Dear Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Excellencies, and Honorable Guests,
Namaskar! Good evening, 大家好
Welcome to the National Day Celebration of the Republic of China (Taiwan). This year we celebrate the 114th birthday of my country Taiwan, and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in India and the India Taipei Association (ITA) in Taiwan. Over the past three decades, our relations have grown steadily in trade and investment, science and technology, education, and culture—showing our strong commitment to working hand-in-hand with India. In addition to Delhi, we also have our TECC offices in Chennai and in Mumbai in 2024. In addition to TECC, we also have Taiwan Chamber of Commerce with branches in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore, and our trade office TAITRA in 4 Indian cities.
Our services have covered the entire country, we are now fully connected with Indian society. Taiwan and India are far from each other. India is 90 times bigger in land area and has nearly 60 times more people than Taiwan. But despite these differences, we share a lot of things in common. We all love milk tea, we are both free and open societies, and we are all proud of our countries as a democracy.
I remember last year Taiwan President Lai Ching-te tweeted congratulation messages to Prime Minister Modi on his election victory, and Modi Ji replied with gratitude and looked forward to closer ties towards mutually beneficial economic and technological partnership.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Modi, in his media interview, recalled his 1999 visit to Taiwan. We now invite guests to view a short video clip of Prime Minister Modi’s interview.
As Prime Minister Modi himself highlighted, Taiwan can be an inspiration for India’s journey of development. This shows the real potential for us to deepen our cooperation. As our President Lai said, Taiwan’s progress is based on the values of Democracy, Innovation, and Resilience—and these values are what we want to share with our friends in India.
Economic and Trade Cooperation
Let’s take Economic and Trade Cooperation as an example. Taiwan launched “New Southbound Policy” in 2016. At same time India is also promoting “Act East Policy.” In next 8 years Bilateral trade has doubled, rising from 5 billion USD in 2016 to 10.6 billion USD in 2024.Today, more than 300 Taiwanese companies invest in India, with cumulative direct investments near 6 billion USD, covering sectors from textile, footwear, machinery, petrochemicals, ICT, electronics, automobile components and banking, Taiwanese companies in India has created roughly 200,000 jobs.
The PSMC–Tata Electronics project in Dholera Gujarat will build India’s first 12-inch semiconductor fab, while the Foxconn–HCL joint-venture in Uttar Pradesh, will produce display driver chips with a capacity of 20,000 wafers per month. Together, these projects represent two pillars of Taiwan-India semiconductor cooperation—logic chip fabrication and display technologies—showing how our partnership is advancing into core supply chains.
The growing momentum was also demonstrated at the Taiwan Expo held here in Delhi 2 weeks ago, More than 100 Taiwanese companies participated—half of them visiting India for the first time. This vibrant participation highlights the confidence of Taiwanese enterprises in India’s market potential.
Science and Technology Collaboration
Taiwan and India have made significant progress in science and technology cooperation; we have completed over 150 joint research projects since 2009, with 50 ongoing each year now. The primary areas of collaboration include green energy, biomedical technology, nanotechnology. Since both India and Taiwan are surrounded by the ocean and have strengths in developing reliable ocean technologies, marine research institutes from both countries-the National Academy of Marine Research（NAMR）of Taiwan and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) of India signed an MOU in 2024 to foster closer collaboration.
In the area of disaster prevention and risk reduction, India and Taiwan have also signed an MOU this year to install P-Alert Plus sensors here. This project, jointly carried out by Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council and India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences, will help strengthen seismic monitoring and develop early warning systems in India.
Education Cooperation
Education has always been a vital part of Taiwan-India relations. Over the past decade, Taiwan has established 42 Taiwan Education Centers Indian universities, offering Mandarin language courses and programs about Taiwan. Through New Southbound Talent Development Program, launched in 2016, Taiwan has provided scholarships, internships, and exchange opportunities for Indian students. Today, more than 3,000 Indian students are studying in Taiwan, demonstrating Taiwan’s strong appeal as a destination for higher education.
In 2025, TECC also awarded a record of 150 government scholarships to Indian students—the largest number ever granted to any single country in one year. We also sponsor 14 Indian scholars to Taiwan for research this year, and several hundreds of students for internship programs in Taiwan.
The MoU signed in 2025 between Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) and Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has opened the door for more joint research, student and faculty exchanges, and dual degree programs. At the same time, new initiatives such as the Taiwan Experience Education Program and vocational training are providing Indian students with hands-on opportunities to connect with Taiwan’s industries. These efforts provide education and even working opportunities for young people.
Cultural Diplomacy
Cultural diplomacy also plays an important role in strengthening our ties. We have introduced music, theatre, and cinema to Indian audiences through numerous festivals and performances. Most recently, at the “Taiwan Indigenous Music Night” held in New Delhi on 2 weeks ago, attracted more than 200 guests
In November, we will invite a Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-Tzi to deliver a lecture in India. Her novel Taiwan Travelogue won U.S. National Book Award last year.
In December, we will host the Taiwan Film Festival, featuring a movie named “Call Demon Hunter,” this will be the first Taiwan-India co-production movie, and will have its world premiere in Delhi. Same in December, we will also welcome Taiwan’s leading street dance group to perform in India. We warmly invite everyone to join us for these outstanding cultural events.
Think Tank
Taking this opportunity, I also want to thank the Council for Strategic and Defense Research (CSDR) for publishing the report of “Taiwan Beyond Semiconductors: Three Decades of India-Taiwan Relations and Emerging Collaboration” two weeks ago. This is the first think tank report on Taiwan-India relations in past 10 years. Its publication not only commemorates the 30th anniversary of our representative offices, but also highlights the strategic, economic, and cultural dimensions of Taiwan-India relations, pointing to new areas of cooperation in future.
Conclusion
Tonight, we are also pleased to showcase Taiwan’s innovation through the display of TAYSIS UAV, ASUS Computers, with Kavalan Whisky and Taiwanese Pop Tea here at the venue. These products are Taiwan’s pride. I invite all guests to explore with wonderful experiences.
In conclusion, I want to thank Mr. Sunit Bora and my deputy Robert Hsieh for the great performance, a big thanks to my colleagues from TECC for their hard work to prepare for the party. Most importantly, thank all of you for being here with us tonight.
Let us toast for long friendship between Taiwan and India;
Wish all of you good health, happiness, and prosperity.
Cheers! Dhanyawad! Thank you! 謝謝大家
