With Taiwan's WTO entry, new opportunities abound and both Australia and Taiwan have boosted their trading relationship. Rice and liquid milk are now being exported from Australia to Taiwan for the first time, said Frances J. Adamson, representative of the Australian Commerce and Industry Office. In addition, Australian citrus fruits, peaches and a broad range of Australian products are now available in the local market. To promote its products, an Australian Food Products Promotion is scheduled to be held at RT Mart March this year and an Australian Food Fair in June.
Taiwan is Australia's 8th largest export market and we are the largest supplier of beef, lamb, crustacean, as well as the second largest supplier of agricultural products to Taiwan. We are also a major supplier of dairy produce, fruits and vegetables, Adamson said. Aside from agricultural and commodities, coal and iron ore, some new areas and services include high technology.
In engineering, a consortium led by an Australian engineering and construction firm has won a tender to construct a 29 km low vibration tract and a 3 km duct for the Taipei Kaohsiung High Speed Railway.
Environmental technology is another area important to Taiwan. During the drought last year, Taipei and Kaohsiung City Government were looking at ways to conserve water and an Australian company, the original developer of the dual flash toilet, introduced its innovative product to the local market.
With the aim to further foster bilateral trade and economic ties between Australia and Taiwan, the ACIO's Australian Business Centre provides a comprehensive service to Taiwan business looking to invest in Australia. It identifies investment opportunities, provides information and advice on establishment and operating costs, and relevant foreign investment regulations, and connects Taiwanese firms with joint venture partners, strategic allies and key government contacts. It also facilitates government approvals and in certain cases, provides grants for feasibility studies.
In addition, the Australian government provides a number of investment incentives, including grants and infrastructure services. It does so where the project would generate significant net economic and employment benefits for Australia.
Recent Taiwan investments in Australia is Taiwan Telecom Group which had made plans to invest NT$270 million in an R&D in Australia while China Petroleum has entered into an exploration agreement with the Western Australian Co.
Australian investments in Taiwan include services area, land lease, property development, Taipei 101 project, operating and developing document retrieval services, bank, and educational institutions.
Australia is also a world-class producer of LNG and major supplier in the Asia Pacific market (Japan, China, Korea). It currently supplies LNG to Taiwan and had recently won a large project to supply LNG in Kwangtung, China.
Australia's IT conference provides an opportunity for Taiwanese firms to further tap into Australian high tech expertise. Companies from around the world will see Australian technology and it provides an opportunity for Taiwanese firms to explore collaboration with Australian counterparts.
In the field of learning, Taiwanese students are rapidly discovering the attractions of an Australian education -- its high quality, low cost, internationally recognized qualifications, and with the convenience of a zero to three hour time difference.
Australians have also won seven Nobel prizes, majority in sciences. Last year, it also launched a prestigious Australian Asian scholarship for PhD students (valued at NT$1 million) and received quite a lot of interest.
"We are a multi cultural society and Taiwanese students are able to feel at home there. It is no wonder then that the number of Taiwanese students choosing an Australian education has been rising," said Adamson. In Taiwan, Australian Education Centre provides free information and counseling services for Taiwanese students seeking an Australian education. Last year, Australia ranked third place destination for Taiwanese students.
There are also a growing number of Australian alumni in Taiwan -- which is adding to the momentum in education links. In the past decade, 25,000 Taiwanese have passed through Australia's education system. The Australian Alumni Association was recently relaunched with the aim to network and reliving their Australian experience.
To further boost tourism, Australian Airlines, a subsidiary of Qantas, last year launched direct flights between Taipei and Cairns. Australian Broadcasting Commission Asia Pacific services are now available in Taiwan through satellite and cable operators.
81,000 visitors visited Australia with 3,000 students going to Australia to study and 1,000 Taiwanese who migrated under business skills program. There is a strong Taiwanese community in Australia. A census taken in 2001 declares that at the present moment there are now 22,000 Taiwanese living in Australia. Chinese languages (Cantonese, Mandarin, Taiwanese) are now the most spoken language in Australian households after English.
Australia also recently introduced electronic innovation to make travel more convenient. Students can now apply for a visa through the Internet using e-visa.
In public arts, an Australian artist was invited to paint murals at the Jenai Hospital. Other cultural events coming up include an exhibition in the Museum of Contemporary Arts, with the theme "Native Born," a famous aboriginal art exhibition that has been touring the world for the last 16 years. It will be shown next month. We are planning a series of events throughout the year for us to demonstrate Australia's multi-cultural society and artistic strength.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2