President Tsai addresses AmCham’s 2020 Annual General Meeting

For the second consecutive year, American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei has had the honor of having President Tsai Ing-wen address its Annual General Meeting (AGM). This year’s event marks the last AGM before the Chamber changes its name from American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei to “American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan”. Joining President Tsai at today’s event was Brent Christensen, Director of the American Institute in Taiwan, Wellington Koo, Secretary-General of the National Security Council, and Joseph Wu, Minister of Foreign Affairs. This year’s event was attended by around 230 members.

In her keynote speech, President Tsai commended the Chamber’s name change and said the reference to “Taiwan” was a true reflection of the Chamber’s membership and influence in Taiwan. She further noted that the Chamber will continue to play a crucial and significant role in the US-Taiwan economic relations in the future and thanked the Chamber members for “paying careful attention to the progress of a BTA between Taiwan and the US”.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan’s economy has held up very well, with its GDP growth in Q3 standing at 3.33 per cent, the best amongst the four Asian tigers. The President was pleased to see AmCham’s Business Climate Survey and Taiwan White Paper this year recognize Taiwan’s economic prosperity and remarked favorably that over 70 per cent of AmCham members showed increased optimism about Taiwan’s economy in the next three years. To continue this positive trend, she said her government is working proactively to deepen economic and business partnerships with Taiwan’s global partners.

Director Christensen, in his VIP remarks, reiterated the bipartisan support for stronger US-Taiwan relations in Washington, D.C. He also commended President Tsai for her prioritization of accountability and transparency, which have played a critical role in Taiwan’s successful handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that Taiwan’s safe and stable environment has allowed Taiwan’s businesses to flourish in the face of strong global headwinds that are constraining growth in so many other economies.

As Taiwan is the United States’ 9^th largest trading partner, Director Christensen said, “US companies see the opportunities in Taiwan and are expanding their investments here, including establishing cutting-edge R&D facilities”. We at AmCham echoed this hope and would like to see our members expand their businesses in Taiwan.

About AmCham Taipei

Founded in 1951, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (AmCham Taipei) is a non-profit, non-partisan business organization dedicated to promoting the interests of international business in Taiwan. With around 1000 members from more than 500 companies and 25 committees representing various industry interests, AmCham speaks with collective authority on business issues as they affect its member companies operating in Taiwan.

For more information, please contact:

Gwenyth Wang-Reeves
[email protected]
(02) 2718 8226 #314