In its 2017 Taiwan White Paper released on June 8, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei assessed the performance of the first year of the Tsai Ing-wen administration from the viewpoint of the foreign business community. Introducing the content of the White Paper at a Chamber luncheon attended by more than a hundred members…
Does it make sense that businesses with fleets of motor vehicles are required by law to rent parking spaces they never use? Contending that the answer is clearly “no,” the Transportation & Logistics Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei has requested the authorities to eliminate a practice that serves the interest only…
Company HR representatives cite an urgent need for greater flexibility. When Deputy Labor Minister Liau Huei-Fang accepted an invitation from AmCham Taipei’s Human Resources Committee to exchange views with Committee members about recently implemented amendments to the Labor Standards Law (LSL), more than 100 HR specialists showed up for the meeting on April 19. The…
Taiwan revises its law, but eligibility terms seem strict. A revision to the Nationality Act passed in December and promulgated last month will make it easier–but not nearly as easy as many long-term foreign residents of Taiwan had hoped–for nationals of other countries to become citizens of the Republic of China without having to relinquish…
A visiting delegation urges early passage of Patent Linkage legislation. During a recent visit to Taipei, a six-member delegation from the Washington, DC-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) urged Taiwan’s legislature to give early attention to pending bills to strengthen intellectual property protection for pharmaceuticals. Passage of the proposed amendments to the Pharmaceutical…
Should customers cancelling a special offer be guaranteed a refund? When arranging an overseas holiday, have you ever booked hotel rooms online as part of a special promotion such as an “early-bird package” offering an attractive discount from the ordinary room rate? If so, you undoubtedly noticed and agreed to the stated conditions – pre-payment…
The changing regulatory environment has raised a number of issues for consideration. At its January meeting, AmCham Taipei’s Board of Governors approved the formation of a new Chamber committee to cover the cosmetics sector. The stated goals of the new committee are to promote a positive and stable business environment to foster smooth operations for…
State Department official brings message of entrepreneurship and innovation. The U.S. State Department’s Acting Representative for Global Partnerships, Thomas Debass, took part in a series of programs during a visit to Taiwan in mid-November in connection with Global Entrepreneurship Week. In line with Taiwan’s objective of developing an “Asian Silicon Valley” to promote innovative industries,…
Some items are making progress, but none have yet been entirely resolved. The December issue of Taiwan Business TOPICS – coming at the half-way point between publication of editions of AmCham Taipei’s Taiwan White Paper – is an opportune time to evaluate the progress made so far in dealing with the issues raised in the…
Taiwan has found it hard to move up further in the annual Doing Business report. Each year in late October, the World Bank releases the results of its Doing Business survey that assesses, country by country, the ease or difficulty for private enterprises of conducting business. In the newly issued 2017 report, Taiwan (or “Taiwan,…
