New private investments — including local and foreign investments — in the first seven months of the year reached NT$737.7 billion (US$24.6 billion), rising 2.6 percent from the same period last year, statistics released yesterday by the Ministry of Economic Affairs showed.
For last month alone, new private investments totaled NT$39.7 billion, with 162 new cases, data showed.
Foreign investments in the first seven months of the year also rose by 13 percent to US$7.41 billion, from US$6.52 billion in the same period last year, data showed.
Costco Taiwan and Ford Lio Ho Motor Co (福特六和) were among the biggest foreign investors this year, the ministry’s Department of Investment Services said.
Ford Lio Ho, a Taiwanese subsidiary of US-based Ford Motor Co, plans to spend more than NT$2 billion to upgrade its 60 showrooms and to remodel its manufacturing facilities, while US hypermarket operator Costco plans to spend an undisclosed amount to build a store in Taoyuan, it said.
The US, Japan and Australia were the biggest foreign investors in the first half of the year, the latest figures available showed, investing US$1.86 billion, US$906 million and US$442 million respectively.
Foreign investments in the first six months of the year totaled 184 cases, or US$6.9 billion, up 19 percent from US$5.83 billion year-on-year, data showed.
The wholesale and retail, biomedicine and other services industries received the most investments, attracting US$1.86 billion, US$906 million and US$787 million respectively.
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