00:00International businesses are feeling upbeat about Taiwan's economy thanks to the country's
00:05key role in tech supply chains.
00:07That's according to the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan.
00:11AmCham member companies demonstrate deep, long-term commitment to Taiwan.
00:18More than 80 percent have operated here for over a decade, and nearly half for almost
00:2430 years.
00:26These are experienced operators deeply embedded in Taiwan's economy.
00:32AmCham's 2026 business climate survey showed businesses were mostly concerned with national
00:37security and cross-strait relations.
00:39AmCham says only 7 percent of respondents reported significant disruptions due to cross-strait
00:45tensions, but companies are growing cautious.
00:48It has now started a task force to help companies boost resilience in the face of uncertainty.
00:55To learn more about AmCham's annual survey, our reporter Lili Lamatina spoke to the chamber's
01:00new chair, Anita Chen.
01:02Now, this year in your report, security took center stage.
01:05When respondents were asked to rank risks to their operations, they cited national security
01:11as the top concern, followed closely by cross-strait relations.
01:15Now what is causing these shifts in concerns here, and how are businesses reacting to them?
01:20This past year, 2025, is a highly dynamic year, with a lot of geopolitical changes, and to a
01:29lot of people, to a lot of companies, feel like nobody knows what's going to happen.
01:34But I think what our survey finding tells us is that there's a difference between perceived
01:39risks and actual business disruption.
01:43They are choosing to stay in Taiwan, not because things are getting better, but because they
01:49are much better at managing these risks.
01:52Now, how is AmCham helping these businesses revise their continuity plans to bolster their
01:56resilience?
01:57Starting late last year, we actually started resilience planning as a task force that will
02:03look into what's the best practice planning, and what are some categories that companies
02:09need to look into.
02:10And we are in the process of developing that.
02:13Hopefully, later this year, we can offer that to our companies as part of our services.
02:17Now, just this January, a major development in U.S.-Taiwan economic relations is the signing
02:22of the U.S.-Taiwan trade deal.
02:25So how are your members reacting to the new terms of this deal?
02:28AmCham is very supportive of this, because this is not just about tariff.
02:33This is about long-term U.S.-Taiwan cooperation in technology and supply chain coordination,
02:40especially small and medium-sized companies that are based in Taiwan.
02:44This actually brings them to the same level with their Japanese and Korean counterparts.
02:49And some of those companies are actually our members.
02:51So our members, in general, see this as a positive step.
02:56Now, you've emphasized one of your missions as chair is to future-proof the U.S.-Taiwan
03:00economic relationship amid geopolitical uncertainty.
03:04So what kinds of plans would you like to see put in place and other protective mechanisms?
03:09This is a great question.
03:10And I think we are actually at a pivotal moment.
03:13Because of this backdrop of U.S.-Taiwan increased collaboration, the implementation of those trade
03:19arrangements will define the success that Taiwan and U.S. will share.
03:24So AmCham, being the bridge between government and industry, hope to continue to foster the
03:29dialogue.
03:31That was Anita Chen, the new head of AmChamTaiwan.
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