Taiwan Seeks New Supply Chains Outside China

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy has increased pressure on governments worldwide, and Taiwan is no exception, Thompson Chau, Cheng Ting-Fang, and Lauly Li reported for Nikkei Asia.

In Taiwan's new vision, Asian nations are expected to become central hubs for future supply chains. I Photo: Peellden Wikimedia Commons

For Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, however, the issue goes beyond economics—it’s a matter of values.

His administration is focused on building a supply chain rooted in democratic alliances, which means investing in countries with low labor costs and strong potential for industrial expansion.

In this vision, Asian nations are expected to become central hubs for future supply chains.

“Over the past few decades, the free economy led by the United States and the Western world has brought economic prosperity and political stability,” Lai told Nikkei Editor-in-Chief Hiroshi Yamazaki in his first interview with foreign media this year. But, he added, not all countries have been “exemplary students” of that system.