The Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations has produced a brochure to promote the New Southbound Policy, according to Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中), who heads the office.
The 18-page bilingual booklet — in Chinese and English — was designed to give foreign governments a better understanding of the policy, and it has been distributed to foreign missions in Taiwan, including representative offices of those nations targeted by the policy, Deng said.
The policy, which calls for the development of comprehensive relations with ASEAN members, South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand, while promoting regional exchanges and collaboration, is a priority for the government.
The policy lays out five flagship projects that span innovative industries; medical cooperation and industrial supply chains; policy forums and youth exchange platforms; regional agriculture and talent cultivation, and three potential-laden fields — e-commerce, infrastructure and tourism.
The government is looking to attract more visitors from the target countries by boosting the quality of related products and services, and expanding visa privileges, Deng said.
The number of tourists from nations under the government’s New Southbound Policy who visited Taiwan last year reached 1.789 million, accounting for 17 percent of the total.
The government aims to attract 2.5 million tourists from the 18 countries targeted by the policy by 2020, according to the brochure.
The government relaxed visa rules for individuals from ASEAN and India as of Aug. 1 last year and included the Philippines in the nation’s e-visa program on Oct. 7 last year.
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