Artificial intelligence (AI) medical products could become one of Taiwan’s main exports to Southeast Asia, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺) said on Thursday.
ASEAN is the best gateway for Taiwanese firms to expand overseas, as they have already made investments in industries in the region, Chen told a forum in Taipei.
While China still produces one-third of the world’s manufactured goods, it has lost its shine due to trade disputes with the US, resulting in major changes to supply chains, he said.
Photo: CNA
The government has been helping Taiwanese businesses diversify their investments and markets by pushing the New Southbound Policy, he said.
The policy aims to enhance trade and exchanges between Taiwan and 18 countries in Southeast and South Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand, to reduce Taiwan’s dependence on China. It was introduced after former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in 2016.
Global investment in ASEAN grew 11.5 percent from 2016 to 2022, and the region’s share of global trade increased in the same period to 7.7 percent from 6.9 percent, showing its growing importance to the global economy, Chen said, citing UN data.
As part of the new administration’s plans to help businesses expand overseas, the government is expected to support Taiwanese businesses that invest in Southeast Asia, he said.
Taiwanese enterprises have a wide range of investments in the region, from investments in industries such as textiles, information and communications technology, semiconductors, electric motorcycles, smart cities, biomedicine and healthcare, Chen said.
The vision is to integrate Taiwan’s medical expertise with AI technologies and work with ASEAN in digital healthcare while exploring the region as a potential market for Taiwan’s medical and health products and services, he added.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
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