TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ninad Deshpande, director general of the India Taipei Association (ITA), called for more Taiwanese investment in India at an investment information session on Monday.

“Taiwanese companies are increasingly seeing India as a serious production base and innovation partner,” Deshpande said. India’s policy directions for manufacturing, infrastructure, and expansion make it easier to do business, he said.

The director general added that India’s efforts to digitize governance also make it a more competitive and dependable destination for global businesses. With two-way trade projected to exceed US$12 billion (NT$383.8 billion) this year, India and Taiwan have established deep connections in semiconductors, ICT, textiles, and other sectors, he said.

Deshpande emphasized that India is evolving from a major consumer market into a core production base and R&D center for Taiwanese enterprises, urging firms to seize the opportunity to develop frontier technology sectors.

“The question is no longer whether India should be on the strategic map of Taiwanese industry, but how quickly and how ambitiously Taiwan wants to engage with India,” he said.

Dhaval Trivedi, a partner at tax consultancy firm K C Mehta & Co, listed three initiatives India has implemented to become a global tech hub.

Trivedi said India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, launched last month, provides subsidies covering up to 50% of project costs. This creates a fast track for Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain, including equipment and materials manufacturing, assembly and test facilities, and wafer fabrication plants.

Under the Electronic Components Manufacturing Scheme, Taiwan’s printed circuit board and electronic component manufacturers can reduce costs and expand market share in South Asia, he said.

Tax and regulatory optimization allow data centers to enjoy a long-term tax holiday until 2047, Trivedi said. Incentives such as those for capital equipment suppliers until 2031 make India an attractive destination for expansion planning by Taiwanese industry, he added.

ITA said India stands at the intersection of policy dividends, demographic advantages, and industrial transformation. Entering the Indian market has become a “strategic imperative” for Taiwanese companies to ensure global competitiveness. Taiwanese firms are important partners in India’s efforts to build a strong, resilient supply chain network, the association added.