Newly appointed Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) chairman James Huang (黃志芳) yesterday confirmed that there would be fewer Taiwan Trade Fairs in China this year than last year’s seven, but added that TAITRA would seek alternative ways to maintain trade ties with China.
“We have two cities in China that are in talks with TAITRA to host shows. I hope there will be more cities interested in collaborating with us,” Huang told a news conference after his inauguration ceremony.
The Taiwan Trade Fair — first held in Nanjing in 2009 — has been an important economic and trade event for TAITRA in China, as it helps Taiwan’s small and medium-sized enterprises to expand their presence in the world’s second-largest economy.
Over the past eight years, TAITRA hosted 48 trade shows in 24 cities in China which saw a total of 11.61 million visitors, and in which more than 23,600 Taiwanese participated, council data showed.
Huang denied that TAITRA’s trade promotion activities in China have been affected by the sentiment between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in May last year.
“China has for years been Taiwan’s most important export market and Taiwan is the third-largest import source for China. TAITRA’s trade promotions will definitely not be affected,” Huang said.
TAITRA also plans to assist Taiwanese “green” energy manufacturers, cloud-computing solutions providers and high-end machine tool makers to seek business opportunities in China, Huang said.
The TAITRA is to step up its efforts in executing the government’s “new southbound policy,” Huang said, adding that it plans to expand its talent and language training center in Kaohsiung.
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