The Philippines is positioning itself as Taiwan’s “gateway” to Southeast Asia and hopes to spur two-way economic and educational exchanges with Taiwan, Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei (MECO) director for commercial affairs Michael Alfred Ignacio said.
Ignacio said he has seen “very strong interest” from the Taiwanese government in advancing its New Southbound Policy and Taiwan was the second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Philippines last year.
The southbound policy, adopted in May 2016, aims to forge links with ASEAN members, as well as South Asian nations, Australia and New Zealand.
Taiwanese FDI in the Philippines last year was 10.833 billion pesos (US$203.12 million at the current exchange rate), about a sevenfold increase from 1.608 billion pesos in 2016 and double the amount that Taiwan invested in 2015, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed.
“We want to become Taiwan’s gateway to Southeast Asia and New Southbound countries,” Ignacio said.
The Philippines is Taiwan’s closest neighbor, its economy is growing at a strong pace, English is the main language of business and it has a market of 104 million people, making it a good country to partner with in the search for engagement with southbound countries, Ignacio said.
The Philippines has “been working very closely with Taiwan’s government to make [the policy] a reality,” said Ignacio, who started in the position 11 months ago.
Under the southbound policy and Manila’s strategy to engage Taiwan economically, partnerships are starting to materialize, he said.
In terms of industrial capacity building, for example, Taiwan has helped train Philippine engineers to develop the Philippines’ industrial capabilities and bolster its participation in the global electronics, manufacturing and Internet of Things supply chains, he said.
The countries also cooperate in industries where the Philippines has the best chance of success, such as shared service facilities aimed at improving the competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and IC design, Ignacio said.
He said the Philippines also wants to increase two-way trade and exchanges in education.
Taiwan ranked as the Philippines’ eighth-largest trading partner with bilateral trade of US$7.19 billion, PSA data showed.
It was also the country’s 10th largest export market and the eighth-largest exporter to the Philippines, the data showed.
A key initiative has been to intensify efforts to introduce Philippine products on Taiwan’s mainstream market, Ignacio said, a shift from what he called the “xenocentric” approach of importing products to Taiwan to sell in Philippine stores and to Philippine expatriates.
MECO is hosting an in-store promotion at City Super in Taipei for a second year running to showcase a variety of Philippine specialties, including snacks that go back to Spanish colonial days, such as chicharron, ethnic products, dried mangoes, pineapple juice, mango liquors and coconut oil, he said.
The office was involved in handpicking the items that have the most potential to succeed with Taiwanese consumers, he added.
The in-store promotion follows a visit in March by a delegation of Philippine food exporters to explore the Taiwanese market at the annual Sourcing Taiwan trade show and is to be followed by a large exhibition of Philippine products at the upcoming Taipei International Food Show from Wednesday to Saturday next week.
In terms of educational exchanges, the office has promoted the Philippines as a destination for Taiwanese students to study English, communications, literature, and the humanities and arts, Ignacio said.
“We want to promote our expertise, so we can help each other,” he said. “The Philippines offers excellent education and studying in the Philippines is very cheap.”
“We have a successful proof of concept with Japan and Korea,” Ignacio said. “Japanese and Koreans have been studying English in the Philippines for maybe 20 years. Why not Taiwanese?”
LIABILITIES MULLED: New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi said Taipei would find out if the firm was legally registered, the guide was licensed and the weather was assessed The assets of Tian Da Local Nature Co are to be frozen after at least four people died after falling into the Beishi River (北勢溪) on an outing the company had organized on Saturday, the Taipei City Government said yesterday. Six people — two adults and four children — were washed away by a flash flood on the river in New Taipei City’s Hubaotan (虎豹潭) area. They were participating in a Nature Joy Camp outdoor activity with a group of 16 adults and 15 children led by a guide surnamed Su (蘇). As of 4:30pm yesterday, four of the missing had been
Taiwanese worked more hours than people in all but three other countries in the world last year, Ministry of Labor data showed. Singapore placed first in average hours worked among the 40 economies surveyed, with an average of 2,288 hours per worker last year, the data showed. The city-state was followed by Colombia with 2,172 hours — based on 2019 data — and Mexico with 2,124 hours, it showed. Taiwan came in fourth, with 2,021 hours, it showed. South Korean workers clocked the third-most hours in Asia, with 1,908 hours, followed by Japan with 1,598 hours, it showed. However, compared with 2019, the survey found
The US 7th Fleet yesterday confirmed that a US Navy ship transited the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and Friday. “The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey [DDG 105] conducted a Taiwan Strait transit in cooperation with Royal Canadian Navy [RCN] Halifax-class frigate, HMCS Winnipeg, October 14-15, 2021,” the US 7th Fleet said in a statement. “Dewey’s and Winnipeg’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Cooperation like this represents the centerpiece of our approach to a secure and prosperous region,” it added. The transit marked the
‘COUNTERPRODUCTIVE’: The German, French and Singaporean missions said that Taiwan’s COVID-19 restrictions are hindering local projects and business operations Several foreign missions in Taiwan have urged the government to ease its strict COVID-19 border controls, which they say are hurting in-person exchanges and business operations. The missions made the appeal in response to media inquiries on how the border controls have affected their respective countries’ exchanges with Taiwan, amid growing concerns voiced privately by Taiwan-based foreign offices and businesses regarding the restrictions. Taiwan has maintained strict entry requirements since March last year, generally prohibiting most arrivals except for citizens and foreign residents, while it has required those who enter the country to undergo a stringent 14-day quarantine. Although the rules have been
RSS