Cooperation programs initiated by Taiwan under the auspices of APEC are helping build a better tomorrow for the people of the Asia-Pacific.

As Taiwan expands its presence in South and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand through the government’s New Southbound Policy, forums such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are growing in importance as platforms for sharing the country’s expertise in areas ranging from the digital economy and food security to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Lin Chong-wey (林崇偉‬), founder of Hsinchu City-headquartered Our City Love Social Enterprise (OCLSE) in northern Taiwan, is one of many locals playing a bigger role in the region through the 21-member APEC. During a presentation on his sustainable business promotion firm delivered earlier this year at the APEC Cross-Border e-Commerce Conference and Online-to-Offline (O2O) Forum in Kuala Lumpur, the academic-turned-entrepreneur outlined an array of smart solutions for helping the able-bodied and physically challenged navigate retail and tourism districts.

Warm Reception

“The response was overwhelmingly positive,” he said, citing the large number of cooperation enquiries from representatives of New Southbound countries like India and Malaysia. Co-proposed by Taiwan in 2015 and launched the following year, the four-year O2O Initiative assists SMEs in the Asia-Pacific embark upon the process of digital transformation and edge closer to realizing their business potential.

A central plank in the government’s national development strategy, the New Southbound Policy seeks to deepen Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, trade and tourism links with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.

   

Lin Chong-wei outlines the O2O practices of Our City Love Social Enterprise at last year’s APEC Challenge in Taipei City. (Photo courtesy of SMEA, MOEA)

With an operational focus centered on improving the well-being of the physically challenged, OCLSE has notched up a number of impressive accomplishments since its launch three years ago. One of these is the “Friendly Restaurant Guide in Taipei”—a comprehensive listing of establishments offering full access to those using walking assistive devices, mobility scooters and wheelchairs.

“Participation in APEC events enables us to interact face-to-face with government officials from various countries,” Lin said. “This helps with our overseas expansion plans and gives more people the opportunity to benefit from our experience.”

Such sentiments are music to the ears of Jeff Lin (林建甫), executive director of the Chinese Taipei APEC Study Center. Responsible for carrying out research and administrative duties, the organization has been at the forefront of key analyses following Taiwan’s admission to the regional economic forum in 1991 under the name Chinese Taipei. “APEC remains an important and unique channel for government officials from Taiwan to broaden their horizons and learn more about the latest global trends,” he said.

Another homegrown firm benefiting from Taiwan’s APEC participation is New Taipei City-based Teamplus Technology Inc. (TTI), which provides corporate communications solutions to 4,000 businesses largely through its well-subscribed instant messaging app. TTI Chairman Alex Kuo (郭承翔‬) believes his company has gained tremendously from interactions with technology industry counterparts at APEC events. “We’ve learned a great deal and shared a lot about instant messaging, one of the fastest growing segments of the comms market in the Asia-Pacific,” he said.

New Opportunities

Both outfits are making the most of their APEC openings. In 2016, they bagged awards at the APEC Challenge—a competition for top performers in O2O practices—and were invited to O2O Initiative-related events this year. But Taiwan’s private sector is not alone in making hay at APEC. The public sector is following suit, with Great Tainan—The Solar City, Penghu Dongjiyu Microgrid Small Power Supply System and Smart Park Information and Communication Technology Re-engineering Initiative claiming top honors at APEC’s 2017 Energy Smart Communities Initiative Best Practices Awards Program.

Launched in 2011 by Tainan City Government’s Bureau of Economic Development, the gold-winning project is building the southern Taiwan metropolis into a low-carbon city while spurring development of the local green technology industry. This is being achieved through a number of measures such as installing photovoltaic (PV) systems on the roofs of public and private buildings, as well as factories and agricultural facilities. Over the past six years, 3,685 rooftop PV systems have been set up citywide capable of producing 252 megawatts.

Win Win

Although Taiwan is reaping the rewards from its APEC participation, the relationship is by no means a one-way street. It is giving back through rolling out such regional initiatives as bridging the digital divide, empowering women and promoting green energy development. For Jeff Lin, Taiwan’s proposals regarding the capacity building of SMEs, which provide 60 percent of all job opportunities in the region, are especially praiseworthy.

Betty Hu (胡貝蒂‬), deputy director-general of Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, said Taiwan makes significant contributions in this area as it can swiftly respond to the needs of SMEs facing various challenges. Since 2003, the country has come up with related proposals backed by APEC with funding in the vicinity of US$1.98 million. Notable examples include the establishment of the SME Crisis Management Center (SCMC) in 2010 run by SMEA to help lessen the impact of the Great Recession, which began in December 2007 and lasted 18 months. And at the end of 2011, the center started upgrading SMEs’ natural disaster resilience—an APEC initiative proposed by Taiwan following the March 11, 2011, earthquake and ensuing tsunami in northeastern Japan that led to a meltdown at Fukushima’s Daiichi nuclear power station.

The O2O Initiative is the most recent Taiwan undertaking aimed at spurring the growth of SMEs. Commencing in 2016, with the first 12 months dedicated to identifying opportunities and challenges in the area, the second year of the program focuses on improving cybersecurity for SMEs involved in digital economy. This is accomplished through organizing activities like the APEC SME Digital Resilience Training Workshop in mid-July in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City.

The two-day event saw 20 experts in cyberrisk management train about 100 seed teachers from APEC economies, who returned to their respective countries to pass along their newfound knowledge to SMEs. In consultation with the Taiwan division of Tokyo-headquartered Trend Micro Inc., SCMC published the “Guidebook on SME Digital Resilience” in July. It is used as a textbook in training sessions under APEC for improving SMEs’ capabilities to counter cyberattacks.  

Carrefour Taiwan collects and donates excess food, a practice attracting wider attention through the Taiwan-initiated APEC program on reducing food loss and waste. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)

 

Maintaining Momentum

As the O2O Initiative picks up steam, another Taiwan-proposed effort—APEC Strengthening Private-Public Partnership to Reduce Food Losses in the Supply Chain—is winding down. Launched in 2013, the five-year project is bearing fruit and making a real difference for participants.
 

Vincent Lin (林家榮), deputy director-general of Department of International Affairs under the Council of Agriculture, sees food security as a core issue for APEC. “This is due to the threat of climate change and growing demand for food from emerging economies, which prompted APEC to prioritize the issue in 2010,” he said. “Taiwan quickly responded to these concerns and first tabled the initiative for discussion in 2012 at APEC, a move winning instant widespread support.”

According to the Cabinet-level agency, food losses attributed to a smorgasbord of reasons like ineffective cold chain management practices and indiscriminate disposal of waste gobble up 26.7 percent of food production in the Asia-Pacific annually. This translates to 670 million tons or enough to feed 800 million people for a year.

A range of activities have taken place under the APEC initiative to facilitate related exchanges. One of the most recent was a capacity building workshop in the city of Can Tho in southern Vietnam, where Carrefour Taiwan was invited for the first time to an APEC event to share its experience of working with charity organizations to curb food waste. The French multinational retailer explained how collecting and distributing excess food donated by individuals, as well as by its 90 stores around the country, is chipping away at one of the most serious problems facing societies worldwide today. “Such a cooperative relationship between a retail chain and charity groups is quite rare in the Asia-Pacific. I’m pleased this model is receiving the attention it deserves as a result of greater exposure at APEC,” said Winson Wu (吳柏毅), a member of the board of directors for Taiwan Carrefour Foundation.

The initiative plays a crucial role in the APEC Food Security Roadmap Towards 2020, which aims to slash food loss and waste by 10 percent by 2020 compared with 2011-2012 levels. To achieve this goal, researchers across the Asia-Pacific are performing tasks such as collating best practices, devising models for forecasting food losses and drafting action plans. Conclusions will be presented at a high-level APEC policy dialogue next year and used as recommendations for formulating food waste policies.

Strong Participation

In addition to this project, two others by Taiwan over the past year underscore the country’s commitment to participating in a wide range of APEC issues. In July, a workshop on the need for effective whistleblower protection systems was staged in Taipei under APEC’s Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group. The similarly important issue of career planning for young athletes was addressed in September the previous year in Taipei via a high-level policy dialogue conducted under the umbrella of the APEC Human Resource Development Working Group.

Another milestone was the inauguration in November 2016 of the APEC Skills Development Capacity Building Center in central Taiwan’s Taichung City. Serving as a platform for upgrading human capital and boosting employment throughout the region, the center facilitates collaboration between vocational training professionals from APEC members. Taiwan is also home to the APEC Emergency Preparedness Capacity Building Center, which is tasked with improving regional coordination and implementing training programs in disaster risk reduction. Since January, it has been administered by Taipei-based National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction.

According to Jeff Lin, except for military and security issues, APEC is a suitable forum for discussing nearly every subject of global import. This opens doors for member economies to forge closer cooperative ties, helping ensure peace and stability within the region.

“APEC is also of enormous use as it supports sustainable growth through sharing experiences and capacity building programs,” he said. “In the future, Taiwan will continue playing an active, multifaceted role in APEC for the benefit of itself and the Asia-Pacific.”