Taiwan holds international forum to attract foreign investment

Aug 23, 2010, 10:29 GMT

Taipei - Taiwan on Monday opened a forum to attract foreign investment in an effort to end the island's international isolation and economic marginalization.

President Ma Ying-jeou opened the forum - attended by some 1,000 delegates, including 141 foreign investors - at a Taipei hotel.

Ma said Taiwan used to be excluded from Asia-Pacific economic integration, but the situation changed when Taiwan signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China on June 29.

The signing of the deal has not only improved cross-Strait ties, but also prompted countries which do not have diplomatic ties with Taipei to consider signing free-trade agreements (FTA) with Taiwan.

Singapore expressed such willingness on August 5, he noted.

'All World Trade Organization members have the chance to sign an FTA with Taiwan, so long as our trade is complementary. Our goal is to turn Taiwan into the Asia-Pacific economic hub and an international innovation centre,' he said.

After Taipei, the forum is to move around the country to Taichung, Kaohsiung, Hualien and Taitung before ending on September 7.

At the forum, Taiwan officials and business representatives are to brief foreign investors on 85 investment projects, worth 14 billion US dollars.

They include biotechnology, medicine, the food industry, aerospace and digital innovation.