Taiwan's former president used an AI industry event to pitch the island as a supplier the West needs, not just a place that needs protection — a confident framing aimed at Washington and like-minded governments.

• Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan has the factories, engineers and supply chains to build what the next tech era requires.
• Her line: Taiwan needs friends and close links to the world, but Taiwan can also help its partners.
• She pointed to decades of precision manufacturing and electronics know-how, and Taiwan's skill at turning a design into a mass-produced product.
• On AI, she said answers are now easy to get, so judgment about which answers to trust matters more — and that responsibility stays with people.
• She also acknowledged AI misuse and fake content, saying she has been a target herself, but that a democracy tolerates mockery within the law.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep selling itself to the US and allies as an industrial partner in AI hardware rather than a dependent one.