The Ministry of Economic Affairs will help local industries that have to compete with Chinese products to explore overseas markets, a trade official said yesterday.
Under a program designed to prepare local industries for an inflow of Chinese products once an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China is signed, the ministry will help those that will bear the brunt of competition from Chinese products to promote their businesses, said Eric Chiang (蔣士煌), deputy director-general of the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
These industries include those involved in the manufacture of towels, bedding, knitwear, underwear, swimsuits, luggage and bags, Chiang said.
In the Taipei International Sporting Goods Show to be held from April 29 to May 2 by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), there will be an area set aside for sports clothing and appliances, to allow these lines of trade to showcase their products, he said.
The organizers will urge would-be buyers to visit this area, Chiang said. In addition, these industries will enjoy discounts of 30 percent or more on their fees when they attend overseas trade fairs or trade promotion tours organized by TAITRA.
TAITRA has also promised to set up exclusive display areas or showcases at foreign trade fairs for products in these industries, he said.
In addition to facing the competition at home, the BOFT is planning to launch counterattacks by helping sell Taiwanese towels, knitwear and bedding to China.
Under this plan, these products will be showcased at Taiwanese trade shows organized by TAITRA in Dongguan, Guangdong Province in April and in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province in September.
They will also be shown at fairs planned for Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and in Shandong Province, should TAITRA succeed in lining them up, Chiang said.
He said BOFT has asked TAITRA to introduce the industries to foreign buyers through pamphlets and on its Taiwantrade Web site.
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