The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Chennai (TECC), established in 2012, serves as Taiwan’s de facto diplomatic and consular mission, with jurisdiction over five South Indian states, three Union Territories and Sri Lanka. Stephen S C Hsu, who assumed charge as director-general of TECC in June 2025, said in an interview that besides providing consular services, TECC has strengthened its role in economic cooperation, educational exchanges, cultural understanding and people-to-people connectivity. Excerpts:What aspects of the State have impressed you the most?The combination of industrial dynamism, talented young people, entrepreneurship and the warmth of the people. I have visited Puducherry, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Kancheepuram, Chengalpet and Trichy; met business and academic leaders; visited schools and community organisations; and participated in cultural and social activities. The variety of South Indian cuisine is remarkable and food is one of the best ways to understand the character of a place. What I appreciate most is the spirit of Tamil Nadu: people are receptive, hardworking and willing to build international connections. That gives me great confidence in the future of Taiwan–Tamil Nadu relations.How has the relationship between Taiwan and South India, particularly TN, evolved?Chennai has been an important gateway for Taiwan’s engagement with South India. As of July 2026, more than 350 Taiwanese companies have invested in India, creating about 2,18,000 jobs. Around three-quarters of Taiwanese companies operating in India are located in South India, particularly TN, where they have created more than 1,00,000 jobs. Bilateral trade has grown significantly. Taiwan–India trade increased from $10.6 bn in 2024 to a record $12.5 bn in 2025. It reached $8.6 bn in January-June 2026, up 43% from the same period in 2025, putting a new record within reach this year. The relationship is moving beyond traditional trade towards investment and industrial cooperation in electronics, semiconductors, IT, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy.Do you see growing interest among Taiwanese companies in exploring industrial clusters beyond Chennai?Traditionally, Taiwanese companies have concentrated around Chennai and Sriperumbudur because of the existing industrial ecosystem. During my tenure, I have encouraged Taiwanese businesses to explore other parts. Our visit to Tirunelveli and Tuticorin, including SIPCOT and VOC Port, was a fact-finding trip to understand the potential of southern TN. We found opportunities in green energy, electronics, and electric vehicles, as well as logistics and manufacturing. To attract more Taiwanese investment, these locations need reliable infrastructure, industrial land, power and water, logistics connectivity, skilled manpower, efficient administrative services and a strong local supply-chain ecosystem. I believe southern TN can become the next wave of Taiwan-linked manufacturing growth.Which sectors will drive the next phase of Taiwan–Tamil Nadu collaboration?TN has a mature industrial ecosystem, excellent engineering talent and a sophisticated manufacturing base that complements Taiwan’s strengths in technology, precision manufacturing, electronic components and global supply chains. I see strong momentum in semiconductors and electronics manufacturing, including components and supporting industries. But we should not look only at large corporations. Taiwanese SMEs have tremendous expertise in components, machinery, precision engineering and specialised manufacturing, and they can work closely with TN’s industrial clusters.What opportunities do you see for Taiwanese companies to collaborate with TN in semiconductors, electronics, and component supply chains?The next opportunity is to move from assembly and manufacturing into deeper supply-chain integration. Taiwan has strengths in semiconductors, electronic components, precision machinery, automation, and ICT, while TN has engineering talent, manufacturing capabilities, infrastructure, and a large industrial base. These strengths are complementary. I would like to see Taiwanese companies not simply manufacturing products in TN, but developing an integrated Taiwan–Tamil Nadu supply chain. I am the first to propose the idea of “Design from Taiwan, Make in Tamil Nadu” for the next decade. I believe this could eventually become a global model of cooperation.What should the TN govt do to attract more Taiwanese investment?We should establish more direct and regular connections among TN and Taiwanese companies, universities,and industry associations. Taiwan and TN should move from B2B cooperation to ecosystem-to-ecosystem cooperation. Taiwan has tech, innovation, design and supply-chain expertise, while TN has manufacturing strength, talent and a dynamic market. Combining these can create opportunities not only for Taiwan and TN, but also for the wider Indo-Pacific.
