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Aerospace Industry Tour of DPP Chairperson and R.O.C. President-elect Madam Tsai Ing-wen

2016/3/28 
The R.O.C. President-elect Tsai Ing-wen launched an industry tour after the presidential election. Madam Tsai led a delegation to visit AIDC on March 28th composed of; DPP Secretary-General Joseph Wu, Deputy Mayor of Taichung Zhang Guang-yao, Vice President of Legislative Yuan Tsai Chi-chang, DPP Defense Policy Advisory Committee Chairman Chen Wen-jeng and several DPP legislators. Madam Tsai and accompanying delegation were briefed on the current and future aerospace industry technology development, and held a closed-door meeting with major domestic manufacturers in the Taichung area to personally hear their needs and recommendations.

President-elect Tsai stated that she expected AIDC would play a more important role in Taiwan’s aerospace and defense industries and take responsibility for the development of the advanced trainer to fulfill three expectations: (1) The trainer must meet Air Force’s requirements and AIDC should increase the proportion of locally-developed and manufactured values, (2) The development of the trainer must achieve the goal of distributing technological experience and pave the way for Taiwan’s next generation fighter; and (3) The first flight of the prototype trainer should be conducted as soon as possible.

In addition to touring AIDC’s Taiwan Advanced Composite Center, commercial assembly line and IDF prototype, the delegation led by Madam Tsai had a closed-door meeting with representatives of the domestic industry to learn their needs and to receive recommendations. AIDC presented a XT-5 advanced trainer model to Madam Tsai to proclaim its determination to build Taiwan’s own advanced trainer.

Chairman of New Frontier Foundation Chen Wen-jeng told the media after the meeting that President-elect Tsai expressed her appreciation for the persistence of the industry in the past 20 years of economic downturn, and to revitalize the aerospace industry in Taiwan defense requirements serve as a momentum and that defense strategic development should be linked with industry requirements. Madam Tsai also expressed her hope that AIDC can successfully pass-on both experience and technology to the next generation in order to maintain military aircraft R&D capability.