A delegation flew yesterday to Bangladesh to study the possibility of investing in an export-processing zone there.
The 21-member delegation was being led by the Board of Foreign Trade's (BOFT) deputy director, Wu Hsin-hua (
Its members are made up of bicycle, textile and footwear manufacturers.
The delegation will call on the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority, the Board of Investment, the Bangladesh Textile Manufacturers Association and the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce.
The delegation will also visit export processing zones in Dhaka and Chittagong.
The inspection tour is in line with Taiwan's policy of globalizing its overseas investment to cut the risk of concentrating investment in certain countries.
"A more imminent factor is that in July, the EU slapped anti-dumping taxes on bike exports from China and Vietnam, threatening Taiwan-invested bike factories in China and Vietnam," a BOFT official said.
The anti-dumping taxes are 48.5 percent for China and 34.5 percent for Vietnam.
"We are interested in investing in the Karnaphuli Export Processing Zone near the port city of Chittagong, but it is up to the manufacturers to decide where they want to open factories," the official said.
Taiwan used to be called the kingdom of bicycles and shoes but has lost those manufacturing-related titles to China over recent years.
Most of Taiwan's labor-intensive industries have moved their production bases to China and Southeast Asia, where the cost of labor and rent is cheaper.
RSS