Cooperation based on science and innovation 

The Polish business mission addressed the growing importance of Taiwan in the global economy. The Polish delegation composed of more than 70 persons included the representatives of governmental administration, self-governments, technical universities and nearly 20 innovative companies from the ICT, biotechnology, RES, micro-electronics and banking and finance sectors. 

During his stay in Taiwan, Deputy Minister Michał Jaros held the meetings with among others Mr Wu Cheng-wen – head of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and  Mrs Cynthia Kiang – Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Economy.

The opportunities to strengthen cooperation in research and development, in particular in such areas as semiconductors, artificial intelligence or space technologies were discussed during the visit. The representatives of three universities forming so called “Wroclaw – Katowice – Lodz” triangle involved in widely understood hi-tech market played a significant role in this area.
Academic and scientific cooperation also drew a particular interest. Poland and Taiwan have a long-term tradition of joint research projects – there have been 63 of them since 2012 and the total co-financing amount exceeded PLN 26 million. This year, Poland will hold a subsequent scientific seminar co-organised by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCRD) and NSTC dedicated to space and aviation technologies. 

Polish – Taiwanese Business Forum: strategic agreements and development vision 

The Polish – Taiwanese Business Forum held on 1 July was one of the highlights of the mission agenda. The event was attended by the representatives of the key economic sectors of both states and resulted in signing seven cooperation agreements.  The agreements covered among others project development in biotechnology, renewable energy sources, information and communication technologies and cooperation between the chambers of commerce. 

Competitiveness of the Polish economy and enterprises is based on strong foundations. Since the integration with the EU, Poland has made significant progress in catching up with the Western Europe states, while in certain sectors – among others high tech – we have overcome the Western competition 

– said Deputy Minister Michał Jaros during the Polish – Taiwanese Business Forum.

In his speech, the Deputy Minister pointed out at dynamic development of the new technology sector in Poland. According to the announcements of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the value of investments in this area will reach USD 187 billion in the upcoming years – which includes among others establishment of the first Polish AI factory and launching the AI supercomputer.

Upon closing the forum, Deputy Minister Michał Jaros opened the evening Polish Gala in Taipei, during which he handed over the symbolic awards to the representatives of the Taiwanese investors in Poland and to the Taiwanese, who distinguishably contributed to development of economic cooperation with Poland. 

Poland may act not only as an excellent place for investing, but also as a real “Gate to Europe” to the Taiwanese companies. Our enterprises, institutions and special economic zones are ready to cooperate with Taiwan in all areas 

– said Deputy Minister Michał Jaros at the Gala.

Talks with the potential investors

Deputy Minister Michał Jaros visited the seat of TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), the Taiwanese tycoon in manufacturing of integrated circuits, controlling more than 67% of the global market. The talks with Jonathan Lee, Vice President for Corporate Planning, focused on the potential investments in Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland. This was the first meeting of the representatives of the Government of the Republic of Poland and of the TSMC management in the history. 

Deputy Minister Michał Jaros visited also the seat of Foxconn, the world's largest manufacturer of electronics and electronic components, primarily known as the key Apple supplier. The Deputy Minister held the meeting with Young Liu, Foxconn CEO and the chairman of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA). The talks focused on the potential investments of Foxconn and TEEMA member companies in Poland, including cooperation in the area of electromobility and energy storage. 

In the Kaohsiung city, Deputy Minister Michał Jaros visited the Ming Rong Yuan Business Co. (MRY), the leading Taiwanese manufacturer of pressure equipment, including reactors, heat exchangers, vessels and furnaces. The talks focused on the cooperation perspectives in energy transition. 

Technologies of the future and key partnership 

The mission covered also the meetings with the representatives of the Taiwanese research and technological institutions, including the renowned Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Hsinchu – one of the world’s most prominent research and development centres, involved among others in development of numerous tycoons in the semiconductor and construction of integrated circuits sector.

Poland wishes to build resilient supply chains together with Taiwan. For this purpose, we need not only the investment or trade cooperation, but also cooperation in research and development and improving the personnel skills. I believe that ITRI may play a significant role in both these fields 

 – stated Deputy Minister Jaros during the meeting.

The delegation visited also the Hsinchu Science Park and the Southern Taiwan Science Park in the city of Tainan. Both of them are the key development centres of semiconductor industry in Taiwan. During the visit the experiences were shared and the model of operation of both parks was presented, which is of particular importance in context of the expected strengthening of the investment and technological cooperation with Taiwan. 

The business environment institutions: Polish Development Fund (PDF) and Industrial Development Agency (IDA), as well as the individual companies, financial institutions and universities carried out their meeting agenda in partial independence from the agenda of Deputy Minister Michał Jaros. PDF and its group companies made use of this opportunity to, among others, present the available support instruments for the Taiwanese investments in Poland or Polish investments in Taiwan of strategic nature. Diversified composition and agenda of the delegations allowed for establishing numerous contacts having the potential to bring the Polish and Taiwanese economic cooperation to the new level.