| The
Taiwan Competitiveness Forum was held on June 16 and 17
at Howard International House in Taipei, under joint sponsorship
of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD),
the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the American Chamber
of Commerce (Amcham), the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic
Research (CIER), and the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research
(TIER).
The
Taiwan Competitiveness Forum gathered over 100 public, private,
and academic sector representatives together for a series
of twelve sector-specific roundtable sessions. The sessions
were designed to give participants the chance to express
informal, personal views on strategies for improving Taiwan’s
competitiveness in ways that would most benefit Taiwan and
its economic partners. The sponsors believe the Forum was
useful in fostering an ongoing policy dialogue that they
hope will bear fruit in developing a more vibrant Taiwan
economy of benefit to all.
In
the opening remarks of the Forum, Semiconductor Manufacturing
Company Chairman Morris Chang; Charles Kao, the founder
and CEO of Commonwealth Publishing Group; and Paul A. London,
former Deputy Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
all discussed elements of competitiveness and their beneficial
effects on economic growth.
“The
forum was an excellent opportunity to bring together local
and foreign business people, public sector officials, and
scholars for some brainstorming about the various challenges
facing Taiwan’s economic prospects,” said Don Shapiro,
Interim Managing Director of the American Chamber of Commerce
in Taipei. “The Chamber members who participated found
it extremely worthwhile. We hope the discussion will stimulate
further dialogue and contribute to the development of new
and creative thinking that will help boost Taiwan’s business
competitiveness and raise per-capita income.”
CEPD
Chairman Chen Tain-Jy presided over the reports from the
sector-specific roundtable sessions on the last day of the
Forum and listened to the session reports presented by 12
moderators. Economics professor of Shih Hsin University,
Dr. Shive Chi, who gave the closing remarks for the forum,
praised the forum for producing fruitful results and recommended
that the sponsors hold such a forum regularly. Citing Adam
Smith's The Wealth of Nations, Dr. Shive pointed out that
the development of a nation would eventually be limited
by laws and institution; and he recognized Chairman Chen's
efforts to establish a task force focusing on regulatory
reform and internationalized projects. Dr. Shive also anticipated
that CEPD could play a role as the "soft power" among Taiwan's
public sector organizations. |
