happy Monday! We have been enjoying the warmth of the recent sunny weekend that graced Taipei. However, it seems that Mother Nature has other plans for the upcoming week, as forecasts predict rain showers every day. Due to this unfortunate weather, we regret to inform you that the German Road Safety Fair, originally scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed. We will keep everyone updated on the rescheduled date.

In brighter news, we are excited to extend an invitation to our German Riesling Night! Join us for an unforgettable evening, in collaboration with Peter Mertes, Germany's leading winery. Set against the picturesque backdrop of M Club Taipei, nestled along the banks of Keelung river, indulge in free-flowing wine, a delicious buffet and an ambiance sure to whisk you away. Reserve your spot now for an evening of summer bliss and networking opportunities. More information regarding this event can be found in our Top News. Sign up now!

Also: Mark your calendars! Our much-anticipated GTO German Company Charity Soccer Tournament returns on June 7, at the Taipei Gymnasium. Witness German teams battle it out in exhilarating 15-minute matches of 5 vs. 5 players, all in support of a noble cause. Join us in cheering for your favorite German company team! No registrations needed. Read more about it in our Top News.

Furthermore, in our ongoing series of Traffic Trivia, we are pleased to announce the release of the second installment. Check out our latest fun tidbits about the world of traffic in our GTO News.

Reflecting on last week's successes, our delegation trip focusing on e-mobility, initiated by GTAI, was a hit! Find a detailed summary of our endeavors in the GTO News, along with an exclusive article highlighting the networking event itself.

Venturing into the realm of renewable energy, participants of the EUREM Training Program recently embarked on a themed visit exploring geothermal energy. This immersive experience provided invaluable insights into the potential and application of geothermal energy. Discover more about this enriching excursion in our GTO News.

Did you know that today, on April 22, we celebrate Earth Day? A timely reminder to reflect on our relationship with the environment. Let's strive to make mindful choices, contributing to a healthier planet for generations to come.

Kind regards,

German Trade Office Taipei

Experience an unforgettable evening at our first Riesling Night, hosted in partnership with Peter Mertes, Germany’s leading winery from the country’s wine capital Bernkastel-Kues in the heart of the Mosel region. Set in the charming outdoor area of M Club Taipei on the banks of Keelung river, we warmly invite you to enjoy the summer breeze, indulge in exquisite free-flowing wine and enjoy the carefully curated buffet dinner at the event. Look forward to savoring the crisp and well-balanced flavors of Peter Mertes’ Riesling, a perfectly refreshing wine ideal for the upcoming summer season. Join us and Peter Mertes for a memorable evening with a relaxed ambiance and plenty of networking opportunities to kick off the summer in style.

Details

Date: Thursday, June 13, 2024
Time: 18:30 – 21:30 
Venue: Maritime Club Taipei (M Club), No. 16 Water Gate of Keelung River, Meiti Wharf
Dresscode: Summer Chic
Early-Bird Price: 2,600 NT$ (for registrations and payment made until May 17, 2024)
Regular Price: 2,800 NT$ (for registrations after May 17, 2024)
Registration Deadline: June 7, 2024 

Our long-awaited GTO Germany Company Charity Soccer Tournament is going to kick off again on Friday, June 7, 2024 at the Taipei Gymnasium 1st floor.

German teams will be competing in exiting 15-minute games of 5 vs. 5 players and donate 1,500 NT$ per scored goal to the Make-A-Wish Taiwan foundation, which helps to fulfil the wishes of children with critical illness between the ages of 3-18 years old.

We welcome you to join us and cheer for your favourite German company team at our 2nd GTO German Company Charity Soccer Tournament.

As for the German companies operating in Taiwan, our annual soccer event is a great opportunity to encourage the team spirit in your company and kick for those who can’t by assisting the Make-A-Wish Taiwan foundation in making the biggest dreams of children with critical illness come true!

In case of any questions or would like to register your team, please contact Mr. Levin Chiang, (chiang.levin@taiwan.ahk.de / tel: +886-2-7735-7513).

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

2nd GTO German Company Charity Soccer Tournament
07.06.2024 | Location: Taipei

2024 German Riesling Night with Peter Mertes
13.06.2024 | Location: Taipei

As part of the German delegation trip to Taiwan, initiated by GTAI and in collaboration with NRW.Global Business, we organized a networking event that attracted nearly 100 attendees on Tuesday, delving into the field of e-mobility. The event, which took place at Shangri-La Taipei, was made possible by our German and Taiwanese partners, i.e. automotiveland.nrw, Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier, IHK Köln, TAITRA, TADA and TSEBA. The day before, Mr. Alexander Hirschle, Director Taiwan, Singapore, Asean (Asia-Pacific), Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), gave a briefing on the current state of Taiwan’s economy together with Ms. Leonie Yang, our Acting Delegate of German Business and Head of the German Trade Office Taipei.

Ms. Leonie Yang delivered her opening remarks, alongside Ms. Bety Chu, Head of Business Unit China & Latin America, NRW.Global Business GmbH, Mr. Men-Feng Wu, Executive Director, TADA and Ms. Silke Poppe, Director Eastern Germany / Structural Change, GTAI.

The event proceeded with a series of enlightening keynote speeches, setting the stage for insightful discourse. Following the informative presentations, German delegates took over, who showcased their expertise and offerings in the e-mobility domain. Representatives from automotiveland.nrw, MKW GmbH Digital Automation, Research Campus Mobility2Grid, University of Wuppertal, VIVENS Consulting and WFG Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Krefeld mbH illuminated the audience and shared their contributions to the evolving landscape of electric mobility.

As the title suggested and as expected, the event culminated in an engaging networking session, providing attendees with opportunities to forge meaningful connections with potential future partners. Our "business speed dating" marked the end of our networking event. The interactive segment offered a dynamic platform for nurturing partnerships in a fun fast-paced environment.

We extend our gratitude to our esteemed speakers, partners and attendees whose participation greatly enhanced our event. The event served as a driving force in facilitating cross-border exchanges, fostering innovation and leading the e-mobility industry towards a more sustainable and brighter future.

Last Friday marked the end of our delegation trip in the field of e-mobility! What followed our networking event on Tuesday? Read our short summary!

Tuesday evening the delegation members embarked on a fascinating company visit to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) and its museum in Hsinchu, offering insights into Taiwan's cutting-edge technology and renowned semiconductors.

On Wednesday, the delegation visited the 2035 E-Mobility Taiwan trade fair. In the evening, an investors' dinner provided a special platform for selected Taiwanese companies to gain valuable information about the advantages of the German state North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). For example, NRW features Germany’s third-largest airport and is home to hundreds of suppliers of the German automotive industry. The dinner also featured a testimonial from HAND Enterprise Solutions, a leading software service provider that just recently invested in NRW.

Thursday's itinerary focused on an exchange with TSEBA, i.e. Taiwan Smart Electric Bicycle Association. Three companies, those being eTreego, Thinktron and Turing Drive, gave short presentations, highlighting their efforts in sustainable transportation. Afterwards a Q&A session and a panel discussion allowed the participants to gain more information on the topics. This visit was followed by a group visit to Advanced Lithium Electrochemistry Co., Ltd, offering insights into battery technology.

The trip concluded on Friday with a visit to Gogoro, a pioneering company that is known for its innovative electric scooters and battery-swapping feature.

Throughout the week, the participants engaged in discussions and forged meaningful partnerships. We are certain that this delegation trip laid the groundwork for future collaborations in advancing e-mobility solutions and will further strengthen the economic ties between Taiwan and Germany.

We thank our initiator GTAI and the organizer NRW.Global Business for making this event possible. We also highly appreciate the support of our German partners automotiveland.nrw, Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Review, and IHK Köln as well as our Taiwanese partners TAITRA, TADA, and TSEBA. If you are also interested in investments in Germany, our colleague and local representative of GTAI, Mr. Alexander Hirschle (alexander.hirschle@gtai.de), will be more than happy to assist you.

Our Road Safety Event is just around the corner! And that means it’s time for Part 2 of our Traffic Trivia series! Let's take a look at some fascinating road signs from Germany and Taiwan to get you in the spirit of safety and fun. Check out our slideshow for a closer look at these hilarious signs!

Stay tuned for more interesting road sign trivia as we gear up for our German Road Safety Event next Tuesday. Remember, road safety is everyone's responsibility!

Check out our post on social media to see the individual images in full display. Stay tuned for more fun facts as we gear up for our Road Safety Event.

Supporting companies: Bosch, Dekra, DQS, Volkswagen Taiwan Group, Foodpanda, Opel, Tüv Süd, Mercedes-Benz Taiwan

With one of the densest public surveillance camera grids in the world and several new government agencies for cybersecurity-related topics having been established in the past 2 years, the Taiwanese market holds promising business opportunities for German Civil Security companies.

On the occasion of this week’s incoming delegation regarding the topic of Civil Security led by Mr. Achim Haug, Director East Asia at Germany Trade & Invest, our Head of Governmental Affairs, Ms. Linda Blechert had the pleasure to present on Taiwan’s political and economic situation together with Germany Trade and Invest Director for Taiwan and Philippines Mr. Hirschle Alexander in front of an engaging audience of representatives from 11 German companies. After the presentation, our GTO German Business Alliance Member TAK ASSOCIES - ECOVIS Avocats - Attorneys-at-Law (Taiwan), represented by Mr. Pascal Thien-Ah-Koon, also gave an engaging presentation on business practices in Taiwan.

Organized by trAIDe GmbH as part of the Markterschließungsprogramm (MEP) the delegation will explore their potential in the Taiwanese market over the course of this week. We wish all delegation members a successful trip and a wonderful time in Taiwan!

The EUREM (European Energy Management) Training Program 2024 arranged a theme visit of geothermal energy last Thursday for both this year’s trainees as well as the past graduates. Our Lecturer, Prof. Lu Yichia (盧乙嘉 教授) of National Central University, led a visit to the LungFung Valley geothermal field (龍鳳谷地熱場域) and the Sihuangziping Pilot Geothermal Power Plant (四磺子坪先導地熱發電廠), which allowed the trainees to obtain an in-depth understanding of geothermal potentials, principles, applications and power generation of geothermal energy in Northern Taiwan. Moreover, Professor Lu expressed the importance of the long-term development of geothermal heat. It was a very enriching experience for the participants, as many of the graduates participated and interacted with the current trainees, exchanged information and ideas on the development of renewable energy and talent training in Taiwan!

Wussten Sie, dass der Produktionswert der taiwanischen Fahrradindustrie in den ersten zehn Monaten 2022 einen Rekordwert von 6 Mrd. US$ erreichte? Taiwan beherbergt einige der weltweit führenden Fahrrad- und E-Scooter-Hersteller und die Vielzahl an Zulieferbetrieben decken nahezu die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette ab.

Vom 13. bis 17. Mai 2024 findet eine Geschäftsanbahnungsreise für deutsche Unternehmen nach Taiwan statt. Die Reise wird vom Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz im Rahmen des Markterschließungsprogramms gefördert.

Sichern Sie sich Ihre Teilnahme für die Geschäftsanbahnung nach Taiwan und erschließen Sie den taiwanischen Markt für Zweiräder, Zweiradkomponenten, Fahrräder, E-Bikes, Scooter und Pedelecs, um Ihren idealen Vertriebs- und Geschäftspartner zu finden und wertvolle Einblicke zu erhalten!

Weiterführende Informationen sowie einen Link zur Anmeldung finden Sie auf unserer Webseite.

Key Figures from Asia Fruit Logistica 2023

Exhibitors Worldwide: 400+ (from 40+ countries)
Professional Buyers Worldwide: 10,000+ (from 70+ countries)

Datum: 27. Juni 2024
Uhrzeit: 09:00 – 17:00
Ort: IHK für München und Oberbayern, Max-Joseph-Straße 2, 80333 München, Deutschland
Ansprechpartnerin: Ulrike Tsougenis 
Telefon: +49 89 5116-1449 
E-Mail: tsougenis@muenchen.ihk.de

Die Agenda finden Sie auf der offiziellen Webseite.

Am 09. Juni 2024 findet die Wahl der Abgeordneten des Europäischen Parlaments aus der Bundesrepublik Deutschland statt.

Deutsche, die außerhalb der Bundesrepublik Deutschland leben, das 16. Lebensjahr vollendet haben und im Bundesgebiet keine Wohnung mehr innehaben, können bei Vorliegen der sonstigen wahlrechtlichen Voraussetzungen an der Wahl teilnehmen.

Für ihre Wahlteilnahme ist u. a. Voraussetzung, dass sie

1.1  am Wahltag seit mindestens drei Monaten in den übrigen Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union eine Wohnung innehaben oder sich mindestens seit dieser Zeit dort gewöhnlich aufhalten (auf die Dreimonatsfrist wird ein unmittelbar vorausgehender Aufenthalt in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland angerechnet)

oder

1.2  entweder nach Vollendung ihres 14. Lebensjahres mindestens drei Monate ununterbrochen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland eine Wohnung innegehabt oder sich sonst gewöhnlich aufgehalten haben und dieser Aufenthalt nicht länger als 25 Jahre zurückliegt, oder aus anderen Gründen persönlich und unmittelbar Vertrautheit mit den politischen Verhältnissen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland erworben haben und von ihnen betroffen sind,

Einem Antrag, der erst nach dem 19. Mai 2024 bei der zuständigen Gemeindebehörde eingeht, kann nicht mehr entsprochen werden (§ 17 Abs. 1 der Europawahlordnung).

• Antragsvordrucke (Formblätter) sowie informierende Merkblätter sind online auf der Seite der Bundeswahlleiterin verfügbar. Sie können auch bei
  den diplomatischen und berufskonsularischen Vertretungen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland,
• der Bundeswahlleiterin, Statistisches Bundesamt, Zweigstelle Bonn, Postfach 170377, 53929 Bonn, Germany;
• den Kreis- und Stadtwahlleitungen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland angefordert werden.

Weitere Auskünfte erteilt das Deutsche Institut Taipei auf seiner Internetseite.

GDP Growth Forecast Raised to 3.38% on Export Boost

Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) yesterday raised its forecast for Taiwan’s GDP growth from 3.1 percent to 3.38 percent, as exports could receive a bigger boost from global artificial intelligence (AI) demand.

“The nation’s exports would start to set sail from this quarter, thanks to better order visibility,” CIER president Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) said.

Exports, the main growth driver that accounts for 60 percent of GDP, would shift from a 9.8 percent decline last year to a 7.89 percent increase this year, as inventory adjustments come to a close, the think tank said.

Taiwan Moves to Boost its Global Standing with Chip Diplomacy

Taiwan is ramping up international cooperation deals with countries like Canada and France in recent months as it parlays its role as the world’s chip kingpin to boost its global standing.

Just over the past week, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) announced two tech deals. It signed a science, technology and innovation arrangement with Canada to jointly grow talent training, while it will set up an office in Prague to help foster Czech chip design engineers.

Taipei’s chip diplomacy drive is its latest effort to break through China’s stern opposition to any formal exchanges with other nations and global powers.

“The situation of Taiwan was very difficult in the past, but in recent years we’re getting better and better because a lot of countries discover the existence of Taiwan mostly because of semiconductors,” NSTC Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said in an interview with Bloomberg News.

(Last access: 18.04.2024 / Taipei Times)

Yulon Forecasts Positive Revenue Growth this Year

Yulon Motor Co (裕隆汽車) yesterday released a positive growth projection for revenue this year, thanks to increasing shipments of its first electric vehicle (EV) model based on the MIH Open EV Platform developed by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn.

Yulon started shipping the electric sports utility vehicle Luxgen n7 earlier this year with shipments totaling 500 units in the first quarter, Yulon Motor spokesman Steven Lo (羅文邑) told investors during a virtual conference.

“In March and April, we expedited shipments to 1,200 to 15,000 units a month,” Lo said. “With higher shipments from the second quarter, we expect to complete the 9,000 Luxgen n7s in preorders by the third quarter.”

Taiwan’s Electronics Manufacturers to Ramp up AI Server Production

Taiwan electronics manufacturers Foxconn and Quanta Computer are boosting generative AI server production to meet demand from U.S. companies.

With major cloud service providers (CSPs) increasing their investment in AI, manufacturers like Foxconn are poised to seize the market, per UDN. The total AI investment from Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta is expected to exceed US$170 billion (NT$5.5 trillion)

Foxconn, which has a partnership with Nvidia, produces a range of electronics such as motherboards, monitors, and cellphones, per Nikkei Asia. It is now positioning itself in the AI server business.

(Last access: 18.04.2024 / Taiwan News)