President Lai meets Employment Gold Card holders

On the morning of July 8, President Lai Ching-te presented Taiwan Employment Gold Cards and met with outstanding card holders. In remarks, President Lai noted that we are marking a milestone, as there are now more than 10,000 Employment Gold Cards issued. He welcomed talent from around the world to come to Taiwan and work with us, saying that we aim to increase Taiwan’s international competitiveness and make it an attractive destination for international professionals to work and live. Moving forward, he said, we must continue building an environment where international talent feel at home and expand recruitment of global talent as we leverage international experience for Taiwan’s development.

A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:

I would like to begin by welcoming you to the Presidential Office to mark a milestone, as there are now more than 10,000 Employment Gold Cards issued. In September 2017, after I took over as premier, we began visiting various industries to hear their suggestions. I believe it is essential that Taiwan actively recruit international talent so that we can engage with the world and our companies can expand their global presence. That is why, during my term as premier, we began implementing the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals and launched the Taiwan Employment Gold Card, helping alleviate issues for foreign talent working and living in Taiwan in the areas of employment, residency, dependent residency, education, medical care, and taxation. And, as premier, I presented the first Employment Gold Card to YouTube co-founder Steve Chen (陳士駿).

Mr. Fukumoto Yoshinari is the function chief information security officer for the Rakuten Group. He has more than 20 years of experience in handling cyber incidents. Near the end of last year, he was invited to speak at the HITCON Carnival here in Taiwan, where he shared ways to prevent and combat cybercrime. Ms. Linda Jeng (鄭雯文) is head of global Web3 strategy at the Crypto Council for Innovation and founder and CEO of Digital Self Labs. She is an expert in such areas as AI, fintech, and open data. This summer, she has been invited as a visiting professor by National Taiwan University and National Chengchi University to lecture on fintech regulations.

Mr. Mark Fischer is the chief commercial officer of the East Asia Super League. He previously worked in the NBA for 12 years, serving as the general manager of NBA Taiwan and heading sponsorships and events for NBA Asia. He has a wealth of experience, having worked in the sports industry for over two decades. Mr. Lu Donghui (盧東暉), whose wife is Taiwanese, is the head of Micron Taiwan. He has more than 20 years of experience in the global semiconductor industry. I believe that he will contribute greatly to Taiwan’s development in the semiconductor and AI sectors.

Today, we are also joined by several important Employment Gold Card holders and representatives from the tech industry. I am delighted to meet in discussion with you and to thank you for your contributions to Taiwan.

The international era of smart technologies has arrived. I believe that with any global challenge comes an opportunity for Taiwan. We welcome talent from around the world to come to Taiwan and work with us. Our aim is to increase Taiwan’s international competitiveness and make it an attractive destination for international professionals to work and live. Moving forward, we must continue building an environment where international talent feel at home and expand recruitment of that talent as we leverage international experience for Taiwan’s development.

After concluding his remarks, President Lai presented Employment Gold Cards to Mr. Fukumoto, Ms. Jeng, Mr. Fischer, and Mr. Lu.