PETALING JAYA: This year’s Taiwan Expo in Malaysia, which starts tomorrow until Friday, will be the largest of the Taiwan Expo series given the close relationship between Taiwan and Malaysia.
Organised by Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (Taitra), Taiwan Expo has become the best platform for companies of Taiwan, Asean and New Southbound Policy countries to explore business opportunities.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Taitra has shifted its promotional events to online activities, such as online product launches, Taiwan Expo Online Series, online business matching sessions and more. This aims to boost economic activities amid the global standstill, maintaining contact and continuing the cooperative relationship between Taiwan & Malaysia that both have worked hard to build.
“We have completed three Taiwan Expo online so far, in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. Each time, it has attracted more than 200 buyers to participate in the online conferences, and more than 400 one-on-one online business matching sessions were conducted in each expo. Although Taiwanese exhibitors are not able to go to the respective countries, this doesn’t stop the business cooperation from both sides.
“We’d like to take this time to invite Malaysian buyers to tune in to the annual Taiwan Excellence Award Ceremony as well, which will be broadcasted live during the first day of the expo. A Taiwanese halal product launch will be conducted to meet the Malaysian halal market needs. Through the product introduction sessions, we hope that you’ll be able to find out more about each product and their specialities,“ said Taitra.
Malaysia was Taiwan’s seventh largest trading partner in 2019, accounting for 3.22% of Taiwan’s total trade volume. Malaysia is also Taiwan’s eighth largest exporter, accounting for 2.86% of Taiwan’s total exports. In addition to that, Malaysia is Taiwan’s fifth largest importer, accounting for 3.65% of Taiwan’s total imports.
Taiwan and Malaysia have both achieved good results in controlling the pandemic, yet, bilateral trade has not been carried out as frequently as in the past. Compared to the same period in previous years, this has caused the import and export trade volume from January to September 2020 to reduce by about 3-4%.
Last year, Taiwan Expo in Malaysia was held in Penang. The exhibition hosted 110 booths from 140 exhibitors, bringing a crowd of nearly 20,000 and business opportunities worth US$146 million (RM597 million). In addition, 448 one-on-one business matching sessions were conducted, bringing together businesses from both countries.
This year, Taitra has enabled a special virtual reality (VR) tour on the homepage of Taiwan Expo, giving visitors the feel of actually arriving at the exhibition hall and browsing through the product area. All products will be exhibited in 3D VR, and there will be more than 100 virtual booths. Each virtual booth represents each companies’ virtual identity.
Visitors can follow the Taiwanese videos presented on the homepage, be it cultural or economic and trade background, to gain a better understanding of how Taiwanese businessmen have come a long way to where they are today in applying the latest high-end technology. Many products are made in Taiwan – from food, clothing to anti-epidemic products, making Taiwan an indispensable key partner in the global industrial chain.
“We’re expecting that the number of page views and Malaysian visitors to reach 10,000,“ said Taitra.
There will be 200 exhibitors across seven major pillars: Taiwan food, Taiwan lifestyles, health care & beauty, gadgets & Green tech, Industry 4.0, tourism, and Taiwan halal.
Additionally, there will be 13 themed pavilions, among which the most unique is the Taiwan Global Anti-Covid-19 Pavilion. To meet the current pandemic prevention needs, many Taiwanese anti-pandemic products and technologies will be showcased to provide Malaysian counterparts with further collaboration opportunities.
Nineteen (19) halal products will be exhibited this time, including halal certified snacks, raw materials and condiments, with a number of exhibition participants looking for a suitable partner in Malaysia.
Taiwan is not a Muslim country, but it is as an open and pluralistic society. According to the 2019 Global Muslim Tourism Index by MasterCard-Crescent Rating, Taiwan is listed as the third non-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation tourist destination.
“Taking into account the Muslims’ lifestyle such as their eating and worshiping habits, we also try to plan Muslim-friendly itineraries and are working to strengthen the halal concept in the F&B industry, like preparing raw materials according to the guidelines and using exclusive cooking equipment. Although the halal certification is rigorous, it is not as complicated as one might imagine. As long as you understand the basic Muslim teachings, you can prepare meals that meet the needs of Muslims with empathy, making Taiwan a friendly tourist destination for Muslims,“ said Taitra.
There are currently about 700 halal product manufacturers in Taiwan that serve the global halal market. Additionally, there are also 285 halal restaurants, Muslim-friendly restaurants and hotels in Taiwan, including five-star hotels, leisure farms and street food, increasing the diversity of Muslim dining options.
Visit Taiwan Expo in Malaysia Online http://taiwanexpo.online.
For more information, please contact Taiwan Trade Center KL office at: 60(3) - 20312388 or email: kl@taitra.org.tw
