The fourth-quarter outlook for the nation's consumer electronics industry remains bright despite the effects of rocketing crude oil prices, a leading industry association said yesterday.
"As the global economy remains vigorous and there seems at the moment to be only a slim chance that it will turn flat, we expect the fourth quarter to stay brisk for the local electrical appliances and electronics in-dustry," said Luo Huai-jia (
"Rising crude prices could have a negative effect, but they may not pose a substantial impact on the industry," Luo said.
Echoing Luo, TEEMA's secretary general, Joseph Cheng (鄭富雄), said that he expected the industry's growth momentum to increase by 20 percent in the current quarter from a year ago.
Taiwan's consumer electronics exports increased 26 percent to NT$40 billion in the first eight months year-on-year, the Ministry of Finance reported last month.
Both Luo and Cheng made the remarks on the sidelines of a press conference introducing the upcoming Taipei International Electronics Show.
The show, co-organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) and TEEMA, will stage two exhibitions -- first of components and equipment, then of finished goods -- at Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall I.
The components and equipment exhibition starts Friday and continues until next Tuesday. It will feature 890 participating companies occupying nearly 2,000 booths.
The finished goods show runs Oct. 16-20 at the same venue. Around 800 participants will occupy about 1,800 booths to exhibit consumer electronics, communication products and computer peripherals.
The events' organizers hoped to lure over 10,000 international buyers, up from around 7,000 last year, and to offer buyers one-stop shopping for components and finished goods.
The show will present a theme section on "green" design in light of new EU requirements for environmentally friendly design and manufacturing, the organizers said.
"We hope the exhibition will show foreign buyers Taiwan's research and development capability to evolve into a green supplier chain," said Yu Shuh-woei (于樹偉), general director of the Center for Environment, Safety and Health under the semi-official Industrial Technology Research Institute.
The early focus on "green" competitiveness could help Tai-wan products, Yu said.
The show will feature 20 exhibitor companies from Australia, which was selected as the first exhibition partner country.
Australia hopes to improve and strengthen trade relations with Taiwan in the consumer electronics sector, said Jeff Turner, deputy representative of the Australian Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei.
Australia exported around A$131.8 million worth of electrical appliances and electronics products to Taiwan, while it imported about A$1.3 billion worth of such goods during the fiscal year that ended in July, Turner's office said.
The green design criteria, such as the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive to be implemented next year, would require producers to use more recyclable materials.
In addition, the Restriction of Certain Hazardous Substances directive, to take effect in July 2006, restricts manufacturers' use of six hazardous sub-stances, including lead and mercury, and prevents them from disposing of these materials in landfills.
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