The 2008 Business Alliance Conference, organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, is scheduled to begin today at the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC). More than 1,000 business executives from Europe, the US, Japan and China will arrive to attend the two-day event, which could help facilitate 100 inbound investments or strategic alliances, the organizer said yesterday.
Co-organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will deliver the opening remarks and present the best investment partner awards to foreign companies that have made the biggest contributions to Taiwan’s economic development.
With the gradual loosening of cross-strait economic and trade restrictions since Ma took office on May 20, this will be the first time that Chinese businesses have been invited by the organizers since the first conference in 2003.
Of the more than 1,000 business executives who have registered to attend this year’s conference, 400 are from China, Hong Kong and Macau, with 600 foreign companies mainly from the US, Japan, Australia, Germany, the UK and Canada, a TAITRA report said.
Following the awards presentation, Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) and Richard McCormack, vice chairman of Merrill Lynch & Co, will give speeches on global investment perspectives and Taiwan’s emerging opportunities, during the first summit forum.
The second forum, focusing on “Leveraging Cross-Strait Resources for Global Markets,” will feature four panelists — Yang Yuan-qing (楊元慶), chairman of the world’s fourth-largest personal computer manufacturer Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想集團) from China, Eizo Kobayashi, president and chief executive of Japanese general trading company Itochu Corp, Jeffrey Wong (黃偉權), managing partner of McKinsey & Co’s Taipei office and Theodore Huang (黃茂雄), chairman of Teco Group (東元集團).
Tomorrow, a total of eight panel discussions will be held on investment opportunities in Taiwan’s various industries, such as light-emitting diodes, biotechnology, micro-electro-mechanical systems, finance and insurance, tourism and hospitality, and logistics.
Minister of Economic Affairs Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘) will also sign letters of intent on the same day with 10 foreign companies which are interested in investing in Taiwan or increasing their investments.
The 10 companies include Corning Inc, the world’s leader in specialty glass and ceramics, based in Corning, New York, and Siemens AG from Germany, the world’s largest electrical and industrial engineering company, said Berton Chiu (邱柏青), director general of the ministry’s department of investment.
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