Last week was busy with numerous events. We were delighted to have welcomed two delegations from Bavaria and Saxony to Taiwan. On Tuesday, we had the honor of participating in the Saxony Executive Networking Dinner hosted by Saxony Trade & Invest. Together with the other delegation members, Mr. Thomas Kralinski, State Secretary of the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour, and Transport of Saxony, introduced Saxony and its advantages as a business location to several Taiwanese companies interested in investing in Saxony. Mr. Kralinski also visited our German Pavilion at SEMICON 2024 on Wednesday, which we jointly organized with Silicon Saxony. Compared to last year, our national pavilion expanded by 40 percent, featuring 15 top-tier German companies that showcased their latest innovations “Made in Germany” in semiconductor manufacturing. See our GTO News section for short event reviews.

Last Thursday, the 2024 Taiwan Sustainability Summit was held, which Siemens founded in 2013 in cooperation with the German Institute Taipei, the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy, and our office. Every year, the summit focuses on Taiwan’s sustainable development, with topics ranging from Industry 4.0 to energy transition to digital transformation and new trends such as industrial AI and City 4.0. This year’s focus was on the use of digital technologies to achieve more with less, namely achieving greater output with fewer resources, and realizing the ideal utilization of resources such as water, electricity, land, labor, and talents. See our GTO News section for more information.

Speaking of digitalization, another important upcoming event will be our “Taiwanese-German Conference on Industry 4.0 Applications” at the Illume Taipei on October 22. The conference is part of a delegation trip of German companies to Taiwan, funded by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action under the market development program. As already mentioned last week, besides the conference, we will also arrange individual B2B meetings for the nine German companies that will come to Taiwan to explore the local market.  You can now register for the conference as well as individual B2B meetings. See our TOP News for more information.

In collaboration with the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Vietnam (AHK Vietnam) and Germany Trade & Invest - Southeast Asia (GTAI ASEAN), we will lead Taiwanese water technology companies to the Vietwater exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City in November. The visit will also facilitate industry exchanges with local water resource management professionals from Vietnam and Germany, as well as business development and matchmaking. Taiwanese companies interested in expanding into the Vietnamese market specializing in water management solutions are welcome to join us. More information can be found in our GTO News section.

Wishing you a productive week!

Enjoy your week!

Kind regards,

Dr. Eva Langerbeck

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Time: 9:30 – 16:00 (registration time: 9:00 – 9:30)
Venue: Illume Taipei (No. 100, DunHua N Rd, Songshan District, Taipei City, 105020)
Fee: Free of charge
Language: English


Registration

Are you interested in discovering the latest innovations "Made in Germany" in Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing? Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect directly with German companies, explore potential business opportunities, and find your next business partner!

As part of the upcoming delegation trip to Taiwan, Taiwanese importers, distributors, and manufacturers will have the exclusive chance to engage in B2B meetings with delegation members from October 23 to 25. To secure your spot for these exclusive meetings, simply contact Ms. Linda Blechert at blechert.linda@taiwan.ahk.de.

Join us for the biggest German-Taiwanese networking event of the year, the GTO German Oktoberfest 2024!

Enjoy authentic German food, beer, and music at one of Germany’s most iconic and traditional festivities – the Oktoberfest! - So, get your Dirndl and Lederhose ready, and let’s celebrate!

Event Details

Date: Thursday, October 24, 2024
Time: 18:00 – 22:00
Venue: 2F. Grand Ballroom, Illume Taipei
Address: No 100 Dun Hua N Rd, Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan 台北市松山區敦化北路100號
Dress code: traditional German Oktoberfest attire (Dirndl & Lederhosen)
Single Ticket Price: 3,200 NT$
Price per Table (8 people): 25,600 NT$

Special Features

Traditional German Band Performance directly from Germany with the MÜNCHNER BUAM band
All-You-Can-Drink fresh Hofbräu beer: Weisse & Dunkel
Authentic German Set-Menu (Vegetarian Menu is available on request)

Sponsorship Opportunities for Corporate Clients

As Oktoberfest is one of the most lively and friendly German festivities with great attendance, sponsors enjoy attractive and wide visibility throughout the event venue, event materials as well as media coverage through the display of their company logo. Therefore, we offer two attractive sponsorship packages. GTO Business Alliance Members get a special discount on those packages. To learn more about our sponsorship opportunities, please look at our sponsorship package.

Registration

Taiwanese-German Conference on Industry 4.0 Applications
22.10.2024 | Location: Taipei

Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK)
24.10.2024 - 26.10.2024 | Location: New Delhi

GTO German Oktoberfest X German Business Day
24.10.2024 | Location: Taipei

Water Resource Technology Delegation in Vietnam
04.11.2024 - 08.11.2024 | Location: Ho Chi Minh City

Aiming to capitalize on opportunities in water recycling and aligning with economic strategies for the water resource industry, the German Trade Office Taipei, in collaboration with the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Vietnam (AHK Vietnam) and Germany Trade & Invest - Southeast Asia (GTAI ASEAN), will lead Taiwanese water technology companies to the Vietwater exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City. The visit will also facilitate industry exchanges with local water resource management professionals from Vietnam and Germany, as well as business development and matchmaking.

If you are a Taiwanese company specializing in water management solutions and are interested in expanding into the Vietnamese market, don't miss the Vietnam Water Resource Technology Delegation organized by the German Trade Office Taipei this November.

As the visit requires considerable planning and has participant limits, please register as soon as possible if you wish to join the Delegation.

Event Details

Date: November 4 – 8, 2024
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Languages: English

Registration

For registration or other related questions, please contact Ms. Venus Peng at 02-7735-7524 / peng.venus@taiwan.ahk.de for more information.

The 2024 Taiwan Sustainability Summit was held in Taipei  last Thursday. “Digitalization” and “climate change” were the two key themes of this year’s summit. Besides once again highlighting the importance of AI and digital transformation, this year’s summit also echoed President Lai’s emphasis on digital and net-zero transformations that will underpin the broad national development strategy emphasized in his May 20th inauguration address. Speakers from Taiwan and Germany attending this year’s event included, from the Taiwan side, Consultant to National Climate Change Committee, Taiwan R.O.C. and Chairman of Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy Dr. Eugene Chien, Chief Secretary of Economic Affairs Ming-Chih Chuang, and Pegatron Chairman T.H. Tung; and from the German side, Saxon State Secretary of the Ministry of Economics, Labor, and Transportation Thomas Kralinski, and Siemens Taiwan President and CEO Frank Grunert. Siemens, which co-hosted the event, is actively encouraging cooperation among the public and private sectors, a mindset change, and accelerated actions, helping to build a sustainable future for Taiwan through the dual engines of digital and net-zero transformations.

Siemens founded the Taiwan Sustainability Summit in 2013 in cooperation with the German Institute Taipei, the German Trade Office Taipei, and the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy.  The summit was suspended for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this year the 10th edition of the event. The summit continues to focus on issues associated with Taiwan’s sustainable development, with key topics including strengthening the competitiveness of Taiwan and its major cities, industries, and enterprises. To date, important topics discussed included Industrie 4.0, energy transition, digital transformation, industrial AI, and City 4.0. In light of the enormous impact that digitalization and climate change continue to have on global sustainable development, the 2024 summit is specially focusing on the use of digital technologies to achieve more with less, namely achieving greater output with fewer resources, and realizing the ideal utilization of resources such as water, electricity, land, labor, and talents. This will reduce the volume of emissions by better managing the source of emissions.

Visit our website for more information.

Taiwan's fruit and vegetable trade is a vital part of its economy, connecting the island to a wide array of global markets. Whether it's the export of tropical fruits like pineapples and or the import of fresh vegetables to meet local demand, the trade dynamics are ever-evolving and full of opportunities.

If you're interested in diving deeper into the trade information and understanding the current trends shaping the Asian fruit and vegetable market, don't miss the chance to visit the Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong from 9/4-9/6. This event will bring together industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders to share insights, forge connections, and explore the future of this dynamic market.

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.

On behalf of Rauschert Asia Ltd., a subsidiary of the German company Paul Rauschert Steinbach GmbH, a leading global manufacturer of technical ceramics, molded plastic parts and more, we want to make you aware of an open job position, i.e. Commercial Person.

Key Responsibilities:

• Report clearly to the management team in Germany
• Make daily business decisions with our development team in Taiwan and Germany
• Decide together with the management team in Germany on the business process within the strategy of Rauschert

Requirements:

• Import and export experience is a plus
• Readiness to come to Germany for training and business coordination a least once per year (other countries might be possible too)

For further details and information regarding the application process, please visit our website.

Central Bank could Tighten Housing Market in September 19 Meeting

Taiwan's Central Bank may introduce new housing market control measures during its September 19 meeting, amid high property prices, economists said Saturday.

Gordon Sun, director at TIER, noted that while the U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to cut rates in its September 17-18 meeting, Taiwan's CPI remains above 2%, with 2024 forecasted at 2.17%. Taiwan's GDP is expected to rise to 3.90% in 2024 from 1.28% in 2023. Sun predicts Taiwan’s central bank will maintain a tight monetary policy, possibly hiking rates or increasing the deposit reserve ratio to cool the housing market. A seventh round of selective credit control may also be imposed, expanding restrictions on mortgages.

(Last access: 09.09.2024 / Focus Taiwan)

Forex Reserves Hit New High at End of August on Central Bank Intervention

Taiwan's foreign exchange reserves hit a new high of US$579.058 billion at the end of August, boosted by the Taiwan central bank intervention.

The reserves rose by US$7.318 billion from July, reversing the previous month's decline. The central bank stepped in to support the U.S. dollar against the Taiwan dollar, which surged 2.82% in August. The U.S. dollar also weakened against major currencies, reflecting expectations of a rate cut by the Federal Reserve in September.

Foreign investors' holdings of Taiwan-listed assets increased to US$811.3 billion, representing 140% of Taiwan's forex reserves. The central bank emphasized its commitment to maintaining sufficient reserves to stabilize the Taiwanese financial markets. 

(Last access: 09.09.2024 / Focus Taiwan)

Taiwan to Set Up Service Company in Japan's Kyushu: Economics Minister

Taiwan plans to establish a business service company in Kyushu, Japan, to assist Taiwanese companies, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo announced. The company will follow a one-stop service model, similar to Taiwan's science parks, helping businesses settle and navigate local conditions. While the exact location is undecided, it will not be in Kumamoto, where TSMC already operates a fab. Prefectures like Nagasaki, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kitakyushu have shown interest in hosting Taiwanese firms. Kuo mentioned that future expansion to other areas like Kansai and Kanto would depend on local industry needs. 

(Last access: 09.09.2024 / Taipei Times)

Marketech to Launch Subsidiary in Dresden, Germany

Marketech International Corp. will launch a subsidiary in Dresden, Germany, in response to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s (TSMC) plan to build its first European fab in the area. This new fab will produce car chips and is part of TSMC's global expansion, including new facilities in Arizona and Kumamoto, Japan. 

Marketech, which has existing subsidiaries in the U.S. and Japan, and an office in the Czech Republic, plans to hire about 125 employees in Europe. The company also anticipates starting its NT$1.9 billion factory in Tainan by Q2 2025, despite slower progress due to lower demand for display panel equipment.

Marketech's revenue grew 10.42% to NT$34.92 billion in the first seven months of the year. The company expects modest growth in the second half of 2024 and more significant gains next year, driven by advancements in the semiconductor industry and new product lines, including CoWoS equipment for advanced packaging.