“Disco Fever” at the American Ball 2016

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The Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Taipei rocked with a disco beat on the evening of October 29 as the American Ball, co-organized by AmCham Taipei and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), again confirmed its reputation as the social event of the year for the Taipei international community.

The theme of “Disco Fever” was evident in the attire of the nearly 400 attendees (many of whom had evidently dug through drawers and closets to find garments with a ‘70s flair), the glitzy décor of the room thanks to the work of the Feng Ze Design Center, the creative entertainment routines devised by the VMJ dance troupe, and the choice of music by energetic vocalist Dooley and his band, DJ Rick Kraft, and the talented husband-and-wife, song-and-dance team of Richard Lin and Cindy Shueh Lin (both former AmCham board members).

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The Master of Ceremonies was Mark Lewis, taking a break from his day job at the AIT Commercial Section, and AmCham Acting Chair Libby Driscoll and President Andrea Wu, accompanied by AIT Director Kin Moy and Deputy Director Rob Forden, greeted the attendees on behalf of the host organizations.

The evening began with a welcoming drink of Bottega Brut Millesimato sparkling wine courtesy of Fratello F&B Int. Ltd. The gourmet five-course meal that followed featured a deconstructed Cobb salad, lentil soup with smoked duck, Isphahan sorbet, roasted U.S. beef tenderloin with wagyu beef patty, and a Funky Ball containing dark chocolate mousse, hazelnut, and popcorn. The dinner was accompanied by Caruso Cusora Bianco Sicilia and Manin Reforsco Rosso wines (from Fratello) and Johnnie Walker Double Black (from Diageo). Cocktails and Guinness stout were available at the bar.

View the full photo gallery here.

 

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The event was made possible by the generosity of a number of sponsoring companies. These included Grand Prix Sponsor United Airlines; Glitter Sponsor Volkswagen LCV Taiwan; Wine & Liquor Sponsors Diageo and Fratello; Gold Sponsors HSBC, Grand Hyatt Taipei, and Versum Materials; Silver Sponsors Abbott, BlackRock, Corning, and McDonald’s; and Décor Sponsor JTI.

Attractive raffle prizes added to the excitement of the evening. The grand prize was two United Airlines business-class tickets to San Francisco combined with a three-night stay at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. Other gift sponsors were 3M, Ever Rich, Fox International, Grand Hyatt, Hotel Eclat Taipei, The Landis Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Taipei, Mellow Fields Taipei, Palais de Chine, The Place Tainan, Procter & Gamble, Regent Taipei, Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, The Sherwood Taipei, and Westin Taipei.

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Special Event – Countdown to the US Election

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For those expecting fireworks, the AmCham’s Special Luncheon, “Countdown to the 2016 US Presidential Election,” on Oct 19, might have been a disappointment. Rather than political discord, attendees were instead treated to reasoned analysis of the U.S. presidential campaign and its possible ramifications on U.S. policy toward Asia by two keen observers of U.S. politics and Asia policy: William A. Stanton, Founding Director, the Center for Asia Policy (CAP), National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan and former AIT Director; and Ross Feingold, Senior Adviser at DC International Advisory.

Moderated by Paul Cassingham, Senior Legal Consultant at Eiger as well as a former AmCham Chairman and current Government Relations Committee Chair, the luncheon featured 15-minute presentations by each of the speakers, followed by Q&A and open discussion.

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William A. Stanton, Founding Director, the Center for Asia Policy (CAP), National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan and former AIT Director, presents his analysis of the US election’s potential impact in Asia.

Stanton’s presentation, The U.S. Presidential Election and What it Means for Asia, focused on four key areas:

  • U.S. Policy toward China
  • U.S. Policy towards Taiwan
  • the Trans-Pacific Partnership
  • and the South China Sea

He noted that both of the candidates talked tough on China, with Trump’s criticisms primarily economic while Clinton’s were more broadly aimed at China’s poor human rights record, its growing military might, accusations that China is wielding an army of cyber-attackers aimed at the United States, and its lack of democracy.

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Ross Feingold, Senior Adviser at DC International Advisory, presented a broader overview of the election process up to this point.

Feingold, who identified himself as a Republican who does not support Trump, focused more broadly on the bruising primary and presidential campaigns and how each candidate has fared. He noted that while recent email leaks and other public relations disasters have resulted in low public approval for Clinton, Trump’s approval ratings are in the basement, resulting in a distinct advantage for Clinton. Feingold also said that the Democratic Party’s platform remains focused on the “One-China” policy, while the Republican Party platform is more detailed and more supportive of Taiwan.

Participants joined in a lively discussion over what the election might mean for Taiwan, including the chances of the TPP being passed under either candidate. Stanton and Feingold concurred that although both candidates expressed disapproval for the TPP, Clinton would more likely re-open negotiations for the Pacific-wide trade agreement. Regarding another issue of concern for U.S. expats in Taiwan, Clinton has expressed support for the FATCA exemption on bank reporting. The Trump campaign has said nothing on this matter.

AmCham Taipei Marks 65th Anniversary

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AmCham Chairman Dan Silver (left), AIT Deputy Director Robert Forden (center), and AmCham President Andrea Wu toast on stage to celebrate the 65th anniversary of AmCham Taipei

With a gala reception attended by nearly 100 members and guests, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei on Sept. 22 celebrated the 65th anniversary of its establishment. The event was held at the Taipei 47 restaurant on the 47th floor of the Cathay Landmark building, offering attendees spectacular views of nighttime Taipei.

In brief remarks, AmCham Chairman Dan Silver highlighted some of AmCham’s key achievements over the past year, including the highly successful 2016 “Doorknock” visit to Washington, D.C. in mid-June and its advocacy efforts on behalf of more transparency and public engagement in the Taiwan government’s process for drafting new laws and regulations.

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Another new development for AmCham Taipei was the expansion of its physical space to open its own well-equipped conference facility, the Lincoln Room, one floor below the main AmCham office. So far, the Lincoln Room has served as the venue for Chamber events such as press conferences, government visits, luncheons, workshops, seminars, happy hours, and marketplace sessions, and it is also available for rental by member companies and others.

Silver also called attention to the offering of digital versions of the contents of the Chamber’s popular monthly publication, Taiwan Business TOPICS.

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Representing the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Deputy Director Robert Forden expressed appreciation for AmCham’s longstanding efforts to strengthen economic relations between Taiwan and the United States. He cited the Chamber’s annual Taiwan White Paper as providing excellent reference for both the Taiwan and U.S. governments regarding the needs of multinational businesses operating in Taiwan.

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Paul Cassingham on Taiwan’s Path to TPP

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a multinational trade agreement between 12 Pacific Rim nations that has significant implications for Taiwan’s economic future.

One of AmCham Taipei’s top priorities this year is encouraging the Taiwan Government to coordinate its efforts towards meeting the standards required for TPP accession – an initiative emphasized in the 2016 AmCham White Paper.

Paul Cassingham, Senior Legal Consultant at Eiger as well as AmCham’s former Chairman and current Government Relations Committee Chair, has studied the TPP’s text with the aim of gaining a clearer understanding of exactly what impact the trade deal might have on Taiwan, if it comes into effect.

On August 16, he presented his findings to an audience at the AmCham Lincoln Room, at a Chamber event titled “TPP: Opportunities and Challenges for Taiwan”.

A brief summary of key points is available below.

Cassingham also authored an article on TPP for TOPICS Magazine, the Chamber’s monthly publication, which goes into greater detail on the issues Taiwan faces. Read it here:
“Taiwan’s Restrictions on PRC Investment – A Sleeping TPP Issue?”

This year’s AmCham Taipei Doorknock delegation also stressed the importance – for both Taiwan and the U.S. – of Taiwan entering the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) when it expands beyond the original 12 members. Read a full report here:
2016 “Washington Doorknock” Focuses on TPP

 

Highlighted points from Mr. Cassingham’s presentation:

Taiwan & TPP Background

  • TPP Signatories include: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.
  • Taiwan would be the 6th largest and 4th wealthiest economy in the TPP if it joined
  • Main trade benefit of TPP would be the reduction or elimination of most import duties among TPP economies

Why Join? 

  • If Taiwan doesn’t join TPP, it would be unable to compete with TPP exporters that benefit from reduced import duties
  • The negative impact is multiplied for Taiwan’s intermediate goods exports (70% of total)

Some Areas of focus for Taiwan

  • Improving procedures for technical regulations and reduction of technical barriers to trade. For example:
    • TPP members must publish proposed regulations 60 days in advance for public comment
    • TPP members must respond to significant issues raised regarding proposed regulation
  • Foreign investors must be allowed to remit investment cash freely into and out of Taiwan.
  • Cross-strait relations may play a role in whether or not Taiwan can gain entry into the TPP

AmCham Taipei offers its sincere thanks to Paul Cassingham for his time and effort spent studying the TPP text, and for presenting his findings to Chamber guests and community members.

Six Months of Success for the AmCham Lincoln Room

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Lincoln Room Happy Hour

In January of this year, AmCham Taipei officially announced the opening of the Lincoln Room, a venue built to serve as a multi-purpose function room for AmCham luncheons, meetings, social gatherings, and government visits, and more.

In the six months since its opening, the Lincoln Room has hosted numerous successful events, proving to be a valuable enhancement for AmCham’s event platform and yet another addition to the wide range of services and offerings it provides to Taiwan’s foreign business community.

New Opportunities

One of the most exciting new features of the Lincoln Room is the AmCham Marketplace, which provides a unique opportunity to host an event in a state-of-the-art business venue, with access to the most influential business community in Taipei.

Marketplace participants are able to leverage the Chamber’s robust marketing channels to promote their event and their message for maximum engagement. Learn more about the Marketplace here.

The Lincoln Room is also available as a rental venue.

Below are some highlights from Lincoln Room events that have taken place since its opening. The possibilities are endless!

Business Climate Survey Press Conference

Business Climate Survey Press Conference

The AmCham Lincoln Room served as the venue for the official release of AmCham’s annual Business Climate Survey in January.

Seminars & Workshops

bimonthly William Zyzo seminars

Bimonthly training seminars, conducted by AmCham Advance Learning Lab advisor William Zyzo. Recent topics include slide design, better job performance in the digital age, and design thinking.

Movie Screening

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Documentary screening: THE GIRL WHO STOOD UP – Sharing by female leaders and pre-screenings of the new National Geographic documentary “He Named Me Malala” provided an excellent experience and discussion.

Happy Hours

Happy Hours – Quarterly Member Happy Hours

The Lincoln Room, equipped with a small kitchen area, is the new home for AmCham’s Quarterly Happy Hour celebrations as well as committee-specific social events.

Committee Discussions

Committee Discussions – HR committee afternoon discussion

AmCham Committees find the Lincoln Room an ideal venue for meetings and internal workshops.

Govt. meetings

Govt. meetings

A delegation of staffers to U.S. congressmen and senators visited AmCham in June, and were received in the Lincoln Room

Marketplace

Marketplace

The first official AmCham Marketplace Session, an informational session on Mortgage Market Design, took place in May.

AmCham’s 2016 Golf Championship

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Pitch the Candidate

A total of 58 golfers, organized into 15 teams, took part in AmCham Taipei’s 2016 Golf Championship, held May 27 at the Kuo Hua Golf & Country Club in Tamsui.

With a full shot-gun start, all players teed-off promptly at 6:30 a.m., following the Texas Scramble format. The day saw clear skies with hot temperatures, but players stayed refreshed with non-alcoholic drinks generously sponsored by Swire Coca-Cola, tequila cocktails by Patron Spirits, and craft beer by Steve’s Brew.

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For the first time at the AmCham Taipei Golf Championship – held annually by the Chamber since 2011 – a side activity called “Pitch the Candidate” was introduced at this year’s event. In addition to the regular 18-hole tournament, golfers could take aim at signs bearing the photo of either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Each successful hit was awarded with a sleeve of top-quality golf balls.

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Thanks to hole-sponsors Allianz, Corning, and Intel, golfers had the chance to win Nearest to the Pin contests at every Par-3 hole, as well as Longest Drive on two Par-5 holes.

All participants also took home “goody bags” filled with golf balls courtesy of Sanfu Global’s Simon Chang to celebrate his “Hole-in-One” achieved on March 4 this year, as well as other take-aways provided by Asian Tigers, Costco Taiwan, and Synergy Net.

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Tournament Results

Team handicaps for this year’s tournament were determined using the Peoria system, with the six special holes drawn randomly by players during the awards lunch. IGST Rockys (Joe Welsh, Ray Koot, Donato Scioscioli, and Henry Wang) won the championship, followed by AmCham 3 (Sam Lo, Susan Huang, Jesse Chen, and Charles Liang) as runner-up, and Air Products San Fu 3 (Paul Yang, Patrick Chen, Ally Kim, and Jeff Chung) in third place. Other golfers also had opportunities to win prizes in the lucky draws that followed, with products sponsored by Audi, Ballantine’s, Costco, Delta Airlines, Grand Hyatt Taipei, He Feng Chinese Cuisine, Howard Plaza Taipei, IGST, Patron Spirits, Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei, Silks Place Taroko, The Place Tainan, and The Sherwood Taipei.

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Before ending lunch, AmCham President Andrea Wu extended special thanks to the 2016 AmCham Golf Committee – Simon Chang, Doug Klein, Joe Welsh, and Lee Wood – for their expert advice on all things golf-related.

AmCham Tours Dihua Street

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The AmCham Travel & Tourism Committee hosted a special event on May 13, where Commissioner Yu-yen Chien of the Department of Information & Tourism of Taipei City 台北市政府觀光傳播局 簡余晏局長 delivered a presentation and hosted a Q&A session before guests were taken on a guided walking tour of the historic Dihua street area.

 

View the full photo gallery here.

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Dihua Street is located in Datong District of Taipei City, with a total length of 800 meters. The street was built in the 1850s as a major trading center for Chinese herbs and medicines, dried goods, fabrics, and teas since it is near the Dadaocheng port. Since 1996, it has become a market place for Chinese New Year grocery shopping. Dihua Street is also a popular tourist attraction with historical architectures in traditional Fujian, Baroque and western styles.

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This event was a special opportunity for AmCham members to engage with Taipei government agencies and take part in a unique format of interactive event. To learn more about AmCham events, and to see the upcoming event schedule, click here. 

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The International Golf Society of Taipei

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The International Golf Society of Taipei (IGST) is a social group that arranges golfing and social events for all those interested in golf and making new friends.

Taiwan has many beautiful courses but arrangements can be challenging, especially if you don’t speak Chinese. IGST has 100 members of all nationalities, ages and genders. A transparent handicap system ensures golfers of all skills enjoy playing together. Learn more about the IGST here.

Non-golfing partners are welcome at social events. The regular season runs from March to November with games on two Saturdays each month.

Other opportunities include a winter playing schedule, annual overseas trip, the Taiwan Cup against Taichung and Kaohsiung golf societies, ad hoc games with other members and invitations to other golf events. See the full schedule of upcoming IGST events here. 

View the photo gallery at www.taiwan-golf.com  or EMail:   [email protected]

IGST is also a sponsor of the upcoming 2016 AmCham Golf Scramble tournament on May 27. Click here for more details and registration

The Executive Centre Exclusive Program

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AmCham Taipei Members,

Don’t miss the exclusive benefits offered by one of our exclusive member program partners, The Executive Centre (TEC). TEC is Asia’s leading premium serviced office provider, with over 70 centres in 21 major cities in the Asia-Pacific region. It has been voted “Asia’s Best Serviced Office Provider” and provides high quality on-demand serviced offices, virtual offices, meeting facilities, video conferencing and more.

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All AmCham Taipei Exclusive Program benefits are exclusive to AmCham Taipei members. You won’t find these deals anywhere else!

Through the AmCham Taipei exclusive program, our members can are eligible to receive any of the following deals from TEC: 

  • 1 Complimentary meeting room usage in Taipei 101 or the Far Eastern Plaza, valued at NTD5000
  • 2 hours monthly complimentary meeting room usage with free flow coffee, tea, and one wifi connection
  • Virtual office plan (valued NTD8000/mo.)
  • Sign a 12-month serviced office agreement and receive 2 months rent-free

More information is available here.
Claim your rewards while the offer lasts!

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Regus BusinessWorld Exclusive Program

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AmCham Taipei Members,

Don’t miss the exclusive benefits offered by one of our exclusive member program partners, Regus BusinessWorld. Regus is the world’s largest provider of workplace solutions, from fully equipped and staffed office to meeting rooms, conference and training facilities.

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All AmCham Taipei Exclusive Program benefits are exclusive to AmCham Taipei members. You won’t find these deals anywhere else!

Through the AmCham Taipei exclusive program, our members can are eligible to receive any of the following deals from Regus: 

  • When applying for 6months of BusinessWorld Gold, receive 3 hours of free meeting room usage for the first 3 months, plus 6 day passes that can be used for up to 2 visitors.
  • When applying for 12 months of BusinessWorld Gold, receive 1 month free, 6 hours free meeting room usage for the first 3 months, and 12 one-day passes.
  • Platinum card holders and above are entitled to double the regular meeting room usage hours and a one-day pass.
  • Sign up for a 1-year virtual office contract in 3000 global locations to receive 2 months free.

More information is available here.
Claim your rewards while the offer lasts!

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