Mumbai, Feb 5 : The Taiwanese government's move to deepen collaboration with the US in artificial intelligence (AI) and critical minerals aims to counter risks from growing competition with Beijing, a new report has said.

The report from Modern Diplomacy said senior Taiwanese and US officials discussed cooperation on AI, technology, and drones at a highâ??level forum, after which the US State Department described Taiwan as a â??vital partnerâ??.

Taiwan must look to fellow democracies rather than China for trade and economic cooperation, President Lai Ching-te said earlier this week.

"Laiâ??s remarks came as Taipei seeks to strengthen economic and technological links with Washington amid intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China," the report said.

â??Taiwan is on the right economic path and is striding confidently onto the world stage,â?? Lai said, adding that the country had both "the capability and confidence to work with democratic partners" on strengthening technological links.

The report highlighted that the two sides signed statements on cooperation in economic security and on the Pax Silica Declaration, a USâ??led initiative aimed at securing artificial intelligence and semiconductor supply chains.

However, Hsiao Hsu-tsen, deputy chairman of Taiwanâ??s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), said the country should "cooperate across the Taiwan Strait to earn money from the world, rather than oppose each other across the strait and let foreign countries reap the benefits, exploiting Taiwan and hollowing it out".

Hsiao was recently in Beijing for a thinkâ??tank exchange, which reportedly discussed "non-political issues such as artificial intelligence and tourism."

President Lai, however, contrasted faster growth under his government with slower growth under the previous KMT government and asked, â??Do we want to continue collaborating with the US, Japan, Europe, and other allied nations, or again lock ourselves into China?â??.

The report highlighted that Lai framed the trade cooperation as a choice between democratic partners and China, to â??embed Taiwan more deeply in US-led and allied supply chains, particularly in high-value sectors such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence."

/IANS