India-Taiwan trade up 61%: Jan-Aug total was $8bn in 2025; $12.9bn in 2026

India-Taiwan trade in the January-August period of 2026 has grown 61% from the trade data recorded in Jan-Aug 2025. Sharing the trade data, Stephen Hsu, Director General of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Centre(TECC) in Chennai, highlighted that the Jan-Aug trade in 2025 was $8bn and that the first eight months of 2026 have already seen $12.9bn worth of trade. Hsu was speaking at the 115th ROC (Taiwan) National Day Reception in Chennai, attended by representatives from all the Southern Indian states.

Over 350 Taiwanese companies have invested in India, creating more than 200,000 jobs.

Approximately two-thirds of these Taiwanese companies are located in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The event was attended by Members of Parliament, government officials, MLAs, academics, and business leaders from the region.

Comparing the growing trade, Hsu pointed out that the total value was $12.5bn in all of 2025, while the first eight months of 2026 had already witnessed $12.9bn worth of trade. Based on this trend, he suggested that the total trade value in 2026 is likely to go beyond $15bn. He emphasised that Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology (ICT), artificial intelligence (AI), advanced manufacturing, and green-energy technologies complement India’s strengths in talent, market size, and manufacturing capabilities. By working together, Taiwan and India can build stronger and more resilient supply chains.

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Touching upon the importance of educational exchanges between Taiwan and India, Hsu said there are 45 Taiwan Education Centres (TECs) across India, including 18 in South India, of which 12 are in Tamil Nadu. Since June 2026, TECC in Chennai has, for the first time, partnered with local universities to provide internship opportunities for Indian students. The program enables students to gain a better understanding of diplomatic work, participate in TECC activities, gain first-hand exposure to diplomatic practice, acquire practical experience, and broaden their international perspectives.

"TECC in Chennai has so far recruited 20 interns, two of whom have expressed their aspiration to become Indian diplomats in the future", he added. Director-General Hsu said he was honoured to contribute to the development of young Indian talent, emphasising that “diplomacy is not only about governments; it is also about people.” Looking ahead, TECC Chennai’s core mission is to continue strengthening the IT (India & Taiwan) partnership.

In his address, Chief Guest S. Vijayakumar, the head of the Indian Foreign Ministry's Branch Secretariat in Chennai, noted that bilateral relations between Taiwan and India have grown steadily in recent years, with economic and trade exchanges showing particularly significant progress. He emphasised that India's Act East Policy seeks to create greater synergies in areas including economy, technology, green energy, supply chains, and talent exchanges.

He noted that Tamil Nadu enjoys highly favourable conditions for development and said that he had personally witnessed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chennai's active efforts to promote exchanges in talent and other fields with stakeholders across the state. He therefore welcomed Director-General Hsu's vision of "Design from Taiwan, Make in Tamil Nadu" and expressed his strong support for its realisation in the region.