV manufacturing hub while cementing its place in democratic supply chains.
The vice premier made the remarks during a visit to the Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center in Chiayi County, southern Taiwan. She exchanged ideas with representatives from over 20 drone enterprises during her trip.
According to Cheng, drones are now widely applied in areas spanning agricultural and environmental monitoring, transportation, and medical care, as well as playing a crucial role in asymmetric warfare. They are targeted under the five trusted industry sectors initiative proposed by President Lai Ching-te, she said, adding that a recent special Executive Yuan meeting addressed expanding the development of unmanned surface and underwater vehicles.
The meeting additionally formulated related policy goals such as growing the drone industry, strengthening national self-defense and forging democratic supply chains, Cheng said. One measure aims to increase domestic and foreign demand, she noted, adding that Taiwan has already signed cooperative agreements with countries such as Czechia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the U.S. to boost international orders.
Another measure provides tax incentives to encourage technological innovations for key components and promotes investment by the National Development Fund to drive mass production, Cheng said. Equally important is to establish an industry ecosystem and manufacturing clusters, she added, citing a plan by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Chiayi County Government to build another hall at the R&D center and the ongoing construction of an aerospace park in the county’s Minxiong Township.
These are complemented by efforts to enhance cybersecurity and whole-of-society resilience, the vice premier explained. The government will continue offering subsidies to help local enterprises align with international cybersecurity standards and regulating exclusive airspace for sandbox testing, she said, adding that drone development is anticipated to strengthen democratic resilience, disaster prevention, the economy and national defense.
Cheng concluded by saying that the UAV industry is key to Taiwan’s future and urged the public and private sectors to work together to build a competitive supply chain. (YCH-E)
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