The Selangor government is overseeing a trade mission to five major cities in Taiwan between June 19 and June 26. The mission is organised by the Selangor Information Technology and E-Commerce Council (SITEC) with the support of Invest Selangor.
The trade mission is led by Senior Exco Member in-charge of investment, Dato’ Teng Chang Khim, and will cover the cities of Taipei, Tao Yuan, Tai Chong, Kao Hsiong and Tainan.
As powerhouses in Northern Asia such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan are looking forward to diversifying their economic activities and investing in the emerging market of Southeast Asia, the new Taiwanese government is reviving the “Go-South Policy” drafted in the 1980s, to refocus its ties with the Southeast Asian economy. According to a joint report by Google and Temasek Holdings (Singapore), the South East Asian e-Commerce market is estimated to reach USD 200 billion within the next decade.
The 20-strong entourage will comprise individuals from various Selangor Government agencies and private sectors including SITEC, Invest Selangor and Halal International Selangor (HIS). The key focus of the mission would be to attract Taiwanese investors to invest in Selangor, particularly in the potential of the Halal market, Cross-Border E-Commerce Trading, and the Selangor International Expo (SIE).
A number of private sector representatives including three major e-Commerce marketplaces in Malaysia and Taiwan will be joining as well. They are Lazada, 11 Street and Uitox, while two of the biggest Southeast Asian payment gateways, iPay88 and MOLPAY, will also be represented. Additionally, two Malaysian logistics operators, Logistic Worldwide Express (LWE) and I Store I Send (ISIS) will be joining as well.
Hence, this well-rounded mix of e-Commerce players from every part of the e-Commerce supply chain shows the seriousness and commitment of Malaysian companies in wooing the Taiwanese, who have been focusing their financial interests on the emerging SEA market, to invest in Selangor.
Additionally, this head to toe chain representation hopes to answer and clarify some of the more pressing concerns of Taiwanese investors about investing in Malaysia.
The main action will take place in Taipei, where over 650 participants of the Selangor-Taiwan Business Summit will be at the Howard Resource Training Centre near Taiwan University on June 21 between 9 am to 5 pm to participate in a mega business summit organized by SITEC and the Selangor Government.
The Business Summit has also invited Taiwan Go-South Policy Office Chief and Guest-of-Honour Mr. James Wong, to give a speech about the Taiwanese policy on investment in Southeast Asia. Mr. James Wong, who is also a former Foreign Minister of Taiwan, will host the trade mission at the Presidential Office where the Go-South Policy Office is located. Two newly-elected Taiwan MPs Karen Yu Wan-Ju and Jason Hsu Yu-Jen, whose focuses are on startups and young entrepeneurship, will also speak at the Business Summit. Supported by four main Taiwanese think tanks and business associations such as Commercial Development Research Institude (CDRI), Institute for Information Industry (III), Taiwan Internet and E-Commerce Association (TIEA) and Chinese Non- Store Commerce Association (CNCA), this makes this upcoming summit one of the largest held in recent years by a single country.
The Selangor trade mission representatives will also be greeted by Mayors or Deputy Mayors as well as local business community leaders from the five cities. Tainan city’s response was especially encouraging, as 250 local merchants also registered for the briefing and meeting session with Selangor trade mission.
The trade mission is expected to see the signing of MOUs in terms of promoting the Halal industry, to cooperate with human resource training by helping Taiwanese industry players tap into the huge volume of Malaysian students who study in Taiwan, and to help the Taiwanese companies to explore the market in Southeast Asia, especially the state of Selangor.
Lastly, the Selangor Trade Mission will also be visiting Gogoro, the Taiwanese startup that invented the world’s first fully electric and green scooter, as well as the Youbike bicycle renting system in Taipei in order to tap into their experience and prowess in technology that may help to improve the mobility issues in Malaysia, which is in tandem with the Smart Selangor Agenda outlined by Chief Minister of Selangor Dato’ Azmin Ali in 2015.
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