The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (外貿協會, TAITRA) will dispatch a task force composed of 26 senior officials to 29 cities in 26 countries to find orders, collect business intelligence and establish connections, as part of the government’s efforts to revive the nation’s declining exports and a slowing economy, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said yesterday.
Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Bill Cho (卓士昭) said the 26 nations include nine nations in Asia, five in Africa, five in Eastern Europe and three in Latin America.
CHOICE SPOTS
Cho said India, Russia and Brazil were selected for the task force to expand its focus on second-tier cities in these nations, while the rest were chosen because of their considerable population sizes, good purchasing power, rich potential as a market for Taiwanese products and the absence of TAITRA offices, he added.
More countries will be added to the list if there is enough demand from domestic companies to tap into these markets, according to the ministry.
Of the 26 nations, 75 percent have no TAITRA or MOEA offices, TAITRA president and CEO Chao Yuen-chuan (趙永全) said.
The first group will be leaving on Monday, with five members visiting Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Belarus and Russia for at least two months, Cho said.
LOCAL MEETINGS
To help domestic companies expand into emerging markets, TAITRA will hold meetings with businesses across Taiwan to listen to their needs so the task force can better serve them, Cho said.
The first meeting will be held on Monday in central Taiwan, while the second one will be held on Thursday next week in the south.
“It is expected that the project will provide substantial help to domestic businesses. The ultimate goal is to help them get more orders and increase export,” Cho said.
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