AmCham Releases Its 2023 White Paper

Nearly 30 reporters from local and international media outlets gathered at the Regent Taipei on June 7 for the launch of AmCham’s 2023 Taiwan White Paper. The press conference, led by AmCham Taiwan Chairperson Vincent Shih and President Amy Chang, was followed by a luncheon for members and their guests. 

Chang opened the event by emphasizing the significance of the White Paper, which has served as the Chamber’s flagship annual advocacy document for 27 years. It represents the interests of the international business community and provides a platform for AmCham to express its vision for Taiwan’s economic future, as well as for improving U.S.-Taiwan bilateral economic relations. She further noted that while members are closely monitoring geopolitical developments in the region, they maintain a strong dedication to Taiwan and its growth. 

AmCham Taiwan President Amy Chang and Chairperson Vincent Shih present the
2023 Taiwan White Paper during the June 7 press conference.

In this year’s White Paper, AmCham members urged Taiwan to speed up its digital transformation, implement and uphold sound regulatory governance, speed up the transition to renewable energy sources, and invest in talent to better meet the challenges of the 21st Century. 

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 proceed with negotiations for a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement. AmCham also called on the U.S. government to schedule regular visits to Taiwan by high-ranking officials and continue to advocate for Taiwan’s inclusion in international organizations, such as the World Health Assembly and International Civil Aviation Organization. 

President Amy Chang and Chairperson Vincent Shih answer questions from the media.

During the press conference, Chairperson Shih 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. Shih also summarized the status of the 2022 White Paper, with 8 issues solved, and 21 in good progress, out of a total of 102 raised.   

“We look forward to working with the National Development Council in the upcoming year to facilitate a new record-high number of solved issues,” Shih said. 

The press conference was followed by a luncheon attended by around 140 AmCham members and their guests, as well as special guest Minister of the National Development Council (NDC) Kung Ming-Hsin. Following a presentation by Shih, Minister Kung was invited to the stage to receive a copy of the White Paper on behalf of the Taiwan government.  

Chairperson Shih presents the 2023 Taiwan White Paper
to Minister Kung Ming-Hsin on behalf of the Taiwan government.

In his remarks, Kung expressed his gratitude to AmCham for its long-term support, and for providing advice on improvements to Taiwan’s investment environment and the strengthening of U.S.-Taiwan economic and trade relations. Kung responded to AmCham member requests for more meetings with the NDC saying that arranging meetings to discuss specific issues presented in the White Paper is definitely possible.  

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

The 2023 Taiwan White Paper can be downloaded here: https://amcham.com.tw/advocacy/white-paper/

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