An Exclusive Interview with National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin Taiwan has done a stellar job of managing the COVID-19 pandemic, and has experienced comparatively minimal economic damage. Now it is time to start thinking about how it can capitalize on its strong high-tech capabilities and the international goodwill it has earned to become a…
Taiwan has built a solid startup ecosystem over the past decade. Now it needs to strengthen its international connections. Recognizing the vital role of startup enterprises in fostering an innovative economy, Taiwan in recent years has put in place many of the pieces necessary to build a dynamic startup ecosystem. The privately invested accelerator AppWorks,…
As China’s industrial centers remain in a state of uncertainty due to coronavirus fears, Taiwanese and international companies that have come to rely on the PRC as a production base are now seeking alternative solutions while trying to maintain continuity of operations back home. When discussing the business and economic implications for Taiwan of the…
The promotion of English proficiency is designed to increase competitiveness in the international arena. To help ensure this country’s continued competitiveness in an era of globalization, the National Development Council (NDC) last December launched a plan to develop Taiwan into a “bilingual nation” by 2030. The goal is not to establish English as an official…
The Taiwan government recognizes the importance of cultivating startups as a way to constantly inject new vigor into the economy and build the major enterprises of tomorrow. To optimize the environment in Taiwan for startups, the government has set two paramount goals for the “Action Plan for Enhancing Taiwan’s Startup Ecosystem.” First, to create a…
For years, a key element in AmCham Taipei’s advocacy agenda has been an appeal to the government to ease the way for foreign white-collar personnel to live and work in Taiwan. Major progress was made in that direction with the Legislative Yuan’s passage on October 31 of an Act for the Recruitment and Employment of…
When it became evident that none of the 80 issues raised by AmCham Taipei’s various committees in the 2016 Taiwan White Paper had been fully resolved, the Taiwan government took action in hopes of assuring greater progress in the coming year on the current White Paper issues released in June. Deputy Minister Kung Ming-hsin of…
The Tsai administration is making a heavy commitment of resources to promoting seven sectors of the economy as the key to transforming Taiwan’s industry. The initial five “pillar industries” were the Internet of Things (also referred to as Asia·Silicon Valley), Biomedical, Green Energy, Smart Machinery, and Defense. Added later were high-value agriculture and the circular…
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…
Last October in this space, in an editorial entitled “A Significant Initiative,” AmCham Taipei hailed the Taiwan government’s decision to extend the notice-and-comment period for proposed new or revised regulations. Previously a mere 14 days, hardly enough time for stakeholders to absorb the content of the proposed new measures and to formulate a comprehensive response,…
