Facebook Inc. opened its new Taiwan headquarters April 11 at the Nan Shan Plaza skyscraper in Taipei City, underscoring the U.S.-based social media giant’s confidence in the local economy.
The 2,658-square-meter office will enable the company to expand its workforce, Facebook said. It also houses a training center designed to facilitate a joint talent cultivation initiative with the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Under the Made by Taiwan, Loved by the World program, the two sides are working to nurture 50,000 digital talents by 2020.
President Tsai Ing-wen, who visited the office the previous day, congratulated the company on her official Facebook page. In the post, she spotlighted the government’s commitment to providing opportunities for youth tech talents, as evidenced by the Asia Silicon Valley Development Plan.
Launched in 2016, the initiative has two primary objectives: promoting R&D in devices and Internet of Things applications, and upgrading the nation’s entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem.
Dan Neary, Facebook’s vice president for Asia Pacific, described Taiwan as a key market for the company. The new headquarters evinces Facebook’s belief in Taiwan’s limitless potential and underscores its determination to expand its local investments, he said.
According to the MOEA, Taiwan is making headway in transitioning to a digital, innovation-based economy. The success of these efforts is highlighted by many of the world’s leading tech enterprises expanding their local presence in recent months, the ministry added.
Facebook aside, Amazon Web Services announced March 26 that it is establishing a second innovation hub in Taiwan, while Google Inc. is developing a new headquarters in New Taipei City. (CPY-E)
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