Posts

AmCham Releases Its 2024 White Paper

/in , , /by

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.

2024 Taiwan White Paper: Overview

/in /by
Read more

AmCham Taiwan Releases its 2022 White Paper

/in , , /by

Nearly 40 reporters from local and international media outlets converged at the Regent Taipei on June 22 as AmCham announced the release of its 2022 Taiwan White Paper. The press conference, led by AmCham Taiwan Vice Chairperson Andrea Wu and President Andrew Wylegala, was followed by a special luncheon for members and their guests.

Wylegala opened the event by highlighting the importance of the White Paper and its 26-year history as the Chamber’s signature annual advocacy document representing the interests of the Taiwan business community, as well as a platform for AmCham to articulate its vision for U.S.-Taiwan bilateral economic relations. Additionally, Wylegala expressed optimism regarding future trade relations and highlighted many promising trade initiatives involving Taiwan and the U.S., such as the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade, the Technology Trade and Investment Collaboration (TTIC) framework, and multilateral agreements on digitalization and chip supply chains. 

In her remarks, Wu touched on important topics from this year’s White Paper, including AmCham Taiwan’s extended multi-track advocacy strategy and members’ requests for fast-tracking digitalization, accelerating the reopening of borders, reducing double taxation, and driving sustainability. 

Wu stressed that Taiwan currently finds itself in a “golden moment” of international attention and goodwill following its impressive economic performance and international contribution during the pandemic, but that it must do more to ensure that its hard efforts are not in vain. In this year’s White Paper, AmCham members urged Taiwan to speed up its digital transformation, enhance bilingualism, and address energy concerns to better facilitate international trade and investment.

During the media Q&A session, Wu noted that the overall tone of 2022 White Paper’s is more urgent and direct than in the past because the number of committee issues that had been resolved in the last year fell in comparison to the year before. AmCham members hope Taiwan can accelerate the pace of its reform and development and seize the golden opportunity presented to it in the post-pandemic world.

Wu also voiced hope that the government would further promote the Gold Card visa program and review and update its 2030 Bilingual policy to attract more foreign talent. Meanwhile, Wylegala stressed the importance of training and circulating specialized labor, naming the Talent Circulation Alliance as an initiative with significant potential. He also noted that “talent is key to our member companies and our future.”

The press conference was followed by a luncheon attended by around 120 AmCham members and their guests, as well as special guest Deputy Minister of the National Development Council Kao Shien-quey. Following a presentation by Wylegala and Wu, Kao was invited to the stage to receive a copy of the White Paper. In a speech, she expressed her gratitude to AmCham for its long-term advice on improvements to Taiwan’s investment environment and for supporting the strengthening of U.S.-Taiwan economic and trade relations. 

Kao noted that the recently announced U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade is a historic breakthrough in Taiwan-U.S. relations and requested AmCham’s assistance in steadily advancing the objective of negotiating a bilateral trade agreement. The minister cited a number of recent government initiatives that address some of AmCham members’ most pressing issues, including energy stability, digitalization, and the reopening of borders. 

Finally, Kao thanked AmCham for its long-term support and assistance to Taiwan. “At this critical moment for Taiwan-U.S. relations, the Chamber plays an even more important role than before,” she said.

 

AmCham Calls on Taiwan to Step up and Seize “Golden Opportunity” at 2022 White Paper Release Event

/in , /by
Read more

AmCham Taiwan Hosts 2021 White Paper Press Conference

/in /by

AmCham Taiwan held a virtual press conference on June 23 to announce the release of its 2021 Taiwan White Paper. The online event was hosted by AmCham Chairperson CW Chin and the Chamber’s new president, Andrew Wylegala, and was joined by around 30 members of the local and international media, as well as several government officials and Chamber members.

Chin opened the event by highlighting the importance of the White Paper and its 25-year history as an advocacy document representing the interests of the Taiwan business community, as well as a platform for the Chamber to articulate its vision for U.S.-Taiwan bilateral economic relations. Chin then introduced AmCham Taiwan’s new President, Andrew Wylegala, a veteran U.S. foreign service officer in the Department of Commerce.

In his remarks, Wylegala touched on key elements of this year’s White Paper, such as AmCham Taiwan’s multi-track advocacy strategy and the newly launched Taiwan Commercial Initiative (TCI), featured in the publication’s Messages to Washington section. In addition to restarting the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Talks, the TCI urges the U.S. government to continue and expand the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, launch public-private partnerships involving industry and government agencies on both sides, and include Taiwan in plurilateral talks between the U.S. and other regional partners. It culminates in negotiations for a U.S.-Taiwan Bilateral Trade Agreement.

See the full 2021 Taiwan White Paper presentation:

Chin concluded by stressing the need for Taiwan to adapt to the evolving world economy by accelerating digital transformation, increasing bilingualism, and addressing energy concerns. In addition, Chairperson Chin also highlighted that nearly 40% of the 2020 White Paper issues have been resolved or achieved significant progress – a new record for the publication.

During the media Q&A session, Wylegala emphasized that the Chamber will continue to support its member companies with resources and advocacy services should Taiwan extend the current Level 3 restrictions. Chin added that AmCham will strive to represent the interests of foreign-owned small and medium-sized businesses in Taiwan through its annual White Paper and other channels.

Regarding the much-anticipated TIFA talks, set to take place shortly, Wylegala said that he expects good progress as previous major trade impediments, such as Taiwan’s ban on the import of certain U.S. meat products, have now been cleared and new challenges, such as supply chain resilience, are being discussed.

Wrapping up the 2020 White Paper Meetings

/in /by

Last week, AmCham Taiwan concluded the third and final meeting between its various industry committees and representatives of relevant government agencies to discuss progress on the 2020 White Paper issues. The meetings, coordinated by the National Development Council and presided over by NDC Minister Kung Ming-hsin, were launched in 2018 as a way of increasing collaboration between the Chamber and the Taiwanese government and to push for better communication and resolution of industry and regulatory issues.

In general, the overall tone and direction of the meetings, which took place over three three-hour sessions, was positive. The benefit of having committee co-chairs and representatives make their case face-to-face with their government counterparts is that it allows for more in-depth discussion, and Minister Kung worked hard to find common ground between the two sides, at times suggesting one-one-one meetings to hammer out certain issues.

Among the highlights of the NDC meetings was the Financial Supervisory Commission’s (FSC) commitment to working with the Central Bank (CBC) to assist the Asset Management Committee with resolving its issue regarding the issuance of multi-currency funds by privately placed securities investment trust enterprise funds (SITE). In addition, the FSC noted that it will release a directive by the end of March allowing foreign institutional investors (FINI) to invest in exchange traded notes (ETN), helping to resolve one of the Capital Markets Committee’s 2020 issues.

Some of the government representatives present at the meetings expressed an openness to establishing direct channels with their private sector counterparts to continue discussing items where there appeared to be room for compromise or forward movement. Included among these items was the Technology Committee’s request that the government avoid prescriptive labeling of tech products – in particular, pre-loaded software applications on mobile devices – for cybersecurity purposes. The Chemical Manufacturers Committee also appeared to make some headway in persuading the government to consider adopting international standards for management of chemical products, as well as to work with the committee to help improve the public image of the chemical industry.

Other areas where progress appeared to be made included the Transportation and Logistics Committee’s 2020 White Paper issue regarding expanding fiscal incentives for electric vehicle buyers. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) representative cited its plans to extend the commodity tax exemption for electric vehicle purchases, which was set to expire at the end of 2021. The Intellectual Property and Licensing Committee was invited by the National Communications Commission (NCC) to join a working group composed of the NCC, the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to discuss difficult IPR issues.

Not all of the discussions proceeded equally smoothly, and there were some longstanding issues that continue to require further communication between industry and the regulators. Chief among these is the Medical Devices Committee’s recommendation that the government accept the Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP) audit report as a substitute for the current Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) for the review and approval of new medical devices. AmCham hopes that the relevant stakeholders of these issues can continue working together to achieve actionable solutions.

The Chamber is grateful to Minister Kung and his colleagues at the NDC for their assistance in arranging the quarterly White Paper meetings, as well as to the various government agencies for their time and willingness to communicate and work with AmCham’s industry committees. AmCham looks forward to continuing its advocacy work through its annual production of the Taiwan White Papers and its collaboration with industry and public sector partners.

AmCham Taipei releases 2020 Taiwan White Paper

/0 Comments/in , , /by

The 2020 Taiwan White Paper released on June 10 emphasizes the new opportunities for the Taiwan economy as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Some 30 reporters from local and international media attended the launch press conference presided over by AmCham Taipei Chairman C.W. Chin and President William Foreman.

2020 Taiwan White Paper News Conference

 

Following the press conference, the Chamber held a luncheon meeting in the Grand Ballroom of the Regent Taipei with over 130 members and guests in attendance. Guest speakers included American Institute in Taiwan Director W. Brent Christensen and the newly appointed National Development Council Minister, Kung Ming-hsin, who received the 2020 White Paper on behalf of the Taiwan government.

NDC Minister Kung Ming-hsin
AIT Director Brent Christensen

Minister Kung expressed optimism about Taiwan’s economy, citing the trend of Taiwanese businesses returning home, the country’s outstanding efforts in containing COVID-19, and new opportunities generated by U.S.-China trade tensions. Kung listed a few major projects the NDC would focus on in the coming years, including massive digital infrastructure investment and deepening U.S.-Taiwan relations. He also promised to continue working with the American side on breaking through the ongoing gridlock on U.S. imports of pork and beef.

In their briefing on the White Paper contents at both the press conference and membership luncheon, Chin and Foreman stressed the Chamber’s gratitude to Taiwan’s government for making Taiwan one of the safest places in the world during the pandemic.

  • Continuing progress – Of the 82 issues raised by AmCham Taipei’s industry committees this year, 11 – or 13% – were deemed resolved, a tie with the record-breaking 2018 White Papers. The 11 issues included two from the Insurance and Tax committees, and one each from the Cosmetics, Human Resources, Pharmaceutical, Technology, Telecom and Media, and Travel and Tourism sectors. Chin and Foreman emphasized that the consistently high number of resolved issues over the past three years demonstrated the Taiwan government’s willingness to work together with industries to reduce regulatory obstacles.
  • Remaining challenges – While changing world conditions present Taiwan with a golden opportunity to attract new investment, a clear roadmap for renewable energy development is needed to navigate these changes effectively. In addition, the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device sectors urge the National Health Insurance Administration to expand its budget to enable new and innovative treatments to reach the Taiwan market more quickly. AmCham’s Technology and Digital Economy committees emphasized that increased communication between government authorities and industry is needed to open the way for new business ideas based on digital platforms.
  • Ensuring sufficient talent – The 2020 Taiwan White Paper saw the addition of a new section containing suggestions for how to foster and maintain a pool of internationally minded, digitally savvy talent. This section was part of the Talent Circulation Alliance, a joint initiative between the American Institute in Taiwan and Taiwan governmental and non-governmental organizations. A printed supplement fleshing out the suggestions and ideas contained in the Talent Circulation Alliance White Paper was released simultaneously.

In his remarks, Director Christensen reiterated the Talent Circulation Alliance’s role in this year’s White Paper, highlighting the need for Taiwan to do more to attract and retain both local and foreign talent. He also noted that the state of U.S.-Taiwan relations is better than ever, describing the relationship as “real friends, real progress (真朋友; 真進步).”

 

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.