A New Zealand delegation visiting Taipei said that it expects more opportunities for trade cooperation with Taiwan, including partnerships to explore other markets.
The 30-member delegation is the first trade mission from New Zealand since the Agreement Between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Cooperation (ANZTEC) took effect in December last year.
“We are here to demonstrate that we take the relationship with Taiwan very seriously and to show that we are determined to develop it even further,” said Sir Ken Stevens, chairman of Export New Zealand and executive chairman of the Glidepath Group.
“As a result of the ANZTEC agreement and after our visit, I am very confident we will see many more New Zealanders visiting Taiwan and doing much more business with Taiwan,” Stevens said in a statement on Wednesday.
The initiatives are to include Taiwan and New Zealand businesses “forming partnerships to jointly explore other markets elsewhere,” he said.
“The fact is that though Taiwan is the eighth-largest market for our products by value, our smaller companies have tended to overlook the possibilities for building relationships here and deepening our business connections,” he added.
In the first five months after the ANZTEC took effect, New Zealand’s exports to Taiwan increased by more than 30 percent, while Taiwanese exports to New Zealand grew by more than 20 percent, Stevens said. In the first half of this year, Taiwan’s top eight exports to New Zealand saw double-digit growth, he said.
New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei Director Si’alei van Toor told luncheon attendees on Wednesday that Taiwan is a very important market for New Zealand.
It is New Zealand’s top export market for apples and cherries, as well as being a major market for dairy products, kiwifruit, beef, wood and other products, she said.
New Zealand Trade Development Centre in Taipei Director Dean Prebble said the delegation’s visit had been a success and that he expects bilateral trade links to grow.
The Importers and Exporters Association of Taiwan and Export New Zealand are expected to play critical roles in dveloping new relationships and strengthening existing ones, Prebble said.
“The key to strong trade growth is to understand what each party has to offer and gain trust in each other’s ability to deliver on promises,” he said. “We are off to a great start.”
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
RSS