New Southbound Policy Portal

The five-country Taiwan Expo tour for 2019 is expected to further strengthen business and trade exchanges with major Indo-Pacific markets. (Courtesy of TAITRA)

The Taiwan Expo trade show is set to kick off its 2019 tour May 16 in New Delhi, spotlighting the quality of the nation’s products and services and strengthening business exchanges with the Indo-Pacific country.
 
Co-organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and government-supported Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the three-day event will showcase a wide array of goods and services across such sectors as agriculture, cultural and creative, green tech, innovative medicine, and travel and tourism.
 
After its run in India, the expo is scheduled to visit Penang, Malaysia from July 5-6; Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 8-10; Surabaya, Indonesia, Sept. 26-28; and Davao City, the Philippines, Nov. 8-9.
 
According to TAITRA, since the launch of the Taiwan Expo initiative in 2017, a total of nine events have been staged in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The fairs have featured over 1,400 Taiwan companies, attracted about 210,000 visitors and helped some 500 firms tap opportunities in regional markets, it added.
 
Concrete achievements under the program include the introduction of locally made unmanned agricultural vehicles to Thailand; the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Taipei Veterans General Hospital and a children’s medical facility in Ho Chi Minh City; and the expansion of Taiwan e-commerce operators to Indonesia and Vietnam.
 
Another major benefit is tourism promotion, according to TAITRA. By highlighting signature aspects of Taiwan culture and lifestyle such as cuisine and tea production, the expos have bolstered awareness of the nation’s leisure environment, it said, citing surveys showing that nearly 90 percent of showgoers expressed interest in visiting Taiwan. (SFC-E)