Each autumn, the Ministry of Economic Affairs holds a Taiwan Business Alliance Conference to promote Taiwan’s advantages as a location for foreign investment and to spotlight new business opportunities. This year’s program, held October 7 at the Taipei International Convention Center, included a new wrinkle. For the first time, the Ministry presented an “Economic Contribution…
There’s more to buoyant two-way FDI flows than generous taxation policies. Back in the 1600s, the Dutch were Taiwan’s first foreign investors, with their legendary Dutch East Indian Company setting up Fort Zeelandia in what is now the Anping district of Tainan. Fast-forwarding to the present, the Netherlands for the past three years has been…
AmCham Taipei’s Private Equity Committee suspended operations in late 2017 in frustration over the difficulty PE firms were facing in Taiwan in gaining approval for investment applications. In a number of cases over the previous six years, investment plans by PE companies had been either rejected outright or stalled so long that the prospective investor…
The Taoyuan Aerotropolis is the largest infrastructure project undertaken in Taiwan since the “Ten Major Infrastructure Projects” of the 1970s. With expected total investment of more than NT$500 billion (US$16 billion), it will create NT$2.3 trillion (about US$75 billion) in economic value, generate 20,000-30,000 job opportunities, and bring concrete benefits to both the aviation and…
The New Southbound Policy, launched in 2016 to enhance Taiwan’s contacts with countries in the surrounding region, has recently taken on added significance. The deterioration in U.S.-China economic relations has placed the spotlight on Southeast Asia and India as prime areas for future growth in trade and investment. Taiwan’s efforts to enhance relations with those…
Thirty-nine state enterprises have been converted into private companies since 1989. The next stage will be the most difficult. Over the past three decades, a total of 39 state-owned enterprises in Taiwan have been transformed into private corporations through the sale of shares in an effort to promote efficiency and reduce the direct involvement of…
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…
Positive Indications on the Trade Front Given Taiwan’s heavy reliance on international trade for its economic momentum, the past several weeks brought some encouraging news. Announcement of Taiwan’s trade figures for July showed that exports had continued to increase for the fifth consecutive month. At US$29.36 billion, export value in July was 4.7% higher than…
Higher GDP Growth Seen on Rising Exports The Taiwan economy is expected to experience higher growth this year due to improved levels of demand on world markets. The Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute, a Taipei economic think tank, raised its 2018 GDP growth forecast from 2.4% to 2.55% based on increased export activity. The government’s Directorate General…
The Five Shortages refers to Taiwan’s lack of sufficient land, water, power, manpower, and talent to meet its need for continuing economic growth. The term was first coined by the Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI) in its 2015 white paper, and the umbrella organization of Taiwanese manufacturing associations continues to call upon the government…
