The European Chamber of Commerce Taipei (ECCT) yesterday launched its Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) center to facilitate business exchanges between local and European SME owners.
"In celebration of the ECCT's 20th anniversary, the newly opened center represents a milestone in the chamber's efforts to serve European SMEs investing in Taiwan," ECCT chief executive Guy Wittich told an opening ceremony last night.
The center will provide services that cater to the needs of European SMEs seeking to explore and set up shops in Taiwan, he said.
It will also assist Taiwanese SMEs planning to tap into European markets.
"We hope to strike a win-win situation between Taiwanese and European businesses by serving as a bridge between European SMEs and their local counterparts," Wittich said.
Preparatory work for the establishment of the center started in August last year. To date, the center has more than 30 members, who pay an annual fee of NT$9,900, and hopes to attract 50 more this year.
"European businesses are attracted because Taiwan can work as a springboard for their plan to tap into the Chinese market," Wittich said.
The Dutch CEO said that European SMEs, with investments of US$1 million to US$10 million, can help Taiwan by creating employment opportunities and offering their know-how and expertise in technology, finance, logistics, machinery and chemical production.
Joint ventures between European and Taiwanese SMEs can also help local businesses easily expand into the Greater China and Southeast Asian markets like Vietnam, he said.
He said that 99 percent of European companies are SMEs, which make a sizable contribution to the region's economic growth after garnering support from their governments to beef up international competitiveness.
The chamber, therefore, also fully supports the Taiwanese government's efforts to strengthen local SME's competitiveness, he said.
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