An international indigenous economy forum will kick off Nov. 9 in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County, bringing together 150 local and foreign business representatives, experts and officials to discuss the latest development insights, market opportunities and policy approaches.
Hosted by the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples, the three-day event consists of keynote speeches, workshops, visits to local enterprises, and a trade fair and matchmaking session. Foreign participants hail from countries including Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand and Thailand.
Speaking at a news conference Nov. 7 in New Taipei City, CIP Deputy Minister Wang Ming-huey said the International Indigenous Peoples Economic Development Forum will spotlight the vibrant culture and business potential of Taiwan’s aboriginal groups. The seminar will also help deepen regional people-to-people and commercial connections in line with the government’s New Southbound Policy, he added.
A key plank in President Tsai Ing-wen’s national development strategy, the NSP is enhancing Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.
Keynote addresses at the forum will be delivered by Wang Si-meng, executive vice president of the government-supported Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), and Philip Ducharm, director of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business. The former will shed light on how the NSP is forging new markets for indigenous enterprises in agriculture, cultural and creative and other sectors, while the latter will highlight the development of the aboriginal cultural industry in his country.
At the workshops, panels of experts are set to spotlight their nations’ experiences and practices for building entrepreneurial ecosystems, fostering cultural creativity and sharing agricultural and ecological knowledge.
The results of such policymaking efforts in Taiwan and New Zealand will be on show at the trade fair and matchmaking session. Set to be attended by local and Maori businesses, this portion of the event is being staged under the Taiwan-New Zealand economic cooperation agreement signed in 2013, which includes a dedicated chapter for collaboration on indigenous issues.
Other activities scheduled for the forum include fact-finding trips to businesses in Hualien and neighboring Yilan County. Participants at the 2018 World Indigenous Business Forum in New Zealand and the CIP Indigenous Tourism Trainee Program will also share their experiences. (SFC-E)
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