Nearly 40 reporters from local and international media outlets gathered at the Regent Taipei on June 6 for the launch of AmCham’s 2024 Taiwan White Paper. The press conference, led by AmCham Taiwan Chairperson Dan Silver and President Patrick P. Lin, was followed by a luncheon for members and their guests. 

Lin opened the event by emphasizing the significance of the White Paper, which has served as the Chamber’s most important advocacy document for several decades. It represents the interests of the international business community and provides a platform for AmCham members to express recommendations to secure Taiwan’s economic future, as well as to improve U.S.-Taiwan bilateral economic relations. Lin further noted that AmCham member companies maintain strong commitment to Taiwan and are confident in its potential for growth. 

AmCham Taiwan President Patrick P. Lin and Chairperson Dan Silver
present the 2024 Taiwan White Paper during the June 6 press conference.

In this year’s White Paper, AmCham members urged the Taiwan government to work with industry to enhance the investment climate, strengthen resilience, and amplify Taiwan’s strategic economic positioning in the face of an uncertain future.

The Chamber lauded the encouraging progress of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade and urged both governments to establish a well-defined roadmap outlining the execution of agreements under the Initiative, and subsequently use it to move towards a bilateral trade agreement. AmCham also called on the U.S. government to ensure continued bipartisan support for Taiwan’s defense, finalize the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade, and advance efforts to remove double taxation from bilateral investments. The U.S. government should also normalize high-level official visits and promote Taiwan’s inclusion in international organizations, including the World Health Organization, Interpol, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

President Patrick P. Lin and Chairperson Dan Silver answer questions from the media.

During the press conference, Silver stressed that Taiwan currently finds itself in a “golden opportunity” to leverage the unprecedented level of international attention and goodwill it enjoys, and that there is no way to know how long this attention will last. He stressed that there is “no time to waste” in making Taiwan the region’s most attractive investment destination. Silver also summarized the status of the 2023 White Paper, with 5 issues solved, and 25 in good progress, out of a total of 95 raised.   

The press conference was followed by a luncheon attended by nearly 150 AmCham members and their guests, as well as special guest Minister of the National Development Council (NDC) Liu Chin-ching. Following a presentation by Silver, Minister Liu was invited to the stage to receive a copy of the White Paper on behalf of the Taiwan government.  

Chairperson Silver presents the 2024 Taiwan White Paper
to Minister Liu Chin-ching on behalf of the Taiwan government.

In his remarks, Liu expressed his gratitude to AmCham for its long-term support, and for providing advice on improvements to Taiwan’s investment environment, further strengthening U.S.-Taiwan economic and trade relations. AmCham and the NDC look forward to arranging meetings to discuss specific issues presented in the White Paper in the coming year. 

Members of AmCham’s Board of Governors, Minister Liu and representatives of the American Institute in Taiwan were present at the luncheon.