More than 60 overseas Chinese business and industrial leaders held a three-day conference in Taipei in mid-October to discuss investment in Taiwan and joint economic development in their countries of residence.
The conferees were from 50 countries and areas. They had come to Taipei to celebrate the Chinese National Day on the Double Tenth.
Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Chi-tseng pointed out that overseas Chinese are continuing to playa leading role in commerce and industry, especially in countries of Southeast Asia.
He said that through their own efforts and the technical assistance offered by the government, overseas Chinese are in a good position to develop their economies.
The Chinese government recently has sent technical assistance missions to Thailand and the Philippines to give consultant services to Chinese communities. According to findings of the missions, the overseas Chinese have a large potential for further development of industry.
Minister Yang noted that the widespread advance of nationalism has created difficulties for overseas Chinese business operations in some countries. "But this tendency of their countries of residence must be observed," he said.
Yang promised that he would give every possible assistance to overseas Chinese investment in Taiwan. Of the 780 foreign investment projects approved by the government and totaling US$116 million, more than 70 per cent, or US$81 million, were provided by overseas Chinese, he noted.
The Minister said the government is planning to expand its trade with other countries through overseas Chinese. They are scattered all over the world and are enthusiastic in promoting the sale of Taiwan goods.
Agricultural Cooperation
A series of agricultural technical cooperation agreements were signed last month between the Republic of China and African countries.
The first was signed with Ivory Coast on September 22. Signatories were Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Chi-tseng and visiting Ivory Coast Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Charles Donwahi.
Then came the agreement with the Federal Republic of Cameroun on September 29. It was signed by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chu Fu-sung and Cameroun Deputy Foreign Minister Nzo Ekhah-Nghaky, who was in Taiwan for a four-day visit.
Foreign Minister Shen Chang-huan issued a joint communique with Rwanda Foreign Minister Callixte Habamenshi in Taipei October 12, pledging cooperation in agriculture.
Minister of Economic Affairs Yang Chi-tseng reached an agreement with visiting Dahomey Minister of Agriculture Alexandre Adande on October 14.
All agreements provide that China will send a farm demonstration team to help grow rice, if feasible. The wide interest in Chinese farm techniques was aroused by the achievements of demonstration teams in Liberia and Libya. Despite difficulties, the teams have grown rice successfully, one working in an abandoned swamp area and the other on saline land in the desert.
On October 13, the 25 agricultural technicians from 11 African countries who came to Taiwan to study rice growing and upland crops completed their six-month course. They received diplomas for their hard work.
The Chinese government is planning a second seminar for African farm technicians from more countries. At the same time, a Taiwan seminar on land reform is under study for students from Latin America.
Hualien Harbor
The Hualien harbor in eastern Taiwan has been expanded to accommodate 10,000-ton ships.
It will be declared an international port in March, 1963, when additional shore facilities are opened.
The expansion began in April, 1959, with a budget of US$1 million. Completed in early October were a deep-water pier of 730 meters and a shallow-water pier of 560 meters.
Hualien is the third largest harbor of Taiwan. The others are Keelung and Kaohsiung. Expansion of the harbor is expected to reduce the cost of exports from eastern Taiwan and to attract investment in development of the region, which rises precipitously from sea to rugged mountains.
An area near the harbor has been designated an industrial zone for prospective investors.
Hualien is linked with Taitung to the southeast by railroad and Suao to the northeast by highway. It is the east end of the Cross Island Highway which stretches through the Central Mountain range.
A modern runway at the Hualien airport was completed last May to assure undisrupted air traffic between eastern Taiwan and the outside world during the typhoon season.
Kinmen Crops
Kinmen (Quemoy) received attention last month when a report said the offshore island had a bumper crop of sorghum this year. Output was 1,320 metric tons, an increase of 450 over last year.
Sorghum is the raw material for making the famous Kinmen Kaoliang wine. Almost every foreign visitor buys a bottle.
Kinmen is not an island of barren rocks. Farming is the main occupation. In an area of 6,000 hectares, 4,442 have been cultivated. Crops include sweet potatoes, peanuts, wheat, barley, sorghum, corn, beans, cotton and vegetables.
The island has a civilian population of about 48,000. Except for rice, it is self-sufficient in farm products. Soil and climate are unfavorable to agricultural production. But with the help of the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction, improvements have been made in farming, reforestation and animal husbandry.
Vegetables formerly were imported from Taiwan. Now production is 400 times above the level of ten years ago. Last year onions and beans were exported to Taiwan.
A large-scale reforestation project has changed the appearance of Kinmen. Roads are lined with such fast-growing trees as acacias, casuarina and pine. JCRR introduced hog-raising and there are approximately 40,000 hogs on the island now.
Public health progress is remarkable. Kinmen once was ravaged by epidemics. Plague claimed about 3,000 lives from 1890 to 1910.
However, since the introduction of a public health program in 1952 not a single Kinmen resident has died of plague, nor have there been other epidemics.
Mineral Products
The Taiwan Provincial Department of Reconstruction gave these figures for mineral production in the first half of 1962: gold, 3,184 hectogrammes; silver, 12,444 hg.; electrolytic copper, 1,154 metric tons; coal, 2,217,442 m.t.; coke, 60,606 m.t.; crude oil, 1,158 kilolitres; natural gas, 17,274,000 cubic meters; sulphur, 3,449 m.t.; pyrites, 4,508 m.t.; marble, 430,069 m.t.; dolomite, 12,971 m.t.; talc, 7,025 m.t.; and asbestos, 293 m.t.
PDOR pointed out there are good prospects for exploitation of sulphur and dolomite in Taiwan. Annual requirement for sulphur is estimated at more than 20,000 metric tons, of which only about 9,000 m.t. are produced locally.
The dolomite produced in eastern Taiwan is of high quality, PDOR said. For exploitation of this mineral, a plant is being built.
The Taiwan Salt Administration said the island may have a salt output of 450,000 metric tons this year.
Production last year was 395,403 metric tons. By the end of August, production this year had reached 331,805 metric tons.
TSA is a government agency handling salt production and sales. It has 4,302 hectares of salt farms, employing 5,340 workers.
New Plants
The Hsin Chuang pharmaceutical plant of the Yuen Foong Company began producing -synthetic parasin this month.
The company has entered into technical cooperation with the C. F. Boehringer & Soehne Co. of West Germany and the Chugai Pharmaceutical Works of Japan. The Hsin Chuang plant occupies an area of 360,000 square feet. Construction was completed in September with an expenditure of NT$20 million or US$500,000.
Yuen Foong is one of the largest private enterprises in Taiwan. It has a plastics factory, a pharmaceutical works, four paper mills and a machinery manufacturing plant.
The Wu Shun Oil Works, cooperating with the Japanese Takata Oil Mill Machinery Company, started its production of edible rice bran oil last month.
Wu Shun has a daily capacity of five metric tons in the first stage of production.
Taiwan has more than 100 oil mills producing edible oil from soybeans. Wu Shun is the first to produce oil from rice bran, which it claims will save US$10 million for Taiwan in import of soybeans a year.
From every five kilograms of rice bran, one kilogram of oil can be extracted. The Wu Shun mill is located at Panchiao, a 20-minute drive from Taipei.
With technical assistance offered by the Matsushita Electric Industrial Company of Japan, the National Communications Equipment Company of Taiwan has been expanded to increase production by four and a half times.
The Taiwan firm now has an annual capacity of 17,000 radio sets, 6,800 electric phonographs, 12,000 transistor radios, 1,200 refrigerators and 4,800 rice cookers.
Another Japanese firm, the Mitsubishi Electrical Manufacturing Company, offered 90 million yen, or US$250,000, to the Chinese Electric Appliance Company for production of 70,000 fluorescent lamps a month in Taiwan.
This is the second Japanese investment in the Taiwan fluorescent lamp industry. The Taiwan Fluorescent Lamp Company, with cooperation of the Tokyo Shibaura Electric Company, is turning out 80,000 fluorescent lamps monthly.
Textile Quota
After long negotiations, the United States announced its quota for textile imports from
Taiwan last month based on performance in the period from July, 1961, to June, 1962. The quota is effective for the year beginning October 1, 1962.
Restrictions were imposed in 11 categories of textiles: cotton yarn, sheeting, twill and sateen, fabrics, towels, pillow cases, shirts, trousers, blouses, drawers and shorts. Other categories are not affected.
Local textile manufacturers are concerned about the quota, as letters of credit so far received have exceeded the maximum quantity in two categories.
The Foreign Exchange and Trade Control Commission said that until China becomes a member of the International Cotton Textile Agreement, this country is not in a position to negotiate with the United States again.
As the U.S. quota places restrictions on quantity rather than value, local manufacturers have been urged to increase export of higher-quality products or those which are most profitable. For example, in the export of slacks, those for women will earn more foreign exchange than those for children.
Taiwan has 18 cotton textile mills. Of total textile exports o~ U$19, 717 ,000 in the first half of 1962, US$15,147,000 were cotton textile products. Exports for 1961 were registered at US$27,792,000, of which US$21,826,000 were cotton textiles.
Trade Promotion
The Chinese Investment and Trade Office in New York was opened September 25. It is a branch of the Industrial Development and Investment Center of Taipei.
The New York office is at 515 Madison Avenue, New York 22. Hu Kwang-tai is director.
A Taiwan exports showroom was opened in Kuala Lumpur on October 10, the 51st anniversary of the Republic of China.
Exhibits were supplied by 143 manufacturers. Items include machinery, electrical appliances, chemicals, canned food, educational aids and textiles.
The showroom is sponsored by the Sino-Malayan Trading Company registered with the Malayan government. Mr. Low Yat, proprietor of the company, is an overseas Chinese leader in Malaya.
The representative of the Central Trust of China in Kuala Lumpur will help Mr. Low sell Taiwan goods. The Federation of Malaya has no diplomatic relations with the Republic of China.
The Republic of China has decided to station a trade officer in Sydney in its effort to promote trade with Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian Parliament is reportedly in favor of closer trade relations with the Republic of China and sees good prospects for increasing import of textiles, tea, chemicals and other commodities from Taiwan.
The Chinese trade mission which visited Australia and New Zealand last summer reported to the government that US$500,000 worth of orders had been received. Items include printed cotton, bleached cotton sheeting, and plywood.
Live Earthworms
Taiwan trade circles last month were interested in supplying live earthworms to an American firm.
After the China Productivity and Trade Center reported that the Arndt & Son Company of Ohio was looking for 1,000,000 earthworms a week, more than 20 persons came to the center with samples.
They were confident that locally produced earthworms could meet the requirement. But they were not sure of maintaining a regular supply.
The specification given by the American firm was for earthworms at least 15 centimeters long. Taiwan worms may be as long as 50 centimeters.
The Ohio company so far has not found a supplier. It apparently is marketing the earthworms as fishing bait.
Appeal on 'Cola'
The Chu Shui Che Food Works recently filed an appeal with the Administrative Court of the Judicial Yuan asking to use the word "cola" in designating one of its soft drinks.
The court ruled last August that Chu Shui Che may not use the term because it was registered with the Chinese government by the Coca Cola Company of the United States in 1955 for a period of 20 years.
The local company argued that it has found new evidence to support its use of the word. It said "cola" is not a proper noun, but the name of a brown nut common in Africa. It has been used by five Japanese manufacturers for their soft drinks: "Shocola," "Nicola," "Lovecola," "Mitsuyacola" and "Tricola." The Coca Cola Company brought action against use of the term "cola," but lost in all the suits in Japanese courts.
It was also alleged that the American firm has been using such disputes for publicity purposes.