ROC President Ma Ying-jeou praised the role of Taiwan in global information and communications technology, describing the industry as the cornerstone of the island’s economic competitiveness.
“Taiwan is indispensible in the global ICT supply chain,” Ma said. “This fact is illustrated by the growing scale of Computex Taipei, the world’s second largest computer trade show.”
The president’s remarks came at the opening ceremony of Computex Taipei. Also attending the annual event were Lin Sheng-chung, deputy economics minister, Wang Chih-kang, chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), and Wang Jen-tang, chairman of Acer Inc. and the Taipei Computer Association.
According to Ma, Taiwan’s top-notch standing in the global ICT industry was confirmed by Bloomberg Businessweek in a 2005 article “Why Taiwan Matters” and “Why Taiwan Matters: Small Island, Global Powerhouse” by U.S. author Shelly Rigger.
Looking ahead, the president said, Taiwan must push for industry reform amid increasing global competition, moving from an efficiency-driven to innovation-driven economy while focusing on R&D as well as branding.
The other key to boosting Taiwan’s economic competitiveness is trade liberalization, Ma said, adding that a lack of openness has seen the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement impact the local textile, machinery and plastics industries to the tune of US$330 million.
“We cannot expect the world to embrace Taiwan if our market is not open enough,” Ma said. “We must abandon a protectionist mindset and play a more active role in global economic integration.”
Steps taken by his administration to achieve this goal, the president said, include signing the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) in 2010 and the investment arrangement with Japan last year. The government is also working to further boost trade relations with the U.S., the nation’s third largest partner, he added.
“We should not be afraid of opening up our markets,” Ma said. “Similar concerns arose after joining the World Trade Organization a decade ago, but the reality is that our agricultural industry grew in size and value on the back of competition and innovation.”
Running June 5-8, Computex Taipei is set to generate an estimated US$28 billion in business opportunities, with a record 1,800 exhibitors using 5,300 booths. Major brands taking part in the show include AsusTek Computer Inc., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., HTC Corp., Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. (JSM)
Write to Rachel Chan at ccchan@mofa.gov.tw