Dear Subscriber,

We hope you enjoyed this weekend!

We are excited to announce our newest team member, Ms. Ellie Kan! As Senior Project Manager, Ellie is in charge of the EUREM program and market entry. With her background in law, economics, international business and expertise in international business development and networking event coordination, we believe Ellie is a great addition to our office. As Ellie is taking care of the EUREM program, all questions regarding that can be directed towards her from now on. She will gladly help you out. Find Ellie’s contact information in our Top News.

Finally, we are hosting our first event of the year! Our annual “GTO Economic Outlook 2024 & Wirtschaftsstammtisch” event will return on February 22, 2024. The event is a great networking opportunity with German food and drinks! We will give a presentation on the results of our annual Business Confidence Survey. The presentation aims to offer a thorough perspective on the present political and economic hurdles and anticipations faced by German companies in Taiwan. Furthermore, attendees will gain a comprehensive outlook on the future development of the Taiwanese economy. Expert insights into specific industries such as manufacturing, automotive, and semiconductors will be provided by professionals from prominent German companies operating in Taiwan. For more details, refer to our Top News section.

Porsche Taiwan had stable sales in 2023 with a total of 4,907 vehicles being delivered, which is a 6% increase from last year. Continuing to captivate the market, Porsche SUVs retained their stronghold. The introduction of the new Cayenne in 2023 ensured its ongoing status as a best-seller. We are proud that companies like Porsche can receive great sales and hope this trend will continue in 2024. More information on Porsche’s sales this year can be found in our Business Alliance News.

We wish you a successful week!

Axel Limberg
Delegate and Chief Representative of German Industry & Commerce in Taiwan
Executive Director of the German Trade Office Taipei

Meet our new Senior Project Manager, Ellie Kan! 
 
Ellie Kan has a background in law, economics and international business. She started her career with entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem promotion. She is experienced in international business development and networking event coordination, especially in smart city technologies and development.  

In her free time, Ellie loves going on hikes, swimming, cooking, reading and drinking coffee.  

Ellie is currently responsible for our EUREM (European Energy Manager Training) Program and market entry. More information can be found in our GTO News.

Please contact Ellie Kan at kan.ellie@taiwan.ahk.de for more information! 

Welcome to the team, Ellie!

Introduction

The German Trade Office Taipei is happy to announce that we will kick off the year of the Dragon with our annual “GTO Economic Outlook 2024 & Wirtschaftsstammtisch” event on February 22, 2024.

All friends and members of the Taiwanese-German business community are sincerely invited to join our event which includes:

• A presentation on the results of our annual Business Confidence Survey, giving you a comprehensive overview on the current political and economic challenges and expectations of German companies in Taiwan
• An extensive outlook on the future development of the Taiwanese economy
• Insights of specific industries, including manufacturing, automotive and semiconductors provided by experts of leading German companies in Taiwan
• A great networking opportunity with German food and drinks

Event Details & Registration

• Date: February 22, 2024
• Venue: TBA
• Registration Time: 16:00 – 16:30
• Event Time: 16:30 – 22:00
• Price: TBA

*The price includes dinner including drinks that will be served during the Wirtschaftsstammtisch starting at 19:00.

For more information about the agenda of this event, please visit our event website.

GTO Economic Outlook: Business Confidence Survey Presentation (Save the Date)
22.02.2024 | Location: TBA

Geschäftsanbahnung für deutsche Hersteller von Sportartikeln, Fitness- und Freizeitgeräten
04.03.-08.03.2024 | Location: Taipei

Geschäftsanbahnung für deutsche Hersteller Zweiräder inkl. Zweiradkomponenten
13.-17.05.2024 | Location: Taipei

Become part of our GTO German Business Alliance!
More information about our membership packages on our website.

Introduction

The second “Made in Germany” EUREM European Energy Management Training Course was successfully completed in October 2023 and we are currently accepting registrations for the third course, starting this March.

The EUREM is a standardized further education to train employees to obtain the necessary know-how to identify energy efficiency potentials in your company. This not only saves you costs, but it will also help you reach your goals for sustainability and decarbonization.

Benefits

• Coverage of all major technologies
• Management aspects for precise calculations
• Long-term network
• Extra-Occupational online Training
• Comprehensive energy concept for savings during the training

Want to know more about how previous participants benefitted from their EUREM Energy Efficiency Training? Then read more in our experience reports below!

• How a EUREM energy-saving project saves a company over NT$26 million annually
• How an engineer's energy-saving initiative reduces its company's lighting costs by 57% in Taiwan
• How a Taiwanese engineer achieves 12% energy savings by creating a water-saving electromechanical system

Program Details

• Program start: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 19:00
• Duration: 160 units of 45 minutes (145 teaching units + 15 units self-study and project work) over 7 – 8 months
• Training times: Weekdays (19:00 – 22:00) and Saturdays (09:00 – 16:00)
• Fully online courses in English
  

Certificate

Participants who complete the class, pass the written examination and report, obtain the "European Energy Professionals" international certificate issued by the German Nuremberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry. More than 6,000 professionals worldwide have been awarded this certificate and Taiwanese graduates will become part of this international network.

Participation Fees

Signing Up

If your company is interested in sending an employee to join the course to become a certified European Energy Manager, or if you would like to discuss content and benefits in detail, you are very welcome to contact our colleague Ms. Ellie Kan at kan.ellie@taiwan.ahk.de or 02-7735-7522.

Find more information on our official EUREM website.

Vom 15. bis 19. April 2024 findet unsere Delegationsreise nach Taiwan im Bereich Elektromobilität statt. Die Reise wird im Rahmen des Programms zur Internationalisierung der Regionen im Strukturwandel von GTAI Germany Trade and Invest durchgeführt und vom BMWK Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz gefördert. In Zusammenarbeit mit der Investitionsförderungsgesellschaft NRW.Global Business und den Unternehmensclustern automotiveland.nrw und der Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier für DEinternational Taiwan, die Dienstleistungsgesellschaft des Deutschen Wirtschaftsbüros Taipei (AHK Taiwan) ein spannendes fünftägiges Programm durch, bei dem sich deutsche Unternehmen vernetzen können und umfangreiche Einblicke in die taiwanische Elektromobilitätsbranche erhalten.

Taiwan beherbergt bereits weltweit führende Unternehmen in den Bereichen Elektronik und Halbleiter. Das über Jahrzehnte angesammelte Knowhow in der Produktentwicklung und Massenproduktion soll dazu genutzt werden, künftig auch in der Elektromobilität eine führende Rolle einzunehmen. Bereits jetzt sind Hersteller wie Tesla stark auf Komponenten aus taiwanischer Fertigung angewiesen. Für deutsche Unternehmen die ideale Möglichkeit, neue Anreize für Innovationen und Geschäftsmodelle sowie neue Kooperations- und Vertriebspartner zu gewinnen.

Weiterführende Informationen sowie einen Link zur Anmeldung finden Sie auf dieser Website.

Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme!

In Taiwan, Porsche has delivered 4,907 vehicles, a 6% increase over the previous year. Porsche SUVs continued to captivate the market. With the launch of the new Cayenne in 2023, it maintained its best-selling status. The well-received compact SUV Macan also remains strong in the Taiwanese market with a 7% increase year-on-year. The iconic Porsche 911 witnessed a 11% year-on-year increase.The mid-engined 718 Cayman and Boxster had an incredible 41% year-on-year rise. In addition to the positive reception of the sportscar segment, the Taiwanese market has demonstrated a notable 52% year-on-year increase in demand for the all-electric Taycan.

Read the full news on Porsche's website.

The 2024 ITB Berlin is set to take place in March! GTO is offering an exclusive discount on tickets.

The ITB Berlin, with a history of over 50 years, will be held from March 5th to 7th in Berlin this year. As the world's largest B2B travel trade show, it annually attracts tens of thousands of travel professionals and experts from around the globe. Not only is it a major event in the travel industry, but it also serves as an excellent platform for observation and exchange among travel businesses.

ITB Berlin embraces the spirit of "Pioneering the Transition in Travel & Tourism. Together" and offers the latest travel information to the industry through four main stages with a total of 17 thematic tracks. It's also an excellent opportunity to attract European tourists to visit Taiwan.

Tickets for the ITB Berlin 2024 are now on sale. Enter the exclusive discount code ITB24_AV_TW_7070 to enjoy a 5% discount.

For more information about the exhibition and tickets, please refer to our website.

Are you trying to realize your full business potential within the international fresh produce trade?

Then you should not miss out on your chance to meet possible new business partners at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2024. It is the leading trade show for the global fresh produce business and represents the entire value-added chain of the fruit and vegetable sector, from producer to point of sale.

This year the trade fair welcomed 2,600 exhibitors from 92 countries and 63,500 trade visitors from 140 countries. As FRUIT LOGISTICA covers every single sector of the fresh produce business and provides a complete picture of the latest innovations, products, and services at every link in the international supply chain, this offers superb networking and contact opportunities to the key decision-makers in every sector of the industry.

From February 7 to 9, 2024, companies from across the entire fresh produce sector – from global players to small and medium-sized companies and organizations from all over the world - will again be present in Berlin. The entire spectrum of the fresh fruit and vegetable sector.

With our GTO voucher code: FL24_AV_TW_0567 we offer you discounted tickets, starting from 12% off. To purchase a ticket, please check our event website for further information.

Taiwan's 2023 Exports Hit 3rd Highest Annual Level After December Growth

Taiwan's exports for 2023 hit the third highest annual level in history after outbound sales in December rose 11.8 percent from a year earlier, on the back of solid demand for artificial intelligence related gadgets, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said last week Tuesday.

Data compiled by the MOF showed the island's exports last year totaled US$432.48 billion, the third highest after US$479.4 billion in 2022 and US$446.4 billion in 2021, with the 2023 figure down 9.8 percent from a year earlier.

Business created by AI applications helped Taiwan's exporters offset the impact of global demand weakness as a whole, at a time of high inflation and aggressive rate hikes by major central banks worldwide.

(Last access: 12.01.2024 / Focus Taiwan)

Taiwan 2016-2023 GDP Growth Outpaces Global Average: DGBAS

Taiwan's annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth reached an average of 3.17 percent between 2016 and 2023, higher than the global average, due to an investment boom, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

DGBAS revealed the statistics last week Thursday after reviewing Taiwan's economic data from the past few decades. The announcement comes in the wake of major international institutions predicting the island’s economy will bottom out in 2024 and that GDP will grow at a faster pace than the global average.

The DGBAS official said that due to geopolitics and the government's preferential policies, Taiwan's economy is at a crucial juncture.

(Last access: 12.01.2024 / Focus Taiwan)

Major Taiwanese Airlines Earn Record-High Revenues in 2023

Taiwan's four international carriers -- China Airlines (CAL), EVA Airways, StarLux Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan -- all earned record-high revenues in 2023, following a post-pandemic passenger traffic boom.

According to CAL, its consolidated sales reached NT$184.82 billion (US$5.94 billion) last year, a year-on-year growth of 22.62 percent.

The carrier attributed the surge to a flight network expansion after the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the growing travel demand, which was the most pronounced in northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania in December.

(Last access: 12.01.2024 / Focus Taiwan)

TSMC Q4 Revenue Beats Expectations on Demand for AI

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) revenue in the fourth quarter of last year beat estimates of a decline, as demand from artificial intelligence (AI) firms helped offset sluggish smartphone and laptop chip sales.

Hsinchu-based TSMC, the main chipmaker for Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp, reported sales of NT$176.3 billion (US$5.66 billion) for last month, completing a NT$625.53 billion fourth quarter.

The average analyst estimate for sales over the final three months of last year was NT$616.2 billion.

(Last access: 12.01.2024 / Taipei Times)