TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) attended the 2025 National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises Spring Banquet on Tuesday.
In his keynote address, he pledged government support for initiatives such as digital transformation, net zero compliance, and overseas market development. Lai said Taiwan's SMEs drive economic development while creating employment opportunities, cultivating professional talent, and promoting sustainability and resilience.
Lai thanked the 1.67 million SMEs in Taiwan for their hard work over the past year. He was proud of Taiwan’s economic growth rate, estimated at 4.3%, ranking first among the four Asian tigers and surpassing the United States and major EU countries, per a press release.
According to Lai, Taiwan has continued to expand foreign trade in recent years as he encouraged SMEs to participate in the global market and grow Taiwan’s international reputation. He believes these actions will lead the economy to become more responsive to future challenges.
Lai said the Cabinet has announced the extension of the “Three Major Programs for Investing in Taiwan” until 2027, encouraging more investments by Taiwanese and foreign-funded enterprises. Lai said the Cabinet estimated this extension could lead to NT$600 billion (US$8.27 billion) in investment to be created in three years, creating 40,000 jobs.
Lai said Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) proposed several strategies to assist SMEs. The first was in the field of digital transformation due to the rapid development of AI applications with the government providing subsidies and loans for companies to invest in digitalization and net-zero transformation.
Other strategies proposed by Cho included encouraging SMEs to explore overseas markets. The government will continue to support SMEs by connecting them to international exhibitions and e-commerce platforms, allowing Taiwan's high-quality products and services to expand into overseas markets.
Speaking of Taiwan-US relations, Lai said that Taiwan and the US have established good communication channels over the past few years. Whether it is the Presidential Office, the National Security Council, or the Cabinet’s response team, they have continuously exchanged information and communicated their opinions with the United States.
Lai said that after President Trump took office, there have been many challenges around the world. He said, "Change is our opportunity," as his government has prepared contingency measures to respond to any situation as he urged the public to have confidence and be cooperative.
In conclusion, Lai praised Team Taiwan for winning the Premier12 last year. He said that Taiwan has many hidden champions in addition to its semiconductor industry, as he has full confidence that everyone will unite and cooperate to make Taiwan's future even better.
