Taipei City Government

Mayor Ko Wen-je earnestly promoted Taiwan as a gateway to Asian market in an address delivered at “Taipei-Holland Entrpeneurship & Innotech Forum” on January 30.

Citing global investment reports of 2015, the mayor touted Taipei as a city boasting friendly, safe, and stable environment for investment, while also ranking top on the list of recommended tourist destinations. Other advantages that Taipei possesses for doing business with include sound infrastructure, low corruption risks, and tax incentives.


In addition to such service industries as retail and finance, Taipei also takes pride in IT and biotech industries, KO pointed out. As much as 90 percent of the world’s laptops are manufactured in Taiwan, the capital of which boasts more than 176,000 individuals in the ICT talent pool. In the field of biotech industry, Taipei has also invested much effort in the development of new medications, applied biotechnology, as well as establishing medical centers and incubation centers.

Another highlight of his administration, “Smart Taipei,” involves smart public housing, smart transportation, smart healthcare, smart education, and smart payment, Ko reckoned. He noted that smart payment, having been introduced to the City’s public transportation systems, is being promoted to the area of e-commerce. Taipei has also teamed up with 18 international cities in strategic cooperation on smart city development.

Stressing the need for boosting international exchange, the mayor remarked that a program to attract international talent was launched in 2017, which saw the participation of 100 groups from around the world. This year, the City plans to launch a similar program providing incentives including flight tickets, accommodation, and funds for international groups standing out from the applying competitors.