Window on the ATBC No. 12

Dear Members and Friends,

Over the past two years, Taiwan purchased A$30.7 billion from Australia, and has now become Australia’s fourth largest export market, overtaking India, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. Australia remains Taiwan’s largest energy provider in LNG and coal. The members of the Australia-Taiwan Business Council Ltd (ATBC) have played an important role in achieving such incredible results. We would like to express our gratitude for your efforts in building up a stronger and more resilient relationship between Australia and Taiwan. 

ATBC had a solid year in 2022 with a wide variety of activities. The 35th Joint Conference was held in-person in Sydney for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic with a strong delegation from Taiwan! We also ran the Australia-Taiwan Emerging Business Leaders Program (the Program) successfully with greatly appreciated help and support from many people and sponsors.

2023 SO FAR AND AHEAD

1. Chairman Toigo and CEO visit Taiwan – 16th to 23rd March 2023
   Chairman Toigo and CEO had back-to-back and productive meetings/lunches/dinners after being unable to visit Taiwan for over 3 years. They met the following people/companies:
   • Mr Vincent Chang, KPMG Taiwan
   • Ms Jane Liao and her team, Vice President of CPC
   • Mr Patrick Hafenstein, Taiwan Commissioner of TIQ
   • Mr Glenn Lio, Executive Director of Australia and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (ANZCham)
   • Mr Lawrence Chang, Investment NSW Taiwan and Austrade Taiwan Team
   • Dinner with the AUS-TW Emerging Business Leaders in Taipei
   • Meeting with Mr Hong-Swee Lau, ANZ Taiwan and Ms Yvonne Seeto, Risk Manager, ANZ Taiwan. Hong-Swee will be leaving Taiwan in April and his replacement will be in Taipei in May. ATBC is grateful for his support and all the best for his future endeavours!
   • Meeting with Ms Jenny Bloomfield, Representative and Mr Daniel Bowman, Executive Director, Economic and Policy Section, Australian Office, Taipei
   • Lunch hosted by Chairman Joseph Lyu, Bank of Taiwan with other Taiwanese Bankers
   • Meeting Vice Minister CC Chen, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA) and Dr Guann-Jyh Lee, Deputy Director General, Bureau of Foreign Trade, MoEA
   • Meeting with Dr Jeffrey Chen, Chairman, Macquarie Green Investment Group Taiwan and ANZCham
   • CEO attended the second meeting of the 24th Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce Oceania and lunch.
   • Dinner with Dr Chun-hsu Li, Research Fellow, Centre for Green Economy, CIER in Taipei
   • Lunch with Ambassador Douglas Shen, Director General, Southern Taiwan Office of Ministry Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and his colleagues in Kaohsiung
   • Meeting with Chairman Wong and Senior Executives of CSC and dinner hosted by Chairman Wong in Kaohsiung
   • Lunch hosted by Mr Henry Kao, Chairman, CIECA and I-Mei Foods in Taipei
   • Meeting with Mr Ryan Chua, MD of Stonepeak (HK) Ltd in Taipei
   • Meeting with Mr Bruce Hung of MoFA Taipei
   • CEO met with CIECA to discuss the program of the 36th Joint Conference
   • CEO visited the Tesla Taiwan operation

   
   Mr Vincent Chang, 2nd on the left

    

   

   Ms Jane Liao 2nd on the right

   

   Mr Glenn Lio, on the first left and Mr Patrick Hafenstein, 2nd on the left

   
   Dinner with the AUS-TW Emerging Business Leaders in Taipei

   
   Mr Hong Swee Lau, 2nd on the right

   
   Ms Jenny Bloomfield 2nd on the left

   
   Chairman Joseph Lyu, 4th on the left

   
   Vice Minister CC Chen, 2nd on the left

   
   Dr Jeffrey Chen, 1st on the right

   
   Dr Chun-hsu Lin, 1st on the left

   
   Mr Jason Lin, Senior Advisor of ATBC and Mr Alex Wu, the Wu Family Group in Taipei (From left to right)

   
   Ambassador Douglas Shen, 2nd on the left

   
   Chairman Wong of CSC, 3rd on the right

   

   
   Chairman Henry Kao, 3rd on the left (Back row)

2. Trip to Canberra – Wednesday 29th to 31st March
   • Vice Chairs Hon. Gary Hardgrave and Rowan Callick OBE, Mr John Kean OAM and I had lunch with Chairman Lyu, Bank of Taiwan and his staff on 29th March. We were rather astonished to lean that the Taiwanese Banks in Australia collectively did more than A$60 billion of loan and equity participation over the past years!
   • Vice Chairs Hon. Gary Hardgrave and Rowan Callick OBE and I met up with Ms Natasha Kassam, Senior Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Senator Penny Wong and Mr Ken Gordon, Senior Trade Advisor, Senator the Hon. Don Farrell and briefly with Minister Farrell himself on 29th March. ATBC offered to help sustain and build relations with Taiwan, including to arrange a business delegation for any minister (ideally Trade of course) who might travel to Taiwan and strongly urged that ministerial travel to resume!
   • CEO met up with Ms Ella Kinnear, Director, Taiwan Section, DFAT on 30th March;
   • CEO met up with Ms Angela Kuo, Executive Director, Economic Division, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia on 31st March. CEO urged both Australia and Taiwan governments that the Bilateral Economic Consultation (BEC) can be held back-to-back with the 36th Joint Conference in Taipei in mid-August (TBC);
   • Ambassador Charng hosted a lunch for CEO and his colleagues on 31st March.

   

   Chairman Lyu, 3rd on the left

3. Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ): Roundtable Discussion with the Treasurer Hon Cameron Dick MP – Thursday, 13th April 2023(In person and online – invitation only)
   Taiwan was Queensland’s sixth largest merchandise trading partner, valued at A$8.91 billion for 2022. It was a great opportunity for open discussion with Queensland Treasurer/Minister for Trade and Investment to strengthen trade and investment directly further with Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Brisbane and ATBC. The follow up event may be held around early October 2023 (TBC).
   
   Hon Cameron Dick MP with the Roundtable Discussion Delegation from Taiwan and Australia; Mr Edward Tao, Hon Cameron Dick MP and Chairman John Toigo (Left to Right)
4. Australia and Taiwan: Semiconductor Sector Outlook and Collaboration – Thursday, 8th June 2023 at Sparke Helmore Sydney (In person and online)
   Taiwan’s dominance of the chip industry makes it very important as almost everyone wants a piece of it! Investment NSW sent a delegation to Taiwan in February led by Professor Hugh Durant-Whyte, the Chief Scientist, and Semiconductor Sector Service Bureau (S3B) key personnel etc. They signed an MOU with the National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan (NSTC). This webinar is designed as a follow-up for a wider audience who are interested to find out more about how Australia and Taiwan can collaborate in the semiconductor sector. Registration is essential and the link will follow shortly.
5. ATBC AGM 2023 – Tuesday, 18th July 2023 (In person and online) – 50 Martin Place, Sydney
   The Macquarie Group once again will host this year’s AGM followed by the Business Luncheon at their Sydney HQ. The guest of honour at the lunch will be confirmed soon. Registration is essential for ATBC members and guests. Please do let me know ASAP if you can attend.
6. How can Australia and Taiwan complement each other in Advanced Manufacture? – Wednesday, 9th August 2023 in Melbourne (In person and online – venue to be confirmed & will include a joint webinar with Austrade Taiwan and MoEA)
   Manufacturing supply chains are becoming increasingly global with customisation and the integration of service offerings becoming the new norm. These product transformations are being driven by significant advances in digital connectivity and analytics, which are also playing a role in creating more efficient supply chains and factory floors. As key inputs become scarcer, and concerns grow over the known and unknown consequences of climate change, manufacturers are being forced to consider more sustainable operations and offerings. The Australian Government has committed to creating a new A$1 billion investment fund to support advanced manufacturing. https://www.globalaustralia.gov.au/industries/advanced-manufacturing.
   Taiwan Excellence believes that innovation makes a difference in everyone’s life.
   Excellence means creative designs that we use every day on the street, at work, at home. It’s the things we touch. It’s the things that touch us. Excellence means the technology that makes us healthy, keeps us moving, and gives our children a greener tomorrow.
   Thus, how can we make the most of the talent/innovation/ideas/know-how in Australia and Taiwan for a better result to advance our way of life? This webinar will present actual case collaborations between Australia and Taiwan in this area as well as exploring further opportunities and possibilities.
7. 36th Joint Conference of ATBC and ROCABC – Monday to Wednesday 14th to 16th August 2023 at the Shangri-la Far Eastern Hotel, Taipei (In person only)
   The 36th Joint Conference will be an in-person event held in Taipei. Registration will open soon. Please pencil this event into your diary as we sincerely hope you will join us.
   Conference Theme: “Taiwan-Australia: Resilient Energy”
   Topics:
   • Energy Transitions
   • Smart Agriculture
   • Wellbeing and Health
   • Circular Economy
   • Panel Discussion on Cyber Security

WORTH A MENTION

Mr Justin McGowan, CEO, Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ) 

Mr McGowan came to the position of CEO of TIQ in January 2023, bringing with him 25 years’ experience in the military, private industry and government.  We look forward to working with him in 2023.  We hosted a welcome dinner in his honour on Thursday 13th April 2023.

Mr Ray Lu, Director General, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Melbourne 

While we were saying thanks and good-bye to Mr Abraham Lin, Director General of TECO in Melbourne around late January 2023, we also welcomed Mr Ray Lu, who took over from Mr Lin in late February 2023. Ray was the Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Sydney around 2011.  We look forward to welcoming you in person and working with you in Melbourne soon.

Mr Edward Tao, Director General, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Brisbane

Mr Tao has been in Brisbane, Australia for two years, having come directly from Canada for his posting. He has been a great supporter of ATBC and very much respected in the Taiwanese communities in Brisbane, QLD and Darwin NT. He has a close relationship with the Queensland state government and local governments in both Queensland and the NT. His wit, sense of humour and tireless promotion of trade and investment between Queensland and Taiwan will be greatly missed!

Mr Edward Tao, Second on the left 

Remembering all those Australians who have served past and present.  We salute you, on this ANZAC Day 2023.  Lest we forget!

Please let us know if we can be of any assistance and look forward to working with you all.
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Ching-Mei Maddock

Chief Executive Officer    

19th December 2022