Local investments by Taiwanese-owned companies based overseas could exceed the government’s target of NT$38 billion (US$1.2 billion) this year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
“Chances are high that we could surpass NT$40 billion, higher than the NT$38 billion target we set at the beginning of this year,” Ling Chia-yuh (凌家裕), director-general of the investment services department, told reporters.
ASSISTANCE
The ministry has played a role in assisting these Taiwanese-owned firms — a majority of which have long set up operations in China — to allocate part of their investments in their home market by expanding production facilities or setting up headquarters.
The government set up a unit in July 2007 to assist these firms in seeking loans, land and tax rebates among others, he said.
These companies invested a total of NT$22.1 billion in their home turf in the first five months of the year — reaching 58 percent of the government’s full-year target, Ling said.
Total investments last year reached NT$36.2 billion.
THREE PROJECTS
Three notable investment projects that had sought the investment services department assistance are direct-sales company Kelti International Co (克緹國際), tech gadget retailer CyberMart (賽博數碼) and Ginko International Co (金可國際), which operates Formosa Optical (寶島眼鏡) in Taiwan, as well as makes and sells Hydron (海昌)-brand contact lenses in China.
Kelti, whose offerings include the popular range of Chlitina (克麗緹娜) cosmetics, is set to invest a total of NT$4.6 billion in Taiwan starting this year. Its new headquarters in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) is up and running, and it has also obtained a license to operate a tourism farm in Taitung, the department said.
Ginko will set up facilities in Changhua and Taichung for high-end contact lens production and is in the midst of expanding retail outlets for Formosa Optical at home. Total investment from Ginko is expected to reach more than NT$300 million.
CyberMart (賽博數碼) — one of China’s major retailers of information, communications and technology and a member of the Hon Hai Group (鴻海) — has won the build-operate-transfer project for the Taipei International IT Fashion Center (台北資訊園區).
The center will span 15 levels and is part of the Taipei City Government’s vision to build an electronics retail district similar to Tokyo’s famous Akibahara. The BOT project will cost NT$3.9 billion.
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