By Francisco Yeh, International Affairs Department of TEEMA
To catch up with the trends of electric vehicles and assist member companies in integrating into the EV supply chain in the United States, TEEMA organized Delegation to USA and Mexico and visited Ohio, Michigan, Washington, D.C., and U.S.-Mexico border (New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua, Mexico) from the 18th of June to the 2nd of July. Yuan Chun-tang, Director of Board, serving as the head of TEEMA delegation, along with Christina Liu, Policy Advisor of TEEMA; Apollo Weng, Director of Board; Albert Chen, Advisor of TEEMA; Roger Liao, Vice President of TEEMA, and representatives from business members such as Wistron, Foxconn, Lite-On, Everlight, etc, with the total of 57 individuals on this delegation.
Achievement of TEEMA EV Visiting Group
From June 18th to 24th, TEEMA EV Visiting Group first set foot in Michigan and Ohio, the bases of traditional American automakers. TEEMA hopes to assist member manufacturers to cooperate with various major manufacturers in the United States such as GM to explore business opportunities in their adaptation to the EV market. The TEEMA delegation visited the electric vehicle production line of Foxconn factory in Ohio and had the firsthand experience with the upcoming production of the first commercial electric pickup (cargo truck) named Endurance. The overall trend of Taiwan’s investment in the United States is on the rise, and other Taiwanese companies in the supply chain will gradually follow suit in the future.
Furthermore, the main objective of this trip is to deepen the links and broaden the two-way exchanges with the US executive and legislative bodies. For example, TEEMA delegation met with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, et al. to demonstrate Taiwan's ICT strength to the United States, and this meeting significantly heightened TEEMA international visibility.
During the visit of Ohio, the TEEMA EV Visiting Group also participated in the EV forum held by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago. The prominent guest list include Senator Mike Rulli; Former State Senator Sean O'Brien, State Representative Mike O'Brien, State Representative Al Catrona, representatives from JobsOhio Offical et al., all having major roles in terms of the legislation and policies concerning electric vehicle.
Achievement of TEEMA SelectUSA Visiting Group
From June 25th to 28th, the TEEMA Delegation visited Washington, D.C. to participate in the SelectUSA Summit and High-Level Officials Meeting. This trip is angled to garner support for and assist the Taiwanese government connect with her US counterpart. The US and Taiwan announced the launch of the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade in early June. Thus, the top priorities on the laundry list are as follows: negotiate and sign the Taiwan-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), join the "Indo-Pacific Economic Framework" (IPEF), negotiate the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (ADTA), and request the replacement of steel 232 tariffs with tariff quotas, etc.
With more than 3,600 participants, 100 sessions, and 300 speakers, this summit was namely the largest SelectUSA summit ever held. Since its inception, SelectUSA has facilitated over US$105 billion in client-verified investment and supported more than 138,000 jobs across the U.S. and its territories. said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at the Opening Ceremony of SelectUSA Investment Summit. Also, the US Department of Energy (DOE) made a presentation on-site on DOE policies related to EV. Bradford Simmons Director of International Market Development, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), explained that the federal government can provide up to US$7.5 billion to subsidize the installation of charging piles in various states upon application. This is beneficial to the installation of charging equipment by reducing the cost for manufacturers.
Achievement of TEEMA U.S-Mexico border Visiting Group
From June 29 th to July 1st , the TEEMA delegation visited the U.S.-Mexico border namely El Paso(Texas), New Mexico, and Chihuahua(Mexico). TEEMA participated in several meetings hosted by Borderplex Alliance, listening to representatives explaining the business oppor tunities abound in Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua, Mexico, introducing the US-Mexico border electric vehicle supply chain cluster and the list of automotive supply chain manufacturers , local IMMEX regulations, Shelter Program, etc. The major highlight was crossing the U.S- Mexico border and visiting the factory of Wistron and Inventec located in Chihuahua, Mexico for an in-depth understanding of the local operation.
The Borderplex Alliance also arranged a press conference. In an interview with the local El Paso Times, Yuan Chun-tang, head of the delegation, noted that there were 19 members and representatives of 13 manufacturers in this delegation. Our aim is to better understand the landscape of the automotive supply chain in this region and identify potential facilities in the United States for electric vehicle suppliers, including semiconductor manufacturers.
Several Taiwanese companies that already have operations in Juarez were also looking to expand, two Taiwan semiconductor-related manufacturers had begun establishing factories in Phoenix and Sherman, Texas. Director Yuan emphasized, "Our companies look forward to help foster a robust and resilient supply chain in the U.S., in conjunction with the electronics and electrical manufacturing facilities our members have already established in this region.
We hope more Taiwanese companies will join the existing investors such as Wistron, Inventec, LITEON, and Delta Electronics in pursuing investment opportunities in this dynamic region.
TEEMA is committed to assisting Taiwanese ICT industries in connecting with local and global markets. Since 2020, TEEMA has actively engaged inpaying cour tesy visits to various foreign representative offices in Taiwan, contacting with foreign government authori t i e s, i n ternational organizations, and partner associations, in terms of multilateral and bilateral collaboration on ICT, semiconductors, EVs, 5G, sustainable development, clean energy, net zero-emission and related issues.
TEEMA also provides its members with industrial information, regarding the US-Mexico investment environment and preferential measures, hoping to help the ICT industry grasp the trade opportunities of the international supply chain during the pandemic, and keep inline with the links of the global investment environment.
