Taiwan Review: September 2009
Calendar of Events
• “The Great Journey”, Pacific art exhibition, 26 September to 10 January 2010, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts - featuring eleven Pacific artists, including works by New Zealand artists Shane Cotton, Virginia King, Lisa Reihana and Michel Tuffery.
• Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Taiwan Business Leaders Seminar – Auckland, 29 September.
• Hayley Westenra’s “Moon Festival” Concert, with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Saturday 3 October – the concert has proved so popular that tickets sold out several months ago, so the organisers have arranged an outdoor broadcast of the concert in the square next to the concert hall.
• ANZCham “Export Awards”, Friday 16 October – annual award dinner celebrating business excellence on the part of companies engaged in expanding trade between New Zealand and Taiwan (and Australia and Taiwan).
• “Golden Horse” Film Festival, 6-28 November – including screening of New Zealand short films.
• ANZCham golf tournament 2009, Friday 6 November.
• Annual business and trade discussions – to be held in New Zealand in early December (dates tbc).
Recent News
Typhoon MorakotTyphoon Morakot struck Taiwan on 7-9 August inflicting the worst typhoon damage in 50 years. There were 641 people killed as a result of the massive landslides and flooding caused by the extraordinarily heavy rainfall from typhoon Morakot. A special budget of NT$120 billion (approx. NZ$5.4 billion) has been allocated for reconstruction, with losses in the agricultural sector alone estimated at NT$13.4 billion. Many countries provided relief assistance, including NZ$100,000 from New Zealand. This contribution was made through the International Federation of the Red Cross Disaster Relief Emergency Facility and was pooled together with other contributions to Taiwan's Red Cross to help over 6,000 victims in temporary shelters to rebuild their lives and homes.
Bio Taiwan and Bio Business Asia“Bio Taiwan” and its related cluster of events (held this year from 21-26 July) has established itself, over the years, as a leading annual Asian biotech industry networking and marketing forum. In 2009, New Zealand representation covered both the investment/venture capital angle, as well as the bio industry perspective, with Tony Bishop (a Director of the New Zealand Venture Capital Association) giving a presentation on investment and venture capital opportunities in New Zealand’s biotech sector at the “BioBusiness Asia 2009” Conference and Dr Marc Lubbers, Programme Manager, NZ Bio, participating in a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Biotech Network and visiting “Bio Taiwan”. The New Zealand Trade Development Centre also organised a booth to enable generic promotion of New Zealand’s biotech industry at “Bio Taiwan”.
Tariff Reductions on Butter ExtendedOn 27 August, a decision was announced to extend Taiwan’s unilateral reduction of tariffs on butter and milk fat imports for a further six months, to 18 February 2010. The tariff reduction has, however, been altered to a more limited 25% cut (from an earlier 50% cut). Resulting tariff levels in application until February 2010 are: butter - 3.75% (HS Code 0405.1000) and anhydrous milk fat - 6% (HS Code 0405.9010). New Zealand is the number one supplier of butter to Taiwan with 69% market share. This extension in the tariff reduction for butter follows an earlier decision to extend lower tariffs for milk powder too.
Working Holiday Scheme: Expanded Study Opportunities With effect from 27 July, Taiwanese visitors to New Zealand under the working holiday scheme are now able to undertake more than one course of study - up to a total period of six months overall study - during their stay in New Zealand. (Previously, the working holiday scheme only permitted enrolment in one course of study, up to a total of three months overall study.) For more information on these new study provisions for working holidaymakers, please go to:
www.nzvisa.org.tw and for information on study opportunities in New Zealand please check:
www.nzeducated.com.
Cross-Straits Investment Opened UpIn July Taiwan moved to open up a significant part of its manufacturing and services industry (as well as some infrastructure areas) to investment from China. The new regulations cover 64 areas of the manufacturing industry, and 25 service industries (comprising 113 business lines). Since July the Investment Commission has approved 10 investment cases totalling NT$35.5 million (NZ$1.6 million). The cases include seven airlines applying to open offices in Taiwan, an online company seeking to invest, and a calculator company applying to transfer funds to Taiwan. Taiwan’s stock market has also seen rises of more than 60% since the start of this year, partly in anticipation of increased capital and goods flows as a result of expanding cross-straits economic links.
“World Games 2009”: Kiwi ConnectionNearly sixty New Zealand competitors took part in the 2009 “World Games” held in Kaohsiung, 16-26 July. Among the sports they participated in were water skiing, gymnastics, karate, lifesaving, orienteering, roller sports, sport climbing, billiards, squash, sumo and canoe polo. Overall, the New Zealanders came 14th equal on the medal table, with 2 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals.
The kiwi connection was present throughout the games – with celebrated New Zealand singer, Hayley Westenra, starring in the “Opening Ceremony” and a New Zealand cultural pavilion (featuring kiwifruit tastings and popular gold and green kiwifruit fans, as well as information on New Zealand as a tourism and study destination) open nightly during the “World Games Expo”.
These both proved very popular. Hayley Westenra’s duet with local singer Shin made a deep impression on the huge stadium and TV audience, resulting in a swift sell-out of tickets for her return concert in Taipei in October. As to the New Zealand cultural pavilion, it hosted nearly 19,000 visitors during the ten day period of the games, with two television stations also filming at the pavilion.
Deaflympics : New Zealand ParticipationFrom 5-15 September 2009, a twelve member New Zealand Deaflympics team (athletes, coaches, interpreters) visited Taipei to participate in the 2009 Deaflympics. The athletes competed in swimming, cycling, karate and table tennis. The New Zealand team won two medals. In Karate Michael Lynch won gold in the men’s over 84kg class, and Kerry Titcombe won bronze in the women’s 50-84kg class.
On 3 September, a barbeque was held (with sponsorship from ANZ Bank) for the New Zealand alumni, education and business community, as well as the Deaflympics Organising Committee and Xi Song High School representatives (who provided support for the team at their sporting events and organised a Taipei city tour for them) to welcome the New Zealand team. New Zealand companies: Air New Zealand, ANZCo foods, Fonterra and Zespri, contributed items for “supporters’ packs” for the eighty Xi Song High School staff and students who assisted the New Zealand team.
What is the NZCIO?