According to a CNA report dated July 21, 2026, Taiwan's economic growth rate reached 8.76% last year, based on Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) data cited by Economic Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) [E2]. This year's growth is estimated at 9.64%, and Kung said that "based on the latest data, this year's economic growth rate could exceed 10%" [E3]. TechNews's coverage of the same remarks corroborated both figures — 8.76% for last year and an estimated 9.64% for this year — including the same reference to growth potentially surpassing 10% [E8].
| Period | Growth Rate | Reported By |
|---|---|---|
| Last year | 8.76% | CNA, TechNews (citing DGBAS data via Kung) |
| This year (estimate) | 9.64% | CNA, TechNews (citing DGBAS data via Kung) |
| This year (potential) | Could exceed 10% | CNA, TechNews (Kung's assessment) |
Per CNA, Kung said Taiwan achieving two consecutive years of what he called "extremely high" economic growth rates is "very rare" (非常罕見) — a characterization he offered after tracing back through historical data and finding that the last comparable stretch of consecutive high growth was in the 1980s [E4]. He tied this rarity directly to his broader remark that "we must have gotten something right" (我們一定做對了什麼事) [E1].
CNA reported that the government launched the Forward-looking Infrastructure program (前瞻基礎建設) in 2017, when Kung was serving as Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs and was tasked with strengthening five major production factors: water, electricity, land, talent, and labor [E5]. TechNews's account of the same forum quoted Kung saying, "the investment we made in forward-looking infrastructure back then is why we're able today to respond to the return of Taiwanese businesses and current AI computing power demand" [E9].
According to CNA, Kung said the government is advancing five major trust industries (5大信賴產業) to position Taiwan as an important partner within democratic, non-red supply chain systems [E6]. TechNews's report on the same event quoted Kung adding that alongside AI-driven economic development, the government "has not forgotten all trades and small and micro enterprises," continuing to allocate budgets and programs to support them because "all resilience comes from the grassroots — as long as small and micro enterprises are stable, Taiwan has resilience" [E10].
CNA reported that Kung repeatedly framed the results with the phrase "we must have gotten something right," pointing to the completeness of investment environments — water, electricity, land, talent, and labor — as the key factor behind the outcome [E1]. That framing follows directly from his separate observation that consecutive high-growth years of this kind had not occurred since the 1980s, prompting him to ask what specifically had "happened" to produce it [E4].
Per CNA, Kung's remarks were delivered at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research's 50th Anniversary Summit Forum, themed "Toward an Era of Resilient Living and Industry" (邁向韌性生活與產業時代) and organized around three frameworks: new economy, new infrastructure, and new resilience [E7]. TechNews's account of the same forum reported that Kung defined the "new resilience" pillar specifically through the five trust industries and continued support for small and micro enterprises [E10].
Across both outlets' accounts of the same forum, the reported facts form a timeline: infrastructure investment decisions made in 2017 targeting water, electricity, land, talent, and labor [E5, E9] precede the growth figures now being cited — 8.76% last year and an estimated 9.64% this year, with potential to exceed 10% [E2, E3, E8]. The forum's "new resilience" framework [E7] is defined by Kung using the same two elements — five trust industries and small/micro enterprise support — that he also cited when explaining supply chain positioning [E6, E10]. The one point of historical comparison offered for how unusual the two-year run is remains the 1980s, the last time CNA reported Kung identifying a comparable stretch [E4].
8.76%, based on DGBAS data cited by Kung and reported by both CNA and TechNews.
9.64%, with Kung saying the latest data suggests it could exceed 10%, per CNA and TechNews.
The 1980s, according to Kung's remarks reported by CNA.
2017, per both CNA and TechNews's reporting on Kung's remarks.
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