TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Czech Republic is interested in attracting Taiwan businesses due to the presence of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in nearby Dresden, Germany, Economics Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) said Saturday (June 22).

In the second part of a podcast presented by Formosa TV Saturday, the minister said that a Taiwan-friendly country like the Czech Republic was making use of its geographical proximity to the TSMC project to try and attract investors from Taiwan for its supply chain. The world’s largest contract chipmaker planned to start building the factory in Dresden during the final quarter of 2024, with production launching in 2027.

Kuo emphasized that companies interested in Europe for other sectors than semiconductors should also consider talking with the Czech Republic, per CNA. Germany was a difficult environment for Taiwan businesses, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), he said.

Discussing his policies as minister, Kuo said he wanted to help SMEs expand overseas and form supply chains in friendly countries while attracting prominent multinationals to help develop Taiwan’s gourmet food and biomedicine sectors.

He also recommended the recruitment of students from overseas who could work at companies in Taiwan after graduation and later at Taiwanese businesses in their home country. In this context, he mentioned Mexico as a solution for workforce problems in the United States, though the Spanish language might pose a challenge to Taiwanese investors.