TAIWAN - Taiwan has signed an Economic Co-operation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China. The agreement, signed on 29 June, is meant to help ‘normalise’ trade between China and Taiwan, which has been limited until now. It will also encourage international businesses to host their conferences and exhibitions in Taiwan by making it easier for Taiwan to sign free trade agreements (FTAs).
According to BOFT, the signing of the agreement will attract Chinese enterprises to the country to hold conferences and exhibitions.
“The Taiwan market is small and therefore the scale of conference enterprises is also small,” said Nieh Kuo-wei, director general of the Taiwan Convention and Exhibition Association. “After the signing of the ECFA, the next step is to sign FTAs. Taiwan can extend its exports to the entire Southeast Asia once the FTAs are signed.”
The agreement aims to develop Taiwan’s MICE industry as well as other industries by giving it an edge on the global market.
Also in Taiwan, the Taiwan Exhibition and Convention Industry Show is scheduled to take place at the Taipei World Trade Centre from 6 to 8 October, 2010. The show was organised by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council at the request of the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, following the success of the inaugural 2009 edition.
The organiser will at the same time host the Asia MICE Forum at the nearby Taipei Convention and Exhibition Centre.
BOFT’s Taiwan MICE Advancement Programme will also participate in the exhibition with four stands : the MICE Overall Implementation Project, MICE International Marketing and Promotion Project, MICE International Meetings Hosting Project and MICE Training and Certification Project.
Last year, the exhibition attracted 5,071 visitors.
