As we head to the end of what has been a very difficult year, I would like to thank our readers and advertisers for their continued support! This year marked the 50th anniversary of Taiwan Business TOPICS magazine and we are very proud of the status it has achieved. For those who have not read the special 50th edition issue from April of this year, I highly recommend it; the cover story recounts the history of this powerful publication.

Next year will be an important anniversary for AmCham as well. We will be celebrating our 70th anniversary and will at the same time launch our new brand as the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan beginning in January 2021. President Tsai was very supportive of our name change and mentioned it in her address to our Annual General Meeting last month. Planning for the 70th anniversary celebration has already begun, and we are looking to hold the main event in September. We have generously been offered the use of the historic Taipei Guest House by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold the anniversary party. More details will follow.

As many are aware, AmCham Senior Director and TOPICS Editor-in-Chief Don Shapiro will retire from the Chamber after nearly two decades of service. Fortunately for us, he will continue to support the Chamber and TOPICS on a part-time basis. His work on the magazine over the past 18 years has been a big reason for its success. Don has shared some of his reflections from his many years in Taiwan in this edition of TOPICS. Please join me in congratulating Don on his amazing contributions to AmCham and to our TOPICS magazine!

Finally, although we are lucky to be in Taiwan in terms of the impact of COVID-19, our thoughts this holiday season are with the many friends and family members who are enduring less fortunate circumstances.

On behalf of the AmCham team, I wish you all a joyful holiday season and a healthy, happy, and prosperous year in 2021!