Dear Subscriber,

We hope you enjoyed this weekend as much as we did!

For our annual GTO Economic Outlook 2024 & Wirtschaftsstammtisch, we've seen an enthusiastic response with a significant number of participants already signed up. To ensure your spot and stay informed about the latest political and economic challenges facing German companies in Taiwan, as revealed by our Business Confidence Survey results, we encourage you to register promptly. Secure your spot before we reach our maximum capacity. Explore additional advantages of attending this event in our Top News section.

DEinternational Taiwan Ltd. and Startup Terrace hosted the Taiwan selection of the Start.up! Germany Tour 2024 last Tuesday. The jury, comprising Mr. Hans Gottmann, Ms. Bety Chu, Mr. Florian Schnitzler, and Ms. Leonie Yang, evaluated 9 startups from Green Tech, Life Science, and Industrial solutions sectors. Congratulations to the top 5 selected startups: Trade Wind Biotech, Medigen Biotechnology, Protect Biotech, Orion go, and NiveauUp. These teams will participate in the Main Program of Start.up! Germany Tour 2024 digitally. Find out about the first place in our GTO News.

With ESMC's establishment in August and the Saxon Science Liaison Office Taiwan formed in September, semiconductor collaboration between Taiwan and Germany has increased. We are planning a Silicon Saxony Day Delegation (June 8-15) to connect Taiwanese suppliers with German companies, fostering business opportunities through factory inspections and face-to-face consultations. Preceding the delegation, we will host several seminars on German business culture, Saxony's environment, and Silicon Saxony, featuring insights from Saxony State and key stakeholders, facilitating industrial networking between the two nations. We just announced our first seminar, see all information about it in our GTO News.

Lastly, we would like to encourage you again to join our German-Taiwanese Conference regarding the sporting goods, fitness and leisure equipment. As part of the market development program initiated by the Federal Ministry of Economy and Climate Action, we are coordinating a delegation visit focused on sporting goods, fitness, and leisure equipment from March 4 to 8, 2024. This delegation aims to provide a platform for Taiwanese companies seeking new brands for their product portfolio and high-quality suppliers of German-made products. Alongside this we will host the German-Taiwanese Conference on sporting goods, fitness, and leisure equipment on March 5, 2024. Sing up in our GTO News.

As we have a short week ahead of us due to the upcoming Chinese New Year, we want to wish everyone a great holiday!

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

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: ILLUME Taipei, Grand Ballroom A, 2. Floor
• Registration Time: 16:00 – 16:30
• Event Time: 16:30 – 22:00
• Price: 2,500 NT$
• Agenda: Download

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

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

Seminar: Invest in Saxony - I. Investment Environment and Support Resources
20.02.2024 | Location: German Trade Office Taipei

GTO Economic Outlook 2024 & Wirtschaftsstammtisch
22.02.2024 | Location: ILLUME Taipei, Grand Ballroom A, 2. Floor

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

Expert Symposium: German-Taiwanese Conference Regarding the Sporting Goods, Fitness and Leisure Equipment
05.03.2024 | Location: ILLUME Taipei

Cross-Border Exchange on Cooperation Potential in the Field of E-Mobility Between Taiwan and Germany
15.04-19.04.2024 | Location: Taipei, Kaohsiung

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.

The Taiwan selection of the Start.up! Germany Tour 2024 was held by our service unit DEinternational Taiwan Ltd.  in cooperation with Startup Terrace last Tuesday. The honored jury consisted of three judges: Mr. Hans Gottmann, Scounter of xdeck, Ms. Bety Chu, Head of Unit China and Latin America at NRW.Global Business, Mr. Florian Schnitzler, Head of startup unit and Israel and Ms. Leonie Yang, General Manager of DEinternational Taiwan Ltd.

With 9 Startups from Green Tech, Life Science and Industrial solutions sectors have joined the selection. Congratulations to the 5 best startups that have been selected: Trade Wind Biotech, Medigen Biotechnology, Protect Biotech, Orion go and NiveauUp. These teams got the opportunity to participate in the Main Program of Start.up! Germany Tour 2024 digitally. The 1st place team, Trade Wind Biotech, will represent Taiwan during the Asia Contest on February 29, 2024.

We are looking forward to witnessing the victory of our Taiwanese Startup!

Event Introduction

With the announcement of the ESMC establishment in August, a joint venture between TSMC, Bosch, Infineon and NXP, as well as the Saxon Science Liaison Office Taiwan setup in September last year, which will enhance the exchange of talents on a bilateral basis. The semiconductor industry cooperation between Taiwan and Germany has become more and more frequent and interactive. Therefore, GTO plans to organize a Silicon Saxony Day Delegation in June (June 8-15), leading semiconductor industry Taiwan suppliers and related units to Dresden, Germany to engage directly with German companies, conduct factory environment inspections, and unlock potential business opportunities through face-to-face consultations with key partners.

Before the departure in June, GTO will organize a series of seminars and briefing sessions, aiming to establish industrial networking between Germany and Taiwan. The topics will be focus on German business culture, Saxony's business environment (tax law, environmental health, recruitment, etc.), and Silicon Saxony.

Our first seminar will welcome Saxony State, Ministry of Economics, Labour and Transportation (SMWA), Saxony Trade & Invest and City of Dresden to share with the most valuable and updated information regarding Invest in Saxony. Furthermore, the participants may have the opportunity to interact with them via Q&A and open network session on-site.

Event Details

• Date:  Tuesday, February 20, 2024
• Time:  14:30 - 17:00 (14:00 Registration)
• Venue:  German Trade Office Taipei ( 19F-9, No. 333, Keelung Rd. Sec. 1, Taipei)
• Organizer: German Trade Office Taipei (AHK Taiwan) │TÜV SÜD │ITRI
• Co-Organizer:  Saxony State, Ministry of Economics, Labour and Transportation (SMWA)│ Saxony Trade & Invest │ City of Dresden
• Language: English
• Price:  Free of charge
• Registration:  Please fill out the online registration form before 10th February.

Agenda

Find the agenda of the event on our website.

Introduction

As part of the market development program of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Climate Action, DEinternational Taiwan Ltd., the service unit of the German Trade Office Taipei, is organizing a delegation visit focusing on sporting goods, fitness and leisure equipment, which will take place between March 4 and 8, 2024.

The delegation trip is intended to create a platform for Taiwanese companies that are looking for new brands for their product portfolio and suppliers of high-quality products Made in Germany.

The German Trade Office Taipei will host the German-Taiwanese Conference regarding the sporting goods, fitness and leisure equipment on March 5, 2024.

Following the conference, participants will have the opportunity to get to know the German companies better while enjoying coffee and lunch.

Event Details

• Date: March 5, 2024
• Venue: ILLUME Taipei, 100, Dunhua N. Rd., Songshan Dist., 10547, Taipei, Taiwan
• Event Time: 09:00 – 16:00
• Price: Free of charge

Agenda coming soon!

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

Registration

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!

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 5 to 7 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.

The heartwarming collaboration between Make-A-Wish International and Porsche has continued this year to bring joy and fulfilment to the lives of brave children around the world. This time, the spotlight is on Kimi, an inspiring individual who successfully overcame Neuroblastoma, whose passion for history became a wish to explore the behind-the-scenes magic of the National Palace Museum.

Read the full article on our website.

The Commission is aware of technical issues which have led to some businesses being unable to submit data and reports related to the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the Import Control System 2 (ICS2).

This is due to an incident involving a technical component affecting several EU customs systems, including ICS2, and the functioning of the CBAM Registry. To offer a pro-active approach to help businesses who have experienced problems, the Commission has put in place solutions for reporting declarants. To facilitate reporting declarants who may have experienced difficulties in reporting and have not yet submitted their quarterly CBAM report, a new functionality will be made available as of 1 February on the Transitional Registry, allowing them to “request delayed submission”, giving an additional 30 days to submit their CBAM report.

Find the full article on the European Comission website.

Taiwan Sees Steady Economic Growth Over Past Four Years

The Taiwan Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) released economic statistics last week Wednesday.

The National Development Council (NDC) said that the weak global end demand and destocking of the industrial chain have impacted Taiwan’s export momentum, according to CNA. Coupled with the increasingly conservative trend in corporate investment, Taiwan’s economic growth rate for 2023 was 1.4%, it said.

However, the NDC explained that the average economic growth rate for Taiwan from 2020 to 2023 was 3.5%, higher than the 2.83% from 2016 to 2019 before the pandemic. This indicated that while Taiwan’s economy faced global economic headwinds, 2023 growth momentum gradually recovered each quarter, the council added.

(Last access: 05.02.2024 / Taiwan News)

Labor Fund Posts Record Gains on Investments

The Bureau of Labor Funds reported record investments gains of NT$719.37 billion (US$22.96 billion) last year, bureau data showed on Friday.

The return rate of 12.8 percent on the investments last year was also a record for the bureau, which manages the Labor Pension Fund, the Labor Retirement Fund, the Labor Insurance Fund, the Employment Insurance Fund and the Arrears Wage Payment Fund.

The bureau manages the funds in a bid to protect workers’ livelihoods after retirement, with the goal of long-term stable returns, it said in a statement.

(Last access: 05.02.2024 / Taipei Times)

Merck Mulls Increase in Specialty Gases, Materials for Taiwanese Chip Firms

Merck Group is mulling augmenting the local supply of some specialty gases and new materials to align with Taiwanese customers’ advance toward cutting-edge semiconductor technologies and artificial intelligence (AI)-related technologies, a company executive said.

As Taiwan is driving technological innovation in the global logic chip segment, Taiwanese firms would require large quantities of chemicals such as hydrochloric acid (HCL), as well as new materials, probably in the next five or seven years, Benjamin Hein, head of Merck’s specialty gases division, told reporters in Taipei last week Monday.

(Last access: 05.02.2024 / Taipei Times)

Taiwan Cement Announces Partnership with German Company

Taiwan Cement Corporation (TCC) announced a memorandum of understanding last week, saying it will work with Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Polysius (tkPOL) to develop a new carbon sequestration technology.

TCC Chair Nelson Chang (張安平) and tkPOL CEO Pablo Roman Hofelich signed the document at the signing ceremony last week Wednesday (Jan. 31), per UDN.

“Cement has created the civilization society we live in today,” Chang said. “However, we are also emitting greenhouse gases. This collaboration is aimed at solving that problem,” he added.

(Last access: 05.02.2024 / Taiwan News)