I hope everyone managed to stay safe through last week’s typhoon! After the spooky Halloween festivities, we're now turning our focus to the most wonderful time of the year—Christmas! And that means our beloved German Christmas Markets are back!

From November 29 to December 1, you can experience an authentic German Christmas atmosphere at the Flower Sea Plaza in Yuanshan Expo Park. Then, from December 6 to December 8, we’ll be bringing Christmas cheer to New Taipei City Plaza in Banqiao. The markets will feature traditional food, German beer, mulled wine, festive entertainment, and even a visit from Santa for our little guests. Be sure to check out our Top News section for more details.

This week, there’s still time to register for the 22nd Taiwan-Germany Joint Business Council Meeting (JBC) until Friday. Jointly organized by our office, the Taiwan Committee of German Business, the Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade, and the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA), the JBC will bring together over 100 representatives from business and politics, with a focus on Taiwanese-German collaboration in semiconductor and chip production. Find out more in our Top News section.

Last Friday, we welcomed the Fraunhofer Institute and Feng Chia University to our office, where Dr. Ralf Bandorf from Fraunhofer IST and Professor Ju-Liang He from Feng Chia University introduced the new "Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Surface and Production Engineering" at Feng Chia. Together with our Senior Manager Christoph Lory, we were thrilled to discuss ways to support this pioneering collaboration. Read more on this visit in our GTO News section, and more on the Innovation Platform under Other News!

Additionally, last weekend, the Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF) turned the Nangang Exhibition Center into a lively showcase. Our German Pavilion, one of the most vibrant areas at the fair, brought a taste of Oktoberfest with beer-drinking contests and fun German-themed prizes! Don’t miss the recap in GTO News.

Finally, igus has opened applications for the 2025 manus Award, celebrating innovative uses of plastic plain bearings with a prize of up to €5,000. You can also read about their Recycled Bicycle World Tour in our Business Alliance News section.

That’s all for this week. Wishing you a wonderful start to the holiday season!

Warm regards,

Venue and Opening Hours:

Taipei Expo Park, Flower Sea Plaza

Friday, November 29th, 11:00 - 21:00

Saturday, November 30th, 11:00 - 21:00

Sunday, December 1st, 11:00 - 20:00

New Taipei City Plaza in Banqiao

Friday, December 6th, 11:00 - 22:00

Saturday, December 7th, 11:00 - 22:00

Sunday, December 8th, 11:00 - 22:00

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates on the German Christmas Market Taipei & New Taipei 2024!

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Time: 09:30 – 12:40 (Taipei time)*
Venue: Taipei International Convention Center (TICC), 4th floor, VIP Room*
Address: No. 1, Section 5, Xinyi Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, 110*
Fee: Free of charge
Language: English
Target group: This event is aimed at business representatives and representatives of associations

*Venue and timing can be subject to change.

Registration

If you are interested, please register by November 8, 2024, at the following link:

Shaping the Future of Europe’s Mobility in Hamburg - Opportunities for Market Expansion and Investment for Taiwanese Companies

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Time: 16:00 - 17:30 (Taiwan Time)
Platform: Microsoft Teams
Fee: Free of charge
Language: English


Registration

Shaping the Future of Europe’s Mobility in Hamburg - Opportunities for Market Expansion and Investment for Taiwanese Companies
05.11.2024 | Platform: Microsoft Teams

22nd Taiwan-Germany Joint Business Council Meeting (JBC)
12.11.2024 | Location: Taipei

2024 German Christmas Market
29.11.2024 - 01.12.2024 | Location: Taipei

2024 German Christmasland in New Taipei City
06.12.2024 - 08.12.2024 | Location: New Taipei City

The Grand Opening of DEKRA Taiwan Headquarters

Last week, our Business Alliance Member DEKRA celebrated a major milestone with the inauguration of its new headquarters in Linkou District, New Taipei City. This new technology hub will further support the automotive industry, ensuring compliance with industry standards and OEM specifications. Since entering the market in 2015, DEKRA has grown rapidly, now employing 580 people across 3 legal entities in 6 locations throughout Taiwan.

The presence of Stan Zurkiewicz, CEO of DEKRA Deutschland, and Aaron Lee, CEO of DEKRA Taiwan, made the event even more special. Linda Blechert, General Manager of DEinternational Taiwan Ltd., also had the pleasure of representing our team at this exciting ceremony. The new facility reflects DEKRA’s ongoing commitment to Taiwan, driving innovation in AIoT, cloud computing, automotive electronics, and cybersecurity.

Congratulations to DEKRA on this exciting achievement! 

The largest travel event in Taiwan, the Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF), officially kicked off at the Nangang Exhibition Center last weekend! With over 1,500 booths spanning two floors, this year’s fair was bigger than ever.

The German Pavilion (1F, K005) was one of the most vibrant and extraordinary European pavilions this year! Ever wanted to experience Oktoberfest? Attendees had their chance! Over the four-day show, we recreated the lively atmosphere of Germany’s biggest folk festival with beer-drinking contests and a beer mug-holding challenge. Visitors were invited to fully immerse themselves in the festive spirit, winning great prizes like free German draft beer, delicious German desserts, and many other German-themed goodies!

Last Friday, we welcomed Dr. Ralf Bandorf from the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and Professor Ju-Liang He from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Feng Chia University to our office. Together with their colleagues from Fraunhofer IST and Feng Chia University, they presented details on the “Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Surface and Production Engineering for Optical and Electrical Systems at Feng Chia University (FIP-SPE@FCU),” which was officially launched on October 28, 2024, in Taichung. Collaboration between Fraunhofer IST and Feng Chia University has been ongoing for nearly ten years and has now expanded with Taiwan’s first Fraunhofer-inspired research unit, set to be further developed within Feng Chia University.

Our Executive Director Dr. Eva Langerbeck and our colleague Mr. Christoph Lory, Media & Communications Senior Manager, were delighted to learn more about this new milestone in German-Taiwanese research collaboration and discussed how the German Trade Office Taipei can further support this partnership. We wish all parties much success and look forward to seeing more innovations in high-precision coating. Learn more about FIP-SPE@FCU in our Other News section below.

Justus is currently completing his legal clerkship (Rechtsreferendariat) in Dortmund, with academic experiences in Münster, Madrid, California, and Göttingen. This is Justus’s first time in East Asia, and he’s excited to explore this economically, politically, and culturally dynamic region. He finds Taiwan especially interesting given the growing ties between Germany and Taiwan.

What does he love about Taiwan so far? Dumplings, nature, and the super-convenient MRT system.
During the next few months, Justus will focus on general legal issues, in particular business and commercial law, as well as data protection matters. He’s eager to immerse himself in an international environment and work closely with key players from German and Taiwanese industries.
We’re excited to have Justus on board—welcome to the team!

The largest platform for the global energy industry, Smarter E Europe, was a phenomenal success in June! We are excited to announce that the next Smarter E Europe will be held from May 7 – 9, 2025, at Messe München, Germany. Smarter E Europe unites four major exhibitions: Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe, and EM-Power Europe. These exhibitions will cover renewable energy, batteries and energy storage systems, charging equipment and e-mobility, as well as energy management and integrated solutions. 

In 2024, Smarter E Europe featured over 3,000 exhibitors showcasing their innovative products and attracted approximately 110,000 visitors from around the globe. Additionally, more than 2,500 attendees participated in the conference and various side events, setting a new record. 

Next year, in corporation with TAITRA we will organize the Taiwan Pavilion in the Intersolar Sector (Hall A3). We welcome all Taiwanese companies to join us! Smarter E also exhibits globally, not just in Munich but in Mumbai, Dubai, South America, and North America. 

From April 8-10, 2025, Messe Berlin will host Europe's leading event for digital health, DMEA. It brings together decision-makers from across the healthcare sector, including IT specialists, physicians, hospital and nursing care executives, and experts from politics, science, and research.

DMEA 2024 was a massive success, attracting over 800 exhibitors, more than 19,000 visitors, and nearly 300 speakers from around the globe. The event covered a wide range of topics beyond healthcare in Germany, such as patient care in Europe, the electronic patient record in Denmark, and AI transparency in Europe.

DMEA is an excellent platform for system and hardware/software vendors worldwide to seize market opportunities and engage with the digital healthcare community.

Don't miss your chance to be part of next year’s DMEA! To exhibit at DMEA 2025, please contact our colleague Mr. Pinchao Huang.

The time has come again: engineers from all over the world are invited to apply for the 12th manus award 2025. For 21 years, igus has been honouring applications that are characterised by the creative, bold and sustainable use of plastic plain bearings. The winners will receive prize money of up to €5,000.

The pressure on engineers in their day-to-day work is constantly increasing. It's all about cost efficiency and continuously improving products' carbon footprints. One thing that can help is to dispense with lubricants. "In a recent study with RWTH Aachen University, we were able to prove for the first time how successfully lubrication-free plastic bearings master both challenges compared to conventional lubricated metal bearings," says Tobias Vogel, CEO Plain Bearings & Linear Technology at igus. Polymer plain bearings with integrated solid lubricants make it possible to improve the environmental balance and economic efficiency of products and eliminate the risk of pollution. "With the 12th manus award, we are therefore particularly interested in finding out how companies around the world manage to dispense with traditional metal plain bearings. Where were polymer plain bearings able to technically improve the application? And what were the ecological and economic effects?" says Vogel.

To mark the company's 60th anniversary, the lubrication-free and low-maintenance igus:bike will spend 12 months travelling through 16 countries to raise awareness of the "circular economy of plastics"

The starting signal has been given, the igus:bike® is on a world tour. To celebrate igus's 60th birthday, the innovative, bright orange bicycle made from recycled plastic will be travelling the world for a whole year. The aim: to familiarise industry partners, media representatives and consumers with a new form of urban mobility that combines a fun ride with sustainability. The urban bike represents many of the advantages of igus products, the "motion plastics": it does not rust, requires no oil and is virtually maintenance-free. The ball bearings, drive and freewheel also do not need lubricating as they are made from high-performance plastics. At the same time, the igus:bike is an example of how the transformation to a sustainable circular economy of plastics can succeed.

MR, the world market leader in energy technology, is looking for a Team Assistant to join their team in Taipei! In this role, you'll contribute to keeping the energy supply stable for the future, supporting sales, service, HR, and finance while helping maintain office operations and organizing events. This is an opportunity to be part of a global team of 3,800 passionate colleagues, driving the energy transition with MR’s smart digital and analog solutions.

The ideal candidate should have:

• 3-5 years’ experience in an office setting, ideally in an international company.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (SAP experience is a plus).
• Strong communication skills in English and the local language.

Interested in shaping the future of energy with MR?

Click here to read more about this position on their website.

Opening of the First Fraunhofer Innovation Platform FIP in Taiwan

Fraunhofer IST and Feng Chia University (FCU) develop surface and production technology for optical and electrical systems.

As versatile as possible, consistently precise and reproducible but, at the same time, increasingly complex: The requirements for future coating and production systems are constantly increasing. The Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and Feng Chia University (FCU) are collaborating on the “Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Surface and Production Engineering for Optical and Electrical Systems at Feng Chia University FIP-SPE@FCU” to fulfill this demand. The aim of the cooperation is the development of cross-sectoral technological solutions in the field of surface and production engineering, whereby the focus is being placed on optical and electrical systems. The official opening of FIP-SPE@FCU took place on 28th October 2024 in Taiwan.

To read more, visit our website.

Taiwan Raises Forex Settlement Limits to Boost Wealth Management Hub Aspirations 

Taiwan’s central bank has doubled the foreign exchange settlement limit, allowing individuals to exchange up to USD 10 million and enterprises up to USD 100 million annually. This move supports Taiwan’s goal of becoming a regional wealth management hub. Individuals needing to exceed these limits can apply to the central bank for approval, ensuring free flow of funds. Taiwan’s forex reserves reached USD 570.6 billion in 2023, while per capita GDP grew to USD 32,319, both indicators of strong economic resilience and rising wealth management demand.

Taiwan and U.S. Begin Talks on Double Taxation Agreement to Boost Investment and Trade 

The United States and Taiwan are set to hold their first round of negotiations in the coming weeks on a comprehensive agreement to prevent double taxation, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced. Initiated through draft legislation like the U.S.-Taiwan Tax Agreement Authorization Act, the agreement aims to reduce tax barriers and enhance investment, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises essential to the semiconductor sector. Modeled on the U.S. Income Tax Convention, the agreement will address issues such as withholding tax reductions and cross-border taxation rules, while establishing dispute resolution and information exchange mechanisms. Negotiations will proceed through the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S.

(Last access: 04.11.2024 / Focus Taiwan)

Taiwanese Firms Strengthen U.S. Presence to Meet Market Demands 

Taiwanese companies like Delta Electronics, TYC, AUO, and Sumeeko Industries are expanding production and R&D facilities in the U.S. to stay close to major clients. TYC’s Detroit plant caters to Ford, GM, and Stellantis with an all-American team, while Delta’s Texas facility supports AI and EV sectors with tailored solutions. Leveraging German partnerships, AUO and Sumeeko are also boosting U.S. operations to meet automotive industry needs, aiming for faster turnaround times and closer client ties despite high costs and political uncertainties.

(Last access: 04.11.2024 / Commonwealth Magazine)

7-Eleven Opens Eighth Unstaffed Store in Taiwan, Targeting Digital Natives 

Uni-President Enterprises Corporation has launched its eighth unstaffed 7-Eleven, located at Keelung’s National Ocean University, aimed at tech-savvy "digital natives." The store employs sensor technology to detect items in customers' baskets, with payment completed through a mobile app. Unlike previous unstaffed stores, this outlet integrates equipment used in staffed locations, allowing for a broader product range. Since 2018, one new unstaffed 7-Eleven has opened each year in cities across Taiwan, with high-performing branches at Shih Hsin University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology seeing around 1,000 daily customers.