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Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-Tsan Kicks off Meet the Mayor Event Series

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For the first installment of AmCham’s special “Meet the Mayor” luncheon event series, Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan addressed an audience of members and their guests at the Shangri-la’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei’s second-floor ballroom.

Mayor Cheng began by highlighting Taiwan’s excellent economic performance over the past year, including the double-digit growth in its industrial output and similar growth in exports between January 2020 and 2021. He noted the many new and ongoing efforts in advancing the economic and security relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan, including cooperation on energy and technological development, as well as improving intellectual property protection and strengthening regional security, among others.

Photo Credit: Taoyuan City Government

Cheng went on to discuss the extent of foreign investment in Taoyuan, emphasizing that over 100 U.S. companies have invested in operations there. He said that Taoyuan has been the most successful location in all of Taiwan in terms of helping foreign and local companies resolve issues related to their investments. Some of the notable investors Cheng mentioned from among AmCham’s membership included Cisco, Costco, and GE.

Photo Credit: Taoyuan City Government

In addition, Cheng said, Taoyuan’s local supply chains are strong and abundant, particularly in the area of semiconductors, but also increasingly in 5G communications equipment. Many of the supply chain partners for U.S. multinationals such as Apple, Tesla, and Nike have factories or headquarters in Taoyuan. In addition, the presence of Taiwan’s largest international airport in Taoyuan has allowed it to develop a robust logistics industry, further bolstering its comprehensive supply chains.

Given Taoyuan’s economic and investment advantages and its supportive local government, it holds an important place in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, Cheng said. Given this, he invited AmCham’s members to consider Taoyuan as their next partner or investment location in Taiwan.

Photo Credit: Taoyuan City Government

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Cross-border Ecommerce: A Growing Market for Taiwan

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Big data has become an essential component for giant e-tailers such as eBay and Amazon. As the consumption of data continues to grow rapidly, companies are investing heavily in big data to provide a new level of strategic marketing and offer better customer experiences.

On May 23, AmCham Taipei’s Innovation Council and Sustainable Development Committee jointly invited Robert Gou, CEO of Viewider, and Ming-Ji Wu, Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, to provide insight to global ecommerce trends at a Chinese-language luncheon program entitled, “從eBay與Amazon看電商全球化趨勢及大數據平台” held at the Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel.

According to Gou, worldwide retail sales are predicted to reach US$4.4 trillion by 2021, indicating tremendous opportunities for online retailers, especially those ready to invest in big data analytics. Big data can help online retailers achieve their goals by identifying markets, recommending pricing strategies, and improving business processes.

Gou highlighted some of the challenges small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Taiwan face in entering the online retail industry:

  • Language barriers: difficulties to train and recruit talent for handling cross-border trading and dealing with foreign customers due to communications problems.
  • Poor marketing strategies: lack of information and understanding about foreign markets to identify selling strategies, leading to poorly targeted marketing.
  • Shipping and logistics: insufficient understanding of import regulations and delivery methods, and the high cost of outsourcing fulfillment.
  • Payment methods: having a reliable payment processing system that is accepted by customers from different regions.

Director-General Wu discussed the growth of Taiwan’s SMEs – which numbered 1.4 million companies as of 2016 – and addressed challenges they face. In line with the government’s efforts to promote the New Southbound policy and to develop Taiwan as Asia’s Silicon Valley, the government offers various programs to assist entrepreneurs in expanding into global markets. These programs include 1) training, 2) funding, 3) industry promotion 4) market intelligence, and 5) technical expertise and support.

From left to right: Robert Gou, CEO of Viewider; Ming-Ji Wu, Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs; AmCham Capital Market Committee Co-Chair Nadia Chen, Country Executive, The Bank of New York Mellon Taipei Branch; AmCham Sustainable Development Committee Co-Chair Cosmas Lu, Strategy Adviser, Super Dragon Technology Co., LTD

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Taiwan’s Leadership in the Global Environment

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Minister Lee Ying-yuan of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) on September 27 addressed an AmCham Taipei luncheon meeting on the subject of “Taiwan’s Leadership in the Global Environment.” The event at the Grand Hyatt Taipei was jointly sponsored by the Chamber’s Sustainable Development and Chemical Manufacturers committees.

Lee highlighted the Taiwan EPA’s achievements in the following areas:

  • Removal of debris from the sea floor in nearby waters and imposing marine pollution controls. For example, Taiwan was recently the first country in Asia to ban the use of microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products to prevent their entering the food chain through fish.
  • A series of programs to improve air quality by reducing pollution from both stationary and mobile sources as well as decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Engagement in over 200 environment-related projects with the United States since the signing of a bilateral agreement in 1993.
  • Participation in the International Environmental Partnership to promote e-waste management.
  • Coordination with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on mercury monitoring.
  • Cooperation with Australia on ship oil leakage.

From left to right: AmCham’s Sustainable Development Committee Co-Chair, Kenny Jeng, A/P Product Stewardship Manager, DuPont Taiwan Ltd.; Lee Ying-yuan, Minister of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) of Taiwan; Andrea Wu, AmCham Taipei President; AmCham’s Sustainable Development Committee Co-Chair, Cosmas Lu, Strategy Adviser, Super Dragon Technology Co., LTD.; AmCham’s Chemical Manufacturers Committee Co-Chair, Michael Wong, President, Kraton Formosa Polymers Corporation; 

The Minister praised innovative companies in Taiwan’s private sector who are working toward the goal of a zero-waste society by finding new uses for recycled materials.  For example, one of them has developed a process for converting plastic bags into bio oil, he said.

Lee holds a master’s degree in health policy from Harvard University and a doctorate in health economics from the University of North Caroline. His previous positions include member of the Legislative Yuan, Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs, and Secretary-general of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and Secretary-general of the Executive Yuan.

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

AmCham Joint Luncheon: CSR and Business Growth with Low Carbon Strategy by Green Bond

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There are just only fifteen years left for keeping global average temperatures “well below” 2°C above preindustrial levels. Paris Agreement of UNFCCC, which is effective last November, will drive the transformation of doing business in a low carbon mode. The financial sector and capital market play vital roles for supporting the low carbon economy.

On April 20, AmCham CSR Committee & Sustainable Development Committee held “CSR and Business Growth with Low Carbon Strategy Supported by Green Bond” at the Grand Hyatt Taipei. The speaker Niven Huang, General Manager, KPMG Sustainability Consulting Co., Ltd., introduced the fact & trend of emerging green bond and other vital worldwide signals of low carbon transformation.

As the growth of corporate green bonds is expected to continue and play an important role in the economy, Dr. Niven Huang addressed the pathway of embedding climate change issue into CSR actions and business strategy. While several green bonds were issued by well-known companies in the last several years, there is a lack of consensus in green bond standards. Strengthening green bond standards will be necessary to help build trust and confidence, as well attract more investors for environmental projects.

From left to right: Nadia Chen, Country Executive, Bank of New York Mellon Taipei Branch, speaker Niven Huang, General Manager, KPMG Sustainability Consulting Co., Ltd., Cosmas Lu, Strategy Adviser, Super Dragon Technology Co., LTD.

Interested in attending our events? Join us at other upcoming events, click here.

Note: AmCham events are intended primarily for AmCham members and their guests. Many events are open to members’ guests and other non-members, but the attendance of any non-member must be approved in advance. AmCham reserves the right not to admit a non-member to any event without explanation.

Joint Luncheon: Workplace Design – Health & Wellness Strategies for the Office

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Modern workplace design is all about designing for people.

More employers are recognizing that taking care of their employees’ wants and needs means a healthier, happier workplace and, in turn, increased productivity, higher retention and an improved bottom line.

The aim of wellness-based workplace design is to create an office evironment where employees are enabled to work more productively and collaborate with ease. Experts say it’s time to move in these design directions to keep workers engaged, productive, and to get the most out of your office space.

On November 11, the AmCham Human Resources, Sustainable Development, and Infrastructure Committees jointly hosted a workshop on the topic of Workplace Design.

Special Guest speakers Tony Armstrong and Victoria Gilbert from International WELL Building Institute introduced members and guests to the core concepts of wellness-based workplace design, bringing them up to speed on the latest trends, standards, and strategies that can be utilized to achive optimal results.

Special Thanks to SL+A for covering expenses in bringing the speakers to Taiwan.

To view all upcoming events, visit our Events page by clicking here.

 

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