The National Development Council (NDC) Minister, Kung Ming-hsin, represented the government at the 2023 Discussion Paper launch hosted by the Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (ANZCham) on December 7th, 2023, and accepted the Discussion Paper. ANZCham acknowledged the crucial coordinating role of the NDC and conveyed their aspiration to further strengthen the cooperative relationship among the Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand markets, continuing as a key partner in Taiwan's energy transformation. In his speech, Minister Kung first congratulated ANZCham on changing its name from the original “Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taipei” to “Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan.” He congratulated ANZCham on the expansion of its operations and thanked it for its longstanding support for Taiwan's international participation. He emphasized that Australia and New Zealand are Taiwan's important economic and trade partners in the Asia-Pacific region. Last year (2022), the total trade volume between Taiwan and these two countries reached US$34.08 billion, a record high, showing increasingly close economic and trade cooperation.
Minister Kung said that in recent years, Taiwan has not only ongoing exchanges and cooperation with major trading partners but also taken significant steps like submitting an application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in September 2021. Additionally, Taiwan signed the first set of agreement under the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade with the United States this year. Furthermore, Taiwan completed negotiations with Canada for the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Arrangement and signed the "Enhanced Trade Partnership" with the United Kingdom. These actions signify Taiwan's determination to further open up to the outside world. The regulation related suggestions proposed in the past Discussion papers of ANZCham over the years have helped to align Taiwan's regulations with international standards.
Minister Kung pointed out that Australia and New Zealand are central to Taiwan's New Southbound Policy. Since the signing of the Agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu on Economic Cooperation (ANZTEC ) in 2013, has achieved fruitful results. He hopes to finalize an economic cooperation agreement with Australia, aiming to deepen their bilateral partnership and stimulate economic, trade, and industrial growth. He also expressed gratitude to ANZCham for its affirmation of the economic and trade performance of Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand in recent years in this year's Discission Paper. The Discission Paper’s recommendation of future cooperation and exchanges in energy, talent, and education, along with the enhancement of mutual contacts, align with the Taiwanese government's strategies for energy transformation and recruiting talent.
He pointed out that, in terms of energy transformation, Australia stands as Taiwan's largest energy supplier, with the industries of both nations being highly complementary. He highlighted the involvement of Australian industry operators participated in Taiwan's offshore wind power industry when Taiwan began to promote energy transformation in 2016. To date, Taiwan has more than 280 offshore wind turbines, and they are operating smoothly. In future, Taiwan and Australia can further expand cooperation in the field of hydrogenic energy. Additionally, regarding other emerging energy sources like geothermal energy, he pointed out New Zealand's advanced geothermal technology is a valuable resource for Taiwan to explore and learn from. Overall, he anticipates continued close cooperation among Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand to jointly advance energy transformation and development.
Minister Kung stated that the government will continue to promote or consider for inclusion in future policies the suggestions put forward by ANZCham on deepening exchanges and cooperation among young people from Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, as well as technical and vocational training and educational qualification recognition. He also mentioned that the government expanded related measures for talent recruitment in 2021. This year, it has established Talent Taiwan, a national-level service and recruitment center for international talent. This center has provided a one-stop service for foreign professionals and expended service targets from employment gold card holders (about 8,000 people) to general foreign professionals (about 56,000 people), entrepreneurs and their dependents. On the other hand, the government promotes cooperation between industry, government and academia to expand the recruitment of international students. In 2024, industry-academia scholarships and living/internship allowances will be provided to international students in sectors like semiconductors and finance, further expanding the recruitment initiatives.
Minister Kung emphasized that, the NDC convenes coordination meetings on the ANZCham Discission Paper every year. These meetings provide a platform for direct dialogue between various ministries and ANZCham representatives. In the future, it will continue to use this mechanism to improve Taiwan’s business environment.
Contact person: Yang Shu-ling, Director General, Department of Regulatory Reform
Office telephone: (02)2316-5929