Macquarie Bank Ltd, the largest investment bank in Australia, will continue exploring any investment or acquisition opportunities in infrastructure in Taiwan, which is expected to see economic expansion in the following years, an executive said yesterday.
The bank will keep evaluating investment opportunities in infrastructure projects like airports, railways and freeways in Taiwan, Macquarie's executive director Warwick Smith said at an investment forum organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taipei yesterday.
Smith declined to confirm reports that Macquarie last week discussed the possibility of leasing some of Taiwan's airports and freeways with the Ministry of Finance.
However, he said that infrastructure was an appealing investment target as it offered stable income, cash flow and sustainable competitive edges with high entry barriers.
In December, the Australian bank was said to be interested in acquiring Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, as well as Taipei City's public parking lots. The deals, if they were to materialize, would mark the nation's first sale of national infrastructure to overseas investors.
In recognition of foreign enterprises' investment and contributions to the local economy, the economics ministry yesterday presented a ceremony at which it awarded six companies a total of NT$5 million in prizes.
The six companies that won the "Best Investment Partner Award" are: AIG, Citigroup, Corning Display Technologies Taiwan, DuPont Taiwan, IBM Taiwan and Kuozui Motors.
"I want to thank these six companies for their investments, which have made such a vital contribution toward employment in Taiwan as well as to the development and upgrading of our industries," Minister of Economic Affairs Steve Chen (陳瑞隆) said.
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