Tsai Ing-wen: Taiwan Plays a Key Role, Affecting the Global AI Supply Chain
Former President Tsai Ing-wen delivered a speech at Tunghai University, emphasizing Taiwan's geopolitical importance and its indispensable role in the global AI supply chain. She stated that Taiwan garners global attention precisely because of its importance.
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- 📰 Published: May 14, 2026 at 20:21
- 🔍 Collected: May 14, 2026 at 20:32 (10 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 15, 2026 at 02:21 (5h 48m after Collected)
Taichung, May 14 (CNA) - Former President Tsai Ing-wen gave a speech at Tunghai University today, stating that Taiwan's strategic position is important and affects the layout of the global AI supply chain. In the past, Taiwan created a manufacturing miracle, and now with the rise of the semiconductor and technology supply chains, Taiwan has always played a key role.
Tunghai University issued a press release today stating that Tsai Ing-wen delivered a speech titled 'Is Politics Far From Us?' in the Luce Memorial Chapel. Tsai said that when she was young, she felt that politics was far from her life. Tunghai University President Chang Kuo-En, who was the president of National Taiwan Normal University 12 years ago, had hosted a campus speech by Tsai. Twelve years later, they met again at Tunghai University.
Tsai stated that many people think politics is only about political parties, elections, or government affairs, but in fact, politics exists in daily life. Politics is not just something political figures have to face, but a process of how society lives together, allocates resources, faces conflicts, and makes choices for the future.
Recalling the most difficult policy promotion during her eight years in office, Tsai mentioned that pension reform was a 'painful but necessary' reform. If the reform had not been pushed at that time, the system would have faced bankruptcy in the future, and the next generation would have been the ultimate victims.
Speaking about the 2018 marriage equality referendum, Tsai said she always believed that everyone should be equal before the law. Former Premier Su Tseng-chang also became gentle when faced with this issue, and eventually, Taiwan achieved marriage equality, showing the world Taiwan's leading position in democratic values in Asia.
Chang Chun-Hao, head of the Department of Political Science at Tunghai, and Lin Tzu-Li, director of the Center for mainland China Studies, asked about the Trump-Xi meeting and cross-strait situation. Tsai said that since entering the national security system, she has been thinking about the same questions almost every day for 30 years, but it always goes in circles.
A student asked, 'We are no worse than others, and in many places, we do better. Why is it that when it comes to politics, Taiwan always seems like an orphan in the international community?' Tsai pointed out that it is precisely because Taiwan is located at the core of the Indo-Pacific strategy, affecting the security of Japan, China, the United States, and Southeast Asia, as well as the layout of the global AI supply chain, that the world focuses so much on Taiwan.
'When you are a country worth protecting, a country worth winning over, you will have so many problems; if you are not important, no one will care about you,' Tsai emphasized. From Taiwan creating a manufacturing miracle in the past to the rise of the semiconductor and technology supply chains in the AI era, Taiwan has always played a key role. 'Whoever controls Taiwan controls the most important part of the next generation's AI development.'
Tsai said that under global power competition, every generation in Taiwan must learn how to maintain balance in conflict. What is truly important in a democracy is not eliminating differences, but finding ways to coexist despite them.
She laughed and said that she has never been a strong-arm leader. When her staff had heated debates, she would take the initiative to ask, 'Who wants coffee?' to calm the team down. She believes that true leadership is not about one-way commands, but about giving every member of the team a sense of participation and space for expression. 'No great thing is ever accomplished by one person alone.' (Editor: Lin Shu-Hui) 1150514
Tunghai University issued a press release today stating that Tsai Ing-wen delivered a speech titled 'Is Politics Far From Us?' in the Luce Memorial Chapel. Tsai said that when she was young, she felt that politics was far from her life. Tunghai University President Chang Kuo-En, who was the president of National Taiwan Normal University 12 years ago, had hosted a campus speech by Tsai. Twelve years later, they met again at Tunghai University.
Tsai stated that many people think politics is only about political parties, elections, or government affairs, but in fact, politics exists in daily life. Politics is not just something political figures have to face, but a process of how society lives together, allocates resources, faces conflicts, and makes choices for the future.
Recalling the most difficult policy promotion during her eight years in office, Tsai mentioned that pension reform was a 'painful but necessary' reform. If the reform had not been pushed at that time, the system would have faced bankruptcy in the future, and the next generation would have been the ultimate victims.
Speaking about the 2018 marriage equality referendum, Tsai said she always believed that everyone should be equal before the law. Former Premier Su Tseng-chang also became gentle when faced with this issue, and eventually, Taiwan achieved marriage equality, showing the world Taiwan's leading position in democratic values in Asia.
Chang Chun-Hao, head of the Department of Political Science at Tunghai, and Lin Tzu-Li, director of the Center for mainland China Studies, asked about the Trump-Xi meeting and cross-strait situation. Tsai said that since entering the national security system, she has been thinking about the same questions almost every day for 30 years, but it always goes in circles.
A student asked, 'We are no worse than others, and in many places, we do better. Why is it that when it comes to politics, Taiwan always seems like an orphan in the international community?' Tsai pointed out that it is precisely because Taiwan is located at the core of the Indo-Pacific strategy, affecting the security of Japan, China, the United States, and Southeast Asia, as well as the layout of the global AI supply chain, that the world focuses so much on Taiwan.
'When you are a country worth protecting, a country worth winning over, you will have so many problems; if you are not important, no one will care about you,' Tsai emphasized. From Taiwan creating a manufacturing miracle in the past to the rise of the semiconductor and technology supply chains in the AI era, Taiwan has always played a key role. 'Whoever controls Taiwan controls the most important part of the next generation's AI development.'
Tsai said that under global power competition, every generation in Taiwan must learn how to maintain balance in conflict. What is truly important in a democracy is not eliminating differences, but finding ways to coexist despite them.
She laughed and said that she has never been a strong-arm leader. When her staff had heated debates, she would take the initiative to ask, 'Who wants coffee?' to calm the team down. She believes that true leadership is not about one-way commands, but about giving every member of the team a sense of participation and space for expression. 'No great thing is ever accomplished by one person alone.' (Editor: Lin Shu-Hui) 1150514