Conferences to focus on commercial opportunities in Taiwan - 16th Annual Joint Business Conference; Major 66 and Big 10: U.S.-Taiwan Strategic Alliances

Business America, August 24, 1992

The 16th Annual Joint Business Conference co-sponsored by the USA-ROC and ROC-USA Economic Councils will be held this year in Taipei, Taiwan, Dec. 2-4. This is the biggest event of the year for American and Taiwan business people and firms involved in trade, business, and investment of all kinds between the United States and Taiwan. The Conference will be attended by approximately 1,000 people, one-third of them from the United States. The theme of this year's event is "Strategic Alliances for Progress."

Normally some 70 papers are presented in the 15 or so different seminars covering the major sectors of the economy. These are designed to present new information to business people to help them make strategic and tactical decisions regarding their objectives in U.S.-Taiwan trade. Among the topics to be covered are: banking and finance, construction and engineering, electronics and telecommunications, transportation and aviation, power generation and energy, and environmental issues. Furthermore, roundtable discussions will be conducted for state representatives and defense suppliers and by young Taiwan and American business leaders.

Other useful features of the conference include practical seminars on trade, joint ventures, and technology transfer in Taiwan, the Six-Year Development Plan, the development of economic relations with Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Southeast Asia, and Taiwan as a regional financial and transportation center.

For further information and registration details on the Annual Joint Business Conference, contact David Laux or Christine Hsu at the USA-ROC Economic Council headquarters in Washington, D.C., tel. (202) 331-8966, fax (202) 331-8985.

The USA-ROC Economic Council has also planned a series of unique seminars throughout the United States highlighting results of special research undertaken in Taiwan on specific opportunities the Six-Year Plan presents to U.S. businesses. One-day seminars are scheduled for the following cities and dates: Oct. 19 in San Francisco, Oct. 21 in Houston, Oct. 23 in Atlanta, Oct. 26 in Chicago, Oct. 28 in New York, and Oct. 30 in Boston. Co-sponsors of the seminars include the American Institute in Taiwan, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration, Northwestern University's International Business Development Center (IBD), and the U.S. Trade and Development Program.

Each seminar will consist of two segments. A morning general session will focus on the key issues which concern American companies in pursuit of projects of the Six-Year Plan. Strategic insights to be offered by individuals with first-hand experience will include: tendering, bidding, contracting, and procurement procedures; the role of strategic alliances; the importance of technology transfer; and financing.

The afternoon segment will consist of breakout sessions on transportation telecommunications, power generation, and the environment. These breakout sessions will draw on the results of a major research project undertaken by a group of American consultants closely familiar with the Plan and the policies and procedures of the authorities in Taiwan. They have developed an enhanced information base on the Six-Year Plan which provides current data on the status of the projects and unofficial indicators of whether there are likely to be components of each of the projects for Americans to pursue.

For further information and registration details on these seminars, contact Liz Kavanaugh at International Business Development, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., tel. (708) 491-5617, fax (708) 491-4251; or Christine Hsu at the USA-ROC Economic Council in Washington, D.C., tel. (202) 331-8966, fax (202) 331-8985.

Finally, to help U.S. firms compete for these opportunities, The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), China External Trade Development Council (CETRA), and the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) will sponsor "Major 66 and Big 10: U.S.-Taiwan Strategic Alliances." Major/66, a forerunner to the USA-ROC Economic Council's Dec. 2-4 meeting, is designed to assist new-to-market firms to expand sales to the Taiwan market.

Major/66 and Big 10 is a trade promotion and matchmaking event designed to assist new-to-market American firms in entering the Taiwan market. The program focuses on two of Taiwan's fastest growing sectors: infrastructure development and high technology. All U.S. participants in Major/66 will receive pre-screened appointments with potential Chinese partners. The matchmaker portion of the event will be held on Dec. 1, in Taipei, prior to the USA-ROC Economic Council Conference.

Taiwan's infrastructure development program is outlined in the Six-Year Development Plan which calls for investments of $303 billion from 1990-96. Approximately $100 billion will be used for modernization and expansion of Taiwan's transportation and communications systems. Energy, housing, and pollution control will each receive an additional $40 billion in investment.

Taiwan's plans to become a high technology manufacturing and service economy were originally outlined by the IDB. These plans designate specific industry areas for upgrading: telecommunications information, consumer electronics, semiconductors, automation, aerospace, advanced materials, specialty chemicals, medical equipment, and pollution control equipment. Among the industries, 66 specific product technologies were chosen for special consideration (including HDTV, industrial robots, advanced systems software, mobile phones, ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, automobile transmissions, etc.).