ROC President Chen Shui-bian calls for a free trade agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan at the 26th annual conference of the ROC–USA Business Council.

Photo by James Overly

Contact Information ROC-USA Business Council 8F, 390 Fu Hsin S. Rd., Sec. 1 Suite 1703 Taipei 106, Taiwan, Republic of China Tel: 886-02-2705-3102 www.rocusabc.org.tw U.S.-Taiwan Business Council 1700 North Moore St., Arlington, VA 22209, USA Tel: 703-465-2930 www.us-taiwan.org

Honorable Chairman of the ROC-USA Business Council, Dr. Jeffery Koo.

Courtesy ROC-U.S.A. Business Council

Council leadership and Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Yi Fu, at right, toast each table at the minister’s dinner (a Chinese custom).

Courtesy ROC-U.S.A. Business Council

Honorable Chairman Dr. Jeffery Koo shares a light moment with American Institute for Taiwan (AIT) Director Douglas Paal at the 19th hole.

Courtesy ROC-U.S.A. Business Council

Conference attended opened the event with a golf tournament on one of Taiwan’s world-class golf courses.

Courtesy ROC-U.S.A. Business Council

Mayor Ying-Jeou Ma of Taipei greets the guests at Taipei City Hall.

Courtesy ROC-U.S.A. Business Council

Head table VIP’s applaud dinner entertainment during the four day conclave.

Courtesy ROC-U.S.A. Business Council

Minister of Economic Affairs, Lin Yi Fu addresses the conference.

Courtesy ROC-U.S.A. Business Council

The ROC-USA and U.S.-Taiwan Business Councils began their 26th Annual Joint Conference in Taipei on September 8. This year the conference joined with the Modern Engineering & Technology Seminar to address the themes of change in the Taiwan and world economies.

The conference began with a golf tournament at the beautiful world-class Tong Hwa Golf and Country Club. The lively atmosphere of the golf tournament reflected the anticipation and excitement of the attendees towards the events of the coming week.

After 18 holes, Taipei Mayor Ying-Jeou Ma hosted the “Taipei Night” banquet at Taipei’s multiple-use City Hall to welcome the attendees. Mayor Ma reiterated the importance of Taiwan-U.S. business links and underscored the vital nature of the serious topics to be discussed by experts from various fields during the next five days. The issues covered every aspect of the ROC-USA business spectrum, ranging from U.S.-Taiwan-China “co-op-etition” (businesses competing and cooperating at the same time) to environmental protection, intellectual property regulations, and corporate governance.

Dr. Richard Vulsteyke, Executive Director of The American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, hosted the following morning’s ‘working breakfast’ and set the serious tone of the dialogue during the conference. AmCham used this breakfast meeting to address various issues regarding financial reforms, and to inform participants of the current dynamic opportunities in the energy sector. Gus Sorenson, Co-Chairman of AmCham’s government relations committee, delivered an overview of Taiwan’s accession to the World Trade Organization. Interested participants included Dr. Pin-Kung Chiang, the Vice President of the Legislative Yuan, and Greyson Bassett, representing the Chairman of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, former Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci.

Following the AmCham breakfast, Terry Cooke, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, delivered a remarkably insightful speech entitled “The Strategic Role of Taiwan in U.S.-China-Taiwan ‘Coop-etition’.” Cooke stressed the need to incorporate competition and cooperation among the three geographical areas in order to maximize efficiencies in the allocation and utilization of worldwide resources. Cooke described the “golden supply chain” which ties together the U.S., Taiwan, and China, highlighting the strengths and opportunities in each area.

The apex of the first day came as the Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian took the podium to formally open the conference. He discussed the need for Taiwan to map a global strategy, increase cooperation with the international community, and accelerate free trade agreements with other countries. In regard to mainland China, President Chen made clear his belief that “the instability within China’s political structure creates inherent problems for both Taiwan and the people of the mainland.”

With Director Douglas Paal of the American Institute in Taiwan present, President Chen stressed the shared common values between Taiwan and the United States. These values will be further enhanced by Taiwan’s recent accession to the World Trade Organization, the Taiwanese President added.

Greyson Basset read a message from President George W. Bush praising Taiwan’s respect of democratic values and the importance of relations between the two countries.

An opportunity to explore Taiwan’s economy
The comprehensive nature of the 26th Joint Conference gave attendees the opportunity to gain insight into Taiwan’s dynamic economy and new developments in the Taiwanese market. This was made possible, in part, through a series of seminars on such high tech subjects as biotechnology, nanotechnology, and MEMS technology. In addition to the high-tech seminars, several other forums were held addressing issues such as banking, finance, venture capital, en-vironmental protection, and water and energy resources.

The various seminars were not the only medium that enabled the attendees to gain insight into the Taiwanese market. There were several cocktail receptions and banquets, which gave participants the opportunity to network and meet with business people from both Taiwan and the United States. A troupe of Chinese acrobats and dancers acted out Chinese myths as a backdrop to the extravagant welcome dinner. The feast was followed by an awards ceremony for the golf tournament, at which the worst scores seemed to receive the most prizes. The Minister of Economic Affairs hosted a dinner the following night which was equally as enjoyable as the previous night. The dinners also provided an opportunity in a jovial atmosphere for conference attendees to exchange ideas and make contacts with executives involved in various sectors of the Taiwanese economy.

As the conference progressed, the principle concerns of attending businessmen emerged. Taiwanese businessmen find themselves in a transition from an OEM-manufacturing base to a services economy. They greatly appreciated having the opportunity to exchange views with American businessmen who have already gone through the shift.

Providing forums like this to discuss important bilateral economic, trade, and business topics has been one of the principal reasons for the Business Councils’ existence. Those who would like more information on this coming year’s conference or the organization should contact either the ROC-USA Business Council or the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council.