【Taiwanology Ep.65】How France and Taiwan Became Interdependent, From Industrial Gases to Chip Design

Frédéric Laplanche first came to Taiwan in 1995 as a graduate student. This year, he returned as the new director of the French Office in Taipei. In this interview, he emphasized the importance of building strong partnerships. Taiwan's chipmakers depend on French industrial gases, ultrapure water and silicon substrates, while Foxconn and ProLogium invest in France. What does a trusted partnership look like in practice? The answer involves a French chip designer, TSMC and a Statue of Liberty exhibition in Paris. 


Episode highlights:
00:10 A "son-in-law of Taiwan" returns, 30 years on
09:17 Why Taiwan matters more to France now
15:24 Sovereignty through an ecosystem of trust
19:54 Why Taiwan investment is flowing into France
26:13 Why French suppliers and startups came to Semicon
31:37 People-to-people ties and priorities ahead

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Frédéric Laplanche, Director of French Office in Taipei

Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw
＊Share your thoughts：bill@cw.com.tw
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