President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Taiwan will safeguard the achievements of its semiconductor and ICT industries and develop into one of the world’s top five computing power centers, ensuring the nation’s continued lead in global technology.

Speaking Friday at the Double Tenth National Day celebration themed “A New Taiwan Rises in a Time of Change,” Lai called 2025 a year of Taiwan’s rise. While the world faces conflicts and economic shocks, he said, the people of Taiwan have stayed resilient and achieved “an economic performance that has impressed the world.”

Lai described Taiwan’s semiconductor, ICT, and electronic component sectors as the country’s collective assets, forged through decades of industrial effort. “My mission as president,” he said, “is to protect these valuable achievements and use them to advance both Taiwan’s and the world’s growth.” He announced three national strategies to sustain Taiwan’s competitiveness: expanding domestic investment, deepening international economic and trade cooperation, and building a “chain of guardian mountains” to strengthen industrial capabilities.

To adapt to the digital age, Lai said his administration would launch “Ten New AI Infrastructure Projects” to solidify Taiwan’s leadership in global technology. The government will also develop Taiwan into an “Asian asset management hub,” attracting foreign investment while retaining domestic capital to drive financial growth.

Lai added that biotechnology and pharmaceuticals are key national industries under the “National Project of Hope,” with a NT$10 billion (US$327 million) fund to spur innovation and make biomedicine another of Taiwan’s “guardian mountains.”