Taiwan public and private sector organizations signed Nov. 13 three memorandums of understanding with counterparts in the U.S. state of Idaho aimed at strengthening cooperation in areas spanning human resources, industrial development and innovative technologies, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The accords were inked during a Nov. 10-14 visit by a 50-member trade delegation from the U.S. state led by Idaho House Speaker Scott Bedke. They include an agreement between the MOEA’s Industrial Development Bureau and Idaho Department of Commerce on fostering business opportunities for companies from both sides and boosting collaboration on talent cultivation.
The ministry’s Taiwan-USA Industrial Cooperation Promotion Office finalized a pact on technological development with Idaho-based PKG User Interface Solutions, with the two organizations agreeing to partner on extending interface applications to new sectors including aerospace and medical devices.
Also concluded was a tie-up between Feng Chia University in central Taiwan’s Taichung City and Boise-headquartered Micron Technology Inc. Under the accord, they will organize a series of talent training programs in innovative sectors such as artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing.
MOEA Vice Minister Wang Mei-hua said Taiwan and the U.S. state have forged close ties in a range of sectors including the Internet of Things and semiconductors since the first Taiwan-Idaho memorandum of understanding—signed between the MOEA and U.S. state’s Department of Commerce on green energy cooperation—was concluded in April 2013.
The latest pacts will help strengthen business connections, investment links and technological exchanges, Wang said, adding that the government looks forward to further opportunities to expand industrial links and mutually beneficial collaboration.
According to the MOEA’s Bureau of Foreign Trade, Taiwan was the U.S.’s 10th largest trading partner in 2016, while the U.S. was Taiwan’s second largest trading partner during the same time period. Trade volume between the two sides reached US$62.12 billion last year, with Taiwan exports to the U.S. totaling US$33.52 billion. (CPY-E)
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