Taiwan’s long-term prosperity will require a shift to a new economic paradigm centered on the ability of knowledge-based industries to generate constant innovation. Yet many of the government policies and regulations in place are still geared toward the traditional factory production-line models of the past. That approach is already incompatible with current needs, let alone…
Continuing its efforts to enable Taiwan to overcome political obsacles to gain access to vital health and security-related information from international organizations, the United States government has committed to helping Taiwan participate as an observer in meetings of the International Criminal Police Organization, more commonly known as Interpol. On March 18, President Barack Obama signed…
With exports continuing to fall month after month from the previous year’s levels, and with negative growth in the past two quarters officially confirming that the Taiwan economy has fallen into recession, the new government taking office May 20 will need to place economic revitalization at the top of its policy agenda. One of the…
AmCham Taipei recently released the results of its sixth annual Business Climate Survey soliciting the views of key executives at its member companies (a report on the major findings can be found within this issue of TOPICS). The survey is always conducted at the end of the calendar year and made public in mid-January after…
Taiwan’s determination to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) multilateral trade pact at the earliest opportunity is becoming increasingly evident. Following release early in November of the full text of the agreement recently concluded among the United States, Japan, and 10 other countries, the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Foreign Trade began studying the documents’…
After numerous rounds of grueling negotiations over seven years, the 12 Pacific Rim countries committed to coming together to form wide-ranging trade pact known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) were able to announce on October 5 that they had reached agreement on the contents. The American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei quickly issued a press…
In an increasingly unfavorable overall environment of declining exports and anemic domestic consumption, Taiwan needs to be taking advantage of all possible ways to reinvigorate its economy. One policy suggestion that appears on almost every list of potential solutions is to heighten Taiwan’s capability to attract foreign direct investment. Although FDI is often mainly thought…
The annual talks under the U.S.-Taiwan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) provide an invaluable platform for high-level dialogue on relevant issues in the interest of further strengthening the bilateral economic relationship. The Taiwan delegation to these TIFA Council meetings is headed by a Vice Minister of Economic Affairs and the American side by a…
Each year since 1996 – usually shortly after release of the Taiwan White Paper – AmCham Taipei has organized a week-long “Doorknock” mission to Washington, D.C. to exchange views with U.S. government executive agencies, Congressional offices, think tanks, and others concerned with U.S.-Taiwan bilateral economic relations. The trip is always extremely useful. It gives AmCham…
The June issue of Taiwan Business TOPICS includes the annual Taiwan White Paper, an assessment of Taiwan’s business climate in both the macro level and sector by sector. Download it here. Foreword In recent years during the preparation of the annual Taiwan White Paper, AmCham Taipei has reviewed the degree of progress on the various…
