Current regulations have the effect of discouraging imports. Taiwan last year imported US$27.6 million worth of organic foods and beverages, making it one of the largest markets in that category in the region. Despite what is considered to be strong market potential, however, import growth is expected to slow in the years ahead due to…
A “member-choice” system is due to get a two-year trial. Taiwan has historically been conservative in its approach to pensions, preferring to assure its citizens a guaranteed if modest return. But as AmCham Taipei has long argued in its annual Taiwan White Paper, that approach is not necessarily in the best interest of all investors….
The current definition limits the health benefits that can be claimed. As consumers look for ways to maintain or improve their health, the dietary supplements market in most parts of the world has been growing rapidly in recent years. Taiwan remains a major exception because of the stringent regulations governing this sector. The size of…
Current rules discourage hotels from offering attractive special packages. Regulations in Taiwan aimed at protecting consumers require hotels to provide a full refund on room bookings canceled at least three days before the scheduled arrival. But as AmCham Taipei’s Travel and Tourism Committee has been arguing in the past several years’ Taiwan White Paper, that…
Flurry of raids are reminder of unresolved status. In recent weeks, local health department inspectors looking for violations conducted searches of the offices of six doctors of chiropractic in three Taiwan cities. Although it is not yet clear whether any of the cases will result in prosecutions, the incidents are a reminder of the precarious…
Taiwan rose to 13th place in the 2019 Doing Business report. Taiwan moved up two notches from last year to rank No. 13 in the World Bank’s recently released 2019 Doing Business survey. It passed Estonia, Finland, and Australia but came in behind the United Arab Emirates, which soared all the way from last year’s…
Taiwan should adopt the MDSAP multilateral approach to plant audit reports. In this year’s Taiwan White Paper, AmCham Taipei’s Medical Devices Committee called attention to problems arising from Taiwan’s documentary requirements for medical device companies to qualify to utilize the government’s simplified approach to auditing manufacturing facilities in the United States. As part of the…
A revamped government organization stresses dedication to helping companies solve problems. From early this year, the government agencies dealing with investment matters have been brought together under a new umbrella organization, InvesTaiwan, characterized by a logo featuring a stalk of grain, symbolizing the fertility of Taiwan’s business environment. Three agencies of the Ministry of Economic…
Indications from a recent conference are that the welcome mat is back out. Private-equity financing in Taiwan appears poised to make a comeback. For a time more than a decade ago, leading global PE firms played an active role in the Taiwan market, investing in major deals in such industries as cable television and financial…
The government seems receptive to the idea of greater flexibility in public-project contracts. In each of the last two editions of AmCham Taipei’s annual Taiwan White Paper, the Chamber’s Infrastructure & Engineering Committee encouraged the government to make use of an option called “alternative methodology” when tendering public infrastructure projects. Increasingly common in other construction…
