| Prime News | | ![]() | ![]() | COA to Set Up NT$10 B. Fund for Agro-Biotech Development
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--The Council of Agriculture (COA) has decided to set up an NT$10 billion venture capital fund for supporting the development of the agro-biotech industry in Taiwan, in an bid to boost the industry's output value to NT$71 billion by 2010, from this year's estimated NT$53 billion.
The plan, already approved by the Executive Yuan (the Cabinet) recently, represents another major step on the part of the government in promoting the industry, following its effort to establish five major agro sci-tech parks at cost of NT$14.7 billion. The agro biotech park in southern Taiwan's Pingtung county, under COA's direct management, is scheduled for inauguration by the end of this year. The other four will be managed by municipal governments, include a floral park in Changhua county, a orchid park in Tainan county, a aromatic- and medical-herb park in Chiayi county, and marine biotech park in Ilan county.
The COA projected that the five agro biotech parks will boast annual output value of NT$29 billion and employment of 17,000 by 2012.
A COA official pointed out that agro biotech industry can open up a new horizon for the traditional agricultural industry, in addition to fostering development of peripheral businesses. The aromatic- and medical-herb park in Chiayi, the only BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) project of the five parks, will double as a leisure park, where aromatic-herb SPA will be available.
The COA categorizes agro biotech into eight sectors: plant seed, livestock and fowl breeding, aquaculture breeding, biotech food, animal-use vaccines, biotech pesticide or herbicide, fertilizer, and testing agent.
The Biotechnology Industry Study Center, under the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, estimated the production value of Taiwan's agro-biotech industry in 2006 at NT$48 billion, with that of the biotech food sector reaching NT$19.4 billion, over 40% of the total, the highest.
The center projected the industry's 2007 output value at NT$53 billion, which will hit NT$71 billion by 2010, compared with the global output of US$500 billion in 2012.
Sun Chih-li, director of the Biotechnology Industry Study Center, noted that thanks to strong agricultural technologies and mature food industry, Taiwan's agro-biotech industry is in an advantageous position for development, with health foods, for instance, being a very promising sector. Another noticeable field is pet medicines, which has attracted engagement of many scientific Chinese-medicine makers in recent years.
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| | ![]() | | | Housing Market Shows Signs of Slowdown
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--Following several years of bullish development, Taiwan's housing market appears to be on the verge of lapsing to a slowdown, as reflected by some indicators.
The national housing-price sentiment index, for instance, dropped to 100.87 in the second quarter of 2007, the lowest of its kind since the first quarter of 2006, with that of Taipei city sliding to 97.55. The figures are compiled by the national land planning and realty information center, under the commission of the Cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD).
The center reported that with housing prices hovering at high levels, share of investors among housing buyers, as opposed to those for own use, had dropped to 18.3%, a one-and-half-a year low, with that in Taipei city plunging to 20.2%, from the first quarter's 31.9%.
Many people have exited the housing market due to heavy financial burden brought on by sky-high housing prices, as share of housing-loan payment in housing buyers' incomes had hit 33% on average in the second quarter, a record high, with that in Taipei city reaching 40.4%.
A study by the New Land Group, a construction firm, shows that average sales rate of pre-construction housing projects in Taipei city plunged to 40% in the second quarter, less than half of first quarter's 85%, although it is expected to climb back to 50% in the third quarter, thanks to the rollout of some projects boasting quality planning and good locations.
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| | ![]() | | | Tycoons Group Issues Convertible Bonds to Cut Interest Expenditure
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--Tycoons Group Enterprise Co., one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of wire rods, recently raised NT$700 million (US$21.21 million at US$1:NT$33) in funds by issuing convertible bonds, which will help it save NT$33 million (US$1 million) in interest expenditure per year and boost profitability.
Over the past several years, Tycoons has been shifting to develop high-value-added products by adjusting operating strategy. Because of the successful change in operating strategy, the company has seen operations turn better.
Tycoons said it registered NT$68.54 million (US$2.07 million) in after-tax earnings in the first half of this year, compared to an operating loss of NT$172 million (US$5.21 million) a year earlier.
With the financial backup from the convertible bonds, Tycoons is projected to challenge NT$0.5 (US$0.01) in after-tax earnings per share this year, said an institutional investor.
Focusing on the production of nuts and bolts and wire rods, Tycoons has set up plants in Thailand and mainland China over the past several years. More recently, the company has extended operations to Vietnam. Because of the expansion of production overseas, the company has been in need of added funding.
The company noted it would use the NT$700 million (US$21.21 million) fund to repay bank loans, which will save it NT$19 million (US$570,000) in interest payment per year with the rest serving as revolving funds for prospective operations.
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| | ![]() | | | Manufacturing Sector Edges Out Service Firms in Survival
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--Taiwan's small and medium enterprises in the manufacturing industry stand much better chance of survival if they can get through the first five years of operations, according to statistics compiled by the Small & Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The SMEA's tallies also showed the small and medium enterprises in the service sector have to risk being edged out even if they survive the first five years of business because they have comparatively little business savvy to stay with international trends.
The MOEA noted the number of domestic small and medium enterprises is on the rise, showing their vitality is still increasing in the wake of industrial transformation and exodus.
W.K. Huang, deputy director of the SMEA, said domestic small and medium enterprises could survive 13 years on average with the smallest portion of them surviving only three up to five years.
According to SMEA's survey of domestic enterprises in 2006, domestic small and medium enterprises surviving three up to five years accounted for only 5.64%; those surviving for five up to 10 years commanded 19.87%; those surviving for over 10 years accounted for 23.32%.
Huang said the small and medium enterprises in the manufacturing sector can survive longer than those in the service sector because they have such operating advantages as larger capitalization, proprietary skills and more stabilized markets.
Compared to those in manufacturing sector, said Huang, the small and medium enterprises in service sector are obliged to keep up with industry trends constantly even if they will have survived the most risky period—the first three to five years of business.
The SMEA's survey showed domestic small and medium enterprises can stay afloat longer than average if they accepted the professional assistance from the SMEA by way of incubator centers.
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| | ![]() | | | Int'l Solar Energy Gurus to Attend Photovoltaic Forum in Taipei
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--Q-Cells AG, Kyocera Corp. and Sharp Corp. will send their high-ranking officials to attend a high-profile photovoltaic forum set to be held in Taipei in mid-October.
Q-Cells of Germany is now the world's No.2 supplier of solar cells, putting out an estimated 255 megawatts of cells generating revenue of around 540 million euro (US$756 million at 1 euro: US$1.4) last year. The company has projected to move its fifth production line into operation at the end of this year. Its first line entered into volume production in 2001.
Q-Cells' solar-cell output represented only 2% of the global market in 2002, taking the 11th place in global solar-cell industry. It moved forward to ninth place in 2003 with market share of 4%. By the end of 2005, it became the No.2 player by boosting market share to 9%.
So far, the German solar-cell maker has opened offices in Hanzhou of mainland China, Hong Kong and Tokyo. It was rated by German newspaper Handelsblatt as the best money-making company last year in Germany.
Sharp claims it has been the world's No.1 solar-cell maker since 2000 while Kyocera is one of the world's largest vertically-integrated producers and suppliers of solar energy products.
The three solar-energy companies' executives showed up at the Taiwan-held forum last year for the first time. They will make keynote speeches at the forum this year as they did last year. The 2006 forum attracted attendance of over 500 suppliers.
Forum organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said Erik Thorsen, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian polysilicon producer Renewable Energy Corp. (REC), will also attend the 2007 meeting, which is to be held from October 11 to 12.
REC is recognized as the world's No.3 supplier of the material for making solar cells, trailing only Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. of the United States and Wacker Chemie AG of Germany.
Polysilicon is the essential material for solar-cell manufacturing. With increasing size of the Taiwan solar-cell industry, Taiwanese manufacturers are facing material shortage.
Industry insiders expected Q-Cells, Sharp, Kyocera, and REC to ink deals to buy products from their Taiwanese counterparts at the upcoming meeting.
Other industry gurus invited include Suntech Power Holding Co., Ltd. President Shi Zhengrong (mainland China) and Standord Ovshinsky, a U.S. talent who invented amorphous semiconductor materials for use in solar energy and other segments.
According to the government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), in 2005 alone Taiwan had 15 solar-energy manufacturers generating revenue totaling NT$7 billion (US$212 million). Last year, eight new entrants came onboard, helping boost the revenue to NT$21.2 billion (US$642 million). So far this year, the Taiwan industry has seen 18 newcomers, who are expected to push revenue to NT$40 billion (US$1.2 billion). Taiwan's solar-energy output capacity will likely approach two gigawatts of solar power in 2008, suggesting that the Taiwan industry is taking off.
ITRI's market-research fellows pointed out that solar energy has emerged as the hottest of all alternative energies.
Stanley T Myers, president and CEO of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) recently noted that global solar photovoltaic market has been growing at a rate of 30% per year.
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| | ![]() | | | Semiconductor Equipment BB Ratio Declines Despite Upbeat Outlook for 2008
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--The book-to-bill (B/B) report from the North American semiconductor equipment companies for August remained low although upbeat forecast for next year has been issued.
According to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) trade group, the B/B ratio for August was 0.84, meaning that US$84 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month. The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers.
The ratio had been holding steady at about one for few months before dropping to 0.84 in July this year. The July figure scored new low since the second quarter of 2005.
The declining trend has sparked cautious attitude among chip-making insiders toward market prospects for the third quarter. Usually the quarter beginning July is a peak season for the electronics industry.
SEMI's statistics show capital expenditure on semiconductor equipment and materials totaled US$1.68 billion worldwide in August, only inching up US$2 million from a month earlier. But booking value in the meantime slipped 0.85% to US$1.39 billion.
Industry watchers pointed out that booking value foretells chipmakers' attitude towards market future.
No.1 silicon foundry supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) estimates its capital expenditure will likely reach projection of US$2.7 billion for this year, increasing around 10% from its 2006 spending of US$2.54 billion. The No.2 player United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) plans to spend around 10% more capital on equipment by the end of this year than its 2006 spending of US$1 billion.
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) of mainland China will cut spending by around 30% from last year's level to US$700 million throughout this year. Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing of Singapore will increase 23% to US$800 million this year.
In spite of recent market downturn, SEMI President and CEO Stanley T Myers recently issued an upbeat forecast for next year's equipment market, a 6.5% increase vs. this year's estimated 1% growth.
Myers estimated Taiwan would likely become the world's second-largest market for semiconductor equipment and materials this year, second only to Japan with combined investments of US$16.6 billion. Worldwide, spending on the equipment and materials will approach US$82 billion throughout this year.
He added that Taiwan currently has the world's largest 300mm wafer fab capacity and that global 300mm capacity is growing steadily, with about 59% growth expected this year and 29% next year, when worldwide 300mm capacity surpasses 200mm capacity.
Myers noted that the semiconductor manufacturing industry is in a state of significant change, as much more emphasis is placed on consumer products as key drivers of demand for new semiconductor devices. He commented that much of the leading-edge process technology is being driven by advanced memory applications.
Myers estimated global demands for semiconductor chips would edge up 1.6% from last year's US$248 billion to US$252 billion this year.
Semiconductor equipment supplier ASML's executives pointed out that DRAM chipmakers would be more aggressive than foundry suppliers in tooling fabs in the fourth quarter and the installations are aimed at further bringing costs down. Tony Chao, managing director of ASML Center of Excellence, said recently that his company has seen strong orders from clients, particularly those in the DRAM sector that are aggressively expanding capacities.
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| | ![]() | | | Taiwan Biotech Industry Poised to Reap Harvest: Microbio Chairman Lu
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--Taiwan's biotechnology industry is expected to reap harvest, and at least one biotech firm on the island would win sizable royalty fees from a cross-nation pharmaceutical maker within three years, according to local Microbio Co., Ltd. chairman Lu Kung-ming.
Microbio is a manufacturer of herbal medicine products. The company has been actively expanding its sales platforms as well as setting up four marketing and production companies in both Taiwan and mainland China. In addition, the company has been actively devoted to new-drug development and recently won a permission from the government to enlist the company's third-stage clinical-test new drug into its "invisible assets."
Lu pointed out that many cross-national pharmaceutical makers faced bottlenecks in their market development due to the expiry of patents, so they have been actively finding new drug products for maintaining their profits and stock prices.
A new drug that has completed the first-phase human clinical test could get about US$100 million in licensing fee, Lu said, and the fee would jump to about US$300 million after completion of the second-phase clinical tests.
Many international pharmaceutical makers used to try to develop new drugs from chemical materials, which, however, is too slow to meet market demand now, according to Lu. So, Microbio has signed a cooperation agreement with local Academia Sinica to get related techniques for researching new pharmaceuticals from plants.
Lu stressed that Academia Sinica is the most potential research institute in Taiwan to develop new drugs and the institute has tied up with the world's most authoritative biotechnology experts and pharmaceutical development platforms, making it a cross-nation pharmaceutical developer.
According to Lu, Acadmia Sinica can bring a substantial change to the local biotechnology industry and even help local biotech firms win sizable licensing fees for their new-drug development achievements.
Microbio has developed a new anti-cancer drug from plant, the MS-20, which has won certification from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. and is under second-stage clinical tests. In addition, the company got a new wound-healing drug, the WH-1, from local Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), and is planning to apply for FDA's permission for the first- and second-stage clinical tests.
Lu said that the new wound-healing drug is expected to benefit diabetes patients worldwide. Microbio still have, at least six, new drugs scheduled for clinical tests, the chairman added.
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| | ![]() | | | AUO Leads Global Large-sized TFT-LCD Shipment in Aug.
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--The AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), the largest thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panel manufacturer in Taiwan, shipped 7.6 million large-sized LCD panels in August, becoming for the first time as the world's largest large-sized panel supplier by overtaking South Korean rivals Samsung and LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd. (LPL), according to DisplaySearch/
Statistics released by DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in flat panel display (FPD) market research and consulting, showed that AUO, Samsung, and LPL shipped 7.6 million, 7.4 million, and 7.3 million large-sized (over-10-inch) TFT-LCD panels, respectively in August.
Taiwan and South Korea has been fiercely competing for the world's largest TFT-LCD production nation for many years. In 2007, Taiwan for the first time overtook South Korea to win the top position in terms of total national shipment volume of large-sized panels, but the shipment volumes of individual makers on the island were still smaller than those of Samsung and LPL in the rivalry nation.
AUO acquired local counterpart Quanta Computer Inc. (originally the No. 4 large-sized panel maker in Taiwan) last year, making it own a paralleled production capacity with Samsung and LPL. After about one year's strenuous efforts, AUO for the first time ran ahead of major Korean rivals in terms of monthly shipment volume of large-sized panels.
AUO chairman K.Y. Lee claimed that his company is expected to generate revenue of NT$400 billion (US$12.12 billion at US$1: NT$33) this year, a record high, and enjoy an even-higher growth rate in 2008. He added that his company should think more about how to upgrade product's added values in addition to revenue and shipment growths.
DisplaySearch pointed out that all major global large-sized panel suppliers have announced their production plans for 2008, and the total global production volumes of notebook PC panels, monitor panels, and LCD TV panels next year would be 132 million, 194 million, and 102 million, respectively.
H.B. Chen, AUO vice chairman, said previously that all the first-class global players have been considering their capacity and generation deployments. Sharp, for example, plans to set up a 10th-generation (10G) panel facility; Samsung is planning to construct its second 8G plant; and LPL has also an 8G project.
Both AUO and Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp. (CMO), the No. 2 player in Taiwan, have begun considering their timing for stepping into 8G business, Chen said, adding that there might be a market downturn after 2009 because all first-class panel suppliers will have expanded capacities.
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| | ![]() | | | Taiwan's Central Bank Saw Outstanding Foreign Debts Plunge 75% in August
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--Influenced by U.S. sub-prime mortgage storm, Taiwan's central bank experienced obvious shrinkage in interest incomes from its foreign-currency deposits and its outstanding foreign debts tumbled to NT$85.688 billion (US$2.6 billion at US$1 = NT$33) at the end of August of this year, the lowest of its kind in three years.
At the end of July the central bank's outstanding foreign debts stood at NT$336.294 billion (US$10.19 billion), however, a month later, the debts plunged 75% or NT$250.606 billion (US$7.59 billion) to reach NT$85.688 billion (US$2.6 billion).
Officials at the central bank indicated that it's hard to follow the quick change in the international financial market and the U.S. sub-prime mortgage storm has recently swept most leading financial markets around the world and international investors have hence taken a conservative attitude toward the trading in the market.
The Cabinet-level Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) estimated that Taiwan's financial institutions have so far been impacted by the U.S. sub-prime mortgage storm for a total of US$2.5 billion and the actual loss is estimated at less than US$100 million.
FSC statistics showed that Taiwan's financial institutions have invested a total of NT$74.632 billion (US$2.26 billion) in U.S. subprime mortgages, of which, banks accounted for NT$40.38 billion (US$1.22 billion) and insurance firms for NT$30.162 billion (US$914 million) and the wealth management sectors of banks made up of the remaining NT$4.09 billion (US$123.94 million).
Currently banks lead in suffering such loss, totaling NT$1.212 billion (US$36.73 million) from the investment, fund operators followed with NT$600 million (US$18.18 million) and insurance firms with NT$450 million (US$13.64 million).
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| | ![]() | | | Taiwan's Cross-Boarder Claims Hit Record High of US$146.99 B. as of June 2007
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--Taiwan's domestic banks posted total outstanding consolidated cross-boarder claims (CCBCs) of US$146.99 billion at the end of second quarter of this year, up US$10.39 billion from a quarter earlier and the highest of its kind ever recorded, according to the statistics released by the central bank here.
The central bank attributed the sharp rise of CCBCs mainly to the growing interbank deals with foreign banks here and overseas investments. The total CCBCs for the period included those from the overseas branches and offshore banking units (OBUs) of domestic banks.
At the end of June of the year, the United States was Taiwan's top CCBCs debtor with US$39.714 billion, followed in sequence by Luxembourg, the U.K., Hong Kong, South Korea, West Indies UK, Singapore, France, Japan, and the Cayman Islands.
Compared to the same quarter of last year, Taiwan saw a considerable growth in CCBCs with S. Korea, reaching US$5.234 billion. This implied that Taiwan has been increasingly promoting investments in and economic activities with S. Korea to grab growing business opportunities there created by the latter's rapid economic growth in recent years.
In the same period, Taiwan's CCBCs with Hong Kong chalked up by 20% to US$1.731 billion, which was mainly because more and more Taiwanese banks have chosen Hong Kong and Macao as destinations for setting up branches to serve Taiwanese enterprises in China.
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| | ![]() | | | Panasonic Taiwan Lands Big Order From Uni-President
Taipei, Sept 26, 2007 (CENS)--Panasonic Taiwan Co., Ltd., a world-level supplier of household electronics, recently won a big order from the Taiwan-based Uni-President Enterprise Corp. for 5,000 units of 32-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs worth NT$150 million, and will start delivery by the end of September, according to company sources.
Panasonic is to boost its sales of LCD TVs sold under its own brand to between 80,000 and 90,000 units in the Taiwanese market this year to compete against Sony, and expects to command nearly half of the market for plasma models to unseat LG as the largest brand of the kind.
Shih-chang Chen, general manager of Panasonic Consumer Sales Taiwan, noted that Panasonic already rounded out its business deployment for sales of LCD TVs and plasma models in the fourth quarter of this year in Taiwan. The brand plans to push up sales of its LCD TVs at sizes of 20, 26, 32 and 37 inches, as well as large-sized plasma models at 42, 50, 65 and 103 inches.
Along with help by its Japan-based parent company Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Panasonic Taiwan will set up production lines for 50- and 65-inch plasma TVs, which both adopt Matsushita's latest 10-generation plasma display panels (PDPs), and import the world's largest 103-inch models directly from Japan, hoping to realize a comprehensive product line of plasma TVs on the island.
Chen said that celebrating its 40th anniversary recently, Uni-President has ordered 5,000 units of 32-inch LCD TVs particularly. This is Panasonic Taiwan's biggest order from a single enterprise. Accordingly, Uni-President is to award its workers with the batch of LCD TVs in its regular activities held on the island annually.
Panasonic Consumer Sales Taiwan has also been dedicated to pushing up its sales of digital TVs, and projects an 8% annual sales growth for this year. Besides, after going through the past two years, when LG has taken the leading position in the Taiwanese market for plasma TVs, the company was recently approved by Matsushita to introduce 65- and 103-inch models to sell on the island.
Chen indicated that Panasonic has tied up with LG to sell plasma TVs over the past six months of this year, and, however, has ultimately outpaced the rival to become the leading brand in Taiwan by a margin of around 1,200 units respectively in July and August. Based on an estimated 40,000 of plasma TVs sold in Taiwan for this year, Panasonic is expected to command a share of nearly 50% to attain its goal of being the largest brand of PDPs in the market.
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| | ![]() | | | Motorola Trails Samsung in Cellphone Sales for First Time in Taiwan in Aug.
Taipei, Sept. 26, 2007 (CENS)--Motorola trailed Samsung for its first time in sales of mobile phones in the Taiwanese market in August, with the former posting a market share of 13.5% and losing to the latter commanding a 15.2%, according to retailer sources.
As a result, Motorola fell a notch to the fourth place in the month in the market, while Samsung moved up to No. 3. In the mean time, Nokia and Sony Ericsson still held their top two positions, with a market share of 30.2% and 21.5%, respectively. In short, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, who also saw market shares break 20% for the first time in Taiwan, both seemed the biggest winners in the race in the month.
On the other hand, the Taiwan-based BenQ and hTc also saw brisk sales of handsets, with the former commanding a 2.8% share in terms of sales volume to hold its leading position among domestic brands and No. 6 in the market, and the latter commanding 4.5% in value by its high-end PDA phones, lagging behind LG with only a 0.1 percentage point.
With large-sized international handset brands concentrating their promotion in the Taiwanese market, other domestic brands, including Inventec and ASUSTeK, are changing their marketing strategies to compete. At the moment, the top five handset brands in Taiwan, all foreign, collectively command a share of around 84% in the market, with Nokia alone controlling more than 30%.
After a booming season during the summer vacation, overall sales of handsets in Taiwan may slide in September, and a significant comeback will most likely emerge during Christmas and the Chinese New Year holidays, according to local retailers.
However, noteworthy was that sales volume and value for August in Taiwan surprisingly slipped 4.5% and 7.5%, respectively, from a year earlier, reflecting the domestic market that has been nearly saturated.
Since the beginning of this year, Motorola has suffered lackluster sales performance in the global market for mobile phones, and even kept declining in Taiwan. Recently, the brand has launched several low- and middle-end handsets for resilient sales in the market, and worked with Taiwan's Asia Pacific Telecom to promote Motorola W212 phones and W371GSM phones, which are supplied by Compal Communications Inc.
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| | ![]() | | | Kunshan Rated China's Best Investment Site
The Kunshan area of Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province is the best place in China for investment, according to a report released by the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (TEEMA) on Aug. 23.
A study carried out by TEEMA also shows, for the second year in a row, a higher risk for China investments. As a result, TEEMA suggests that Taiwanese investors spread the risk of their overseas investments by expanding, for instance, into Vietnam.
The study, dubbed "A Study of the Investment Environment and Risk in Mainland China 2007," named Wuxi of Jiangyin, also in Jiangsu Province, and the Suzhou industrial zone, as runners-up for the best investment sites in China.
Twenty-one cities made TEEMA's list of recommended investment sites, with new entries for 2007 including Qingdao, Langfang, Weihai, Ningbo, Jiangning, and Yixing. Cities being dropped from the list this year were Xiamen, Jinan, Nanjing, Pudong, Xiaoshan, and Tianhe.
Chiao Yu-chun, TEEMA's chairman, notes that the study was based on 15 indicators of most concern to Taiwanese businessmen, including administrative transparency, fulfillment of pledges, satisfactory settlement of trade disputes, personal safety, suitability for domestic sales, suitability for service investments, suitability for manufacturing investments, profit margin for Taiwanese businesses, financial liberalization, and emphasis on innovation and own-brand development. The 10 best sites were selected for each indicator.
Kunshan won first place in nine indicators, including administrative transparency, satisfactory trade-dispute settlement, profit margin for Taiwanese businesses, financial liberalization, enthusiasm for Taiwanese investment, intellectual-property protection, and emphasis on innovation and own-brand development.
The 2007 report also lists the 10 worst Chinese investment sites: Dongguan City, Zhenjiang, Beihai, Lanzhou, Fuzhou City, Foshan, Houjie area of Dongguan, Shiye area of Dongguan, Longgang area of Shenzhen, and Yichang.
TEEMA's chairman Chao reports that in line with the gradual shift of Taiwan's overseas investment to other areas such as Southeast Asia, his association will produce an "Investment-risk Assessment of 10 Southeast Asian Nations" in 2009. (PL, August 2007)
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