The Taiwan Expo 2019 has set foot in Davao City for the first time, as the global expo brings Taiwanese companies seeking to forge business collaboration with their Filipino counterparts.
Organized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the expo is the country’s main platform for its companies to explore business opportunities with their counterparts in Southeast Asia and South Asia.
Around 100 Taiwan exhibitors attended the Davao expo from November 8-9 at the SMX Convention Center Davao to showcase their country’s expertise in various industries such as technology, agriculture, design, medical care, education, and tourism.
The expo is expected to boost trade cooperation in the Asian region, as the two-day event facilitates industry forums and trade meetings among the participants. It featured Taiwanese companies covering a wide range of categories such as Smart City, Taiwan Lifestyle, Healthcare, Agriculture and Fisheries and Taiwan Tourism.
Taiwan Expo is at the forefront of being the country’s hallmark of development and innovation, and is key to the country’s New Southbound Policy launched in 2016 in a bid to lessen its dependence on China. As an alternative, Taiwan is seeking to improve relations with 18 countries, including the Philippines.
This is the first time organizers decided to bring the expo to Davao, an emerging city in the Philippines and the capital of Mindanao. “The Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. Investments are flowing in, industries are booming. It is becoming the new economic powerhouse in ASEAN” says TAITRA chairman James C.F. Huang during the expo’s opening ceremony, attended by various government officials in both Taiwan and Davao.
Agriculture and fisheries are two of Davao’s most important industries, showing potential to become an innovation hub in various fields in this part of the country.
With the Taiwan expo in Davao, organizers are optimistic that bilateral relations between Taiwan and the Philippines can go further in business, tourism, industries and any other fields. “Since the launch of the visa waiver program in 2017, visitors from the Philippines to Taiwan have greatly increased. In 2018, visitor from the Philippines grew exponentially. The highest of all countries. Taiwanese tourists were the Philippine’s 6th largest source of foreign tourists last year.” “Here in this great City of Davao, we see new beginnings, new hopes, and new dreams. Together we’ll make new journeys, seize new opportunities, and realize new prospects.”
ABOUT TAITRA
Founded in 1970, TAITRA is Taiwan’s foremost nonprofit trade promoting organization. Sponsored by the government and industry organizations, TAITRA assists enterprises to expand their global market reach. Headquartered in Taipei, TAITRA has a team of 1,300 specialists and operates five local offices in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung as well as 60 branches worldwide. Together with Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) and Taiwan Trade Center (TTC), TAITRA has formed a global network dedicated to promoting world trade.
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