Taiwan has continued to strengthen its self-defense despite cross-Strait military intimidation: Taipei Representative

New Delhi [India], October 6 : Although confronted by unceasing cross-strait military intimidation and grey-zone threats, Taiwan has continued to strengthen its self-defence capabilities, said Baushaun Ger, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India on Thursday.
"We will do our utmost to protect our hard-won democratic way of life without bowing to any pressure," he said, adding "Taiwan looks forward to joining hands with like-minded partners to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific and to preserve the rules-based international order," a statement from Taipei Economic and Cultural Center said at an event in New Delhi celebrating the 111th anniversary of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Hailing the ties between India and Taiwan, Ger said that the relations between the countries have gone from strength and strength on the basis of democratic resilience and mutual trust.
"On the basis of democratic resilience and mutual trust, I am glad to note that Taiwan-India relations have gone from strength and strength. While our two countries maintained formal relations from 1947 to 1950, it is not until 1995 that Taiwan and India re-established representative offices in New Delhi and Taipei."
As per the statement, the bilateral trade between India and Taiwan reached 7.7 billion USD in 2021, which is 64 per cent higher than the year before and the two countries look forward to expanding two-way trade and investment in a significant way with more mutually beneficial trade arrangements to be put in place in the years to come.
"With the convergence of India's "Act East Policy" and Taiwan's "New Southbound Policy", on the economic front, our bilateral trade reached 7.7 billion USD in 2021, which is 64% higher than the year before. Currently, around 120 Taiwanese enterprises have established their business operations in India, generating in a total investment of over 1.2 billion USD," Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre representative said.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre has so far set up 25 Taiwan Education Centers across Indian university campuses, Ger said, adding that over 10,000 Indian students have taken up Mandarin courses in the Taiwan Education Centers.
"These pupils, along with other Indian students studying in Taiwan, currently around 3000, will serve as living bridges between our peoples, cultures and even businesses," he said.
"It is our expectation this indigenous Mandarin-speaking community will keep growing and become a great help for Taiwan's SMEs to explore and expand in the Indian market," Ger added.
Speaking of the domain of science and technology, Ger said that Taiwan and India have successfully implemented 104 joint research projects over the past 15 years. "Last month, in addition to an MOU on precision medicine, universities from both sides jointly launched a smart city research lab and a living lab on big data analytics," he added.
He further said that Taiwan's spirit of resilience and innovation has remained constant in the face of evolving threats and external challenges over the years.
"It's this very reason Taiwan now plays a critical role in the global semiconductor industry. Taiwan is No. 1 in semiconductor foundry, packaging and testing, producing 92 per cent of the world's leading-edge semiconductor chips and accounting for over 60 per cent of semiconductor manufacturing revenue," the statement said.
"Moreover, Taiwan has ranked first globally in the national healthcare system, No. 2 in IC design and ICT products, No. 6 in World Economic Freedom, No. 7 in IMD's World Competitiveness ranking, and No. 8 as highest democracy in the world," it added.
As per the statement, this year the 10th of October marks the 111th anniversary of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
On the occasion, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre Representative said, "We thank to those who have helped Taiwan grow and prosper along the way and also those who have allowed Taiwan to be part of your life stories and journeys to economic development and social betterment."