Smart Asia Expo & Summit, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council’s (TAITRA, 外貿協會) first business-to-business (B2B) “smart” city solutions exhibition, yesterday opened at the White Orchid Convention Center in Bengaluru, India, aiming to help Taiwanese firms grab business opportunities in the country.
“Our first ever Smart Asia Expo & Summit is specifically convened in line with [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi’s administration’s ‘Smart City Mission.’ We hope industry and government leaders from both Taiwan and India can jointly identify the opportunities for ‘smart’ city development,” TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) told those attending the exhibition’s opening.
Huang said that Modi’s government designated 100 cities across India to initiate a “Smart City Mission” in 2015, which has attracted foreign governments — such as the US, Japan, South Korea and the UK — and private foreign enterprises to looming business opportunities in the South Asian nation.
Photo: Jenny Lo, Taipei Times
The Taiwanese government might not have as many resources as other governments, he said, but added that many Taiwanese enterprises have developed advanced solutions for “smart” cities.
“One of the purposes of this exhibition is to gather together the Taiwanese firms and tap into the Indian market as a large team,” Huang said.
Huang said TAITRA had invited more than 50 Taiwanese companies — including Delta Electronics Inc (台達電), Everlight Electronics Inc (億光) and Taiwan Water Corp (Taiwater, 台灣自來水) — to showcase applications ranging from “smart” energy management and “smart” transportation to “smart” water management at the exposition.
Taiwater chairman Kuo Chun-ming (郭俊銘) took a team that included other water purification service providers and wastewater management suppliers.
The companies have visited Indian government officials to discuss possible cooperation during the past two days, Huang said.
TAITRA plans to invite officials from India’s state governments and local companies to visit Taiwan next year to see the nation’s “smart” solutions, such as Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co’s (遠通電收) “smart” toll collection system, Huang added.
Chennai Smart City Ltd chief executive officer Raj Cherubal told the Taipei Times that water and power management, as well as transportation, are three top priorities for Chennai in developing a “smart” city.
The exposition will run through Saturday.
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