“Our priority is to support the ICT sector through building a favorable business environment, identifying and cultivating homegrown talent and protecting intellectual property rights,” Ma said. “This will pave the way for greater progress in the key areas of innovation and R&D.”
Ma made the remarks during a meeting with Google Inc. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt Nov. 9 at the Presidential Office. Schmidt’s visit to Taipei was his final stop on a three-city tour of Asia.
The president said he appreciated Google’s commitment to Taiwan, and praised the firm for plans to set up a Chrome operating system center and US$100 million data facility on the island.
“These decisions represent a vote of confidence in government policies to make Taiwan a global innovation center and headquarters for local and multinational corporations operating in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Other factors that persuaded Google to further strengthen its relationship with Taiwan, Ma said, were the island’s world-class design and manufacturing capabilities and peerless information technology infrastructure.
Ma cited the agreement between Taipei and Beijing to lay an undersea cable between outlying Kinmen County and Xiamen in mainland China as another reason why firms such as Google are looking at Taiwan in a new light when it comes to investment.
“The submarine cable will position Taiwan as a telecommunications gateway to one of the fastest growing markets in the foreseeable future.”
The president also called on Google to expand its partnership with Taiwan ICT firms, developing more software, system designs, Internet services and green products.
In response, Schmidt said he welcomes further collaboration with Taiwan’s IT sector as a way of offering consumers a greater array of leading-edge products and services. (JSM)
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw