Baipu to bolster chip ecosystem: Lai

Kaohsiung’s Baipu Industrial Park (白埔產業園區) would bolster Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem, balance north-south development and boost the country’s global competitiveness, President William Lai (賴清德) said at its groundbreaking ceremony yesterday. The nearly 89-hectare park would create more than 4,000 jobs and generate about NT$300 billion (US$9.45 billion) in annual production value, marking a new milestone for Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, Lai said. With artificial intelligence (AI) applications and high-performance computing expanding rapidly worldwide, advanced integrated circuit (IC) assembly services have become increasingly important to the semiconductor industry’s competitiveness, he said. Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times The park would draw on cooperation among the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Kaohsiung City Government and major semiconductor companies, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), he said. Earlier this month, TSMC announced plans to develop a 3-hectare site in the industrial park, with two buildings housing modular facilities that can be reconfigured as technology evolves. The site is to include small cleanrooms and laboratories for testing and joint development of advanced assembly technologies, equipment and materials, as well as a training center for highly skilled specialists in semiconductor processes and equipment, TSMC said. Construction of two campuses at Baipu Industrial Park, including two TSMC facilities, would be completed in the fourth quarter of 2029, the Kaohsiung Economic Development Bureau said. The park’s entire infrastructure is expected to be completed by 2031, it added. Also present at the groundbreaking were Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), as well as representatives from TSMC, ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控) and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康). Lai said the park aims to become Taiwan’s first semiconductor base focused on developing, testing and certifying critical semiconductor equipment and raw materials. The development is expected to shorten the time needed to introduce new technologies and help Taiwanese companies establish a foothold in the global supply chain, he said. Once completed, Baipu Industrial Park would complement an IC assembly and testing cluster at Kaohsiung’s Renwu Industrial Park (仁武產業園區) and another cluster focused on critical raw materials and other key components at the city’s Ciaotou Science Park (橋頭科學園區), Lai said. Baipu would also complete southern Taiwan’s semiconductor S-corridor project, with Kaohsiung at its core, Lai said. The S-corridor project links science parks and technology industrial parks in Chiayi County, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County in southern Taiwan. Kaohsiung’s strong metal processing and precision machinery industries would enhance the project’s value, Lai said. Addressing concerns about water shortages, Lai said the government has launched the “pearl string project” to connect reservoirs through Taiwan via interregional pipelines to boost reserve water capacity. Facilities such as water purification and desalination plants would be developed, providing greater flexibility in water management, he said. With the project nearing completion, the previous practice of using water trucks to maintain supplies at science parks would no longer be necessary, Lai said. On electricity consumption, Lai said state-owned Taiwan Power Co (台電) has agreed to a plan to build an electricity distribution network in Baipu Industrial Park to ensure stable power supply. GEOPOLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The CGA’s nonmilitary role makes it a tool to avert diplomatic issues, an official said, while confirming the donation of a ship to Manila Coast Guard Administration (CGA) ships are scheduled to sail to the Philippines bearing the words “Taiwan Coast Guard” in a high-profile visit in October next year, the first such visit by a Taiwanese maritime law enforcement vessel to the Southeast Asian nation, the agency said yesterday. The CGA also confirmed that it had donated one of its decommissioned patrol vessels to the Philippines in a rare transfer of a retired ship to a nondiplomatic ally. The Republic of China (ROC) Navy last made such a visit in 1974, shortly before the Philippines switched diplomatic recognition to the People’s Republic of China in CALL FOR CHANGE: They urged the UN to facilitate Taiwan’s involvement in the body, recognize its peace efforts and to work with members in preventing military conflict Representatives to the UN from five of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies sent a joint letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday, calling for the country’s inclusion in the body. Allies in the letter sent ahead of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly General Debate made three demands in support of Taiwan: inclusion, recognition and camaraderie. They implored the UN to seek an appropriate way to facilitate Taiwan’s meaningful involvement in the world governing body, saying that UN Resolution 2758, which accepted the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a member of the UN, does not exclude Taiwan. Beijing claims that the ‘GLOBAL WARNING’: The infiltration is not just a local problem, as Beijing has been deploying the same tactics worldwide against Western democracies, a report said Between 50,000 and 100,000 Chinese spies are operating in Taiwan, far more than the National Security Bureau’s previous estimate of 5,000, German journalist and author Jurgen Kremb said on Monday. Kremb presented his research, titled “The War of Spies: How China’s Intelligence Services Are Infiltrating Taiwan — and What Europe Must Learn from It,” at a joint event held by the Taiwan offices of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the European Values Center for Security Policy. The report was published in June in the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s Prospect & Exploration Monthly (展望與探索月刊). By spies, he said he was referring to informants, SOFT TENNIS: Yu Kai-wen and Huang Shih-yuan narrowly defeated their Japanese rivals to capture Taiwan’s first gold at the Asian Games in Nagoya Yu Kai-wen (余凱文) and Huang Shih-yuan (黃詩媛) won Taiwan’s first gold of this year’s Asian Games, defeating a Japanese duo in a nail-biter in the soft tennis mixed doubles final in Nagoya, Japan, while Johnny Sun (孫家閎) won silver in wushu and Shih Cheng-chung (石政中) won bronze in men’s kumite. Yu and Huang narrowly defeated Japan’s Toshiki Uematsu and Rena Temma 5-4 (2-4, 5-3, 4-2, 1-4, 1-4, 4-0, 1-4, 4-1, 7-5) to give Taiwan its first gold in soft tennis mixed doubles at an Asian Games since 2018. Sun secured Taiwan’s first wushu medal at this year’s game, with a combined score