Senior
German representatives share their outlook on Taiwan’s politics, economy,
and
industries for 2019.
The
German Trade Office Taipei hosted its annual GTO Outlook event, which brought
together members of the Taiwanese-German business community, including
business partners, experts, and professionals from different industries to
discuss and evaluate on Taiwan’s economic perspectives in 2019. The
discussion was followed by the Wirtschaftsstammtisch, a traditional
networking event that provided opportunity to meet new contacts and network
among the German-Taiwanese business community.
Mr.
Axel Limberg, Executive Director and Chief Representative of the German Trade
Office Taipei welcomed over 110 guests at the event, including the four
speakers of the event who elaborated on the outlook of various industries:
·
Dr. Thomas Prinz, Director General of the German Institute
Taipei
·
Mr. Erdal Elver, President & CEO of Siemens Limited Taiwan
·
Mr. Michael Grewe, President & CEO of Mercedes Benz Taiwan
Ltd.
·
Mr. Dick Hsieh, President & Managing Director of Merck Ltd.
In his
presentation, Mr. Limberg referred to the GTO Business Confidence Survey conducted
in November 2018, which showed that the business climate in Taiwan is still regarded as
positive, but also revealed challenges, particularly in regards to the
recruitment of professional staff.
Mr.
Limberg thus stated: “The majority of German companies still face a shortage
of qualified staff. Based on the results of our Business Confidence Survey, we
recommend an active dialogue between the Taiwanese government and the
industry, in order to implement a system of dual vocational training, which would
be able to ease current recruitment problems.”
He further
noted that the focus of the German Trade Office Taipei in 2019 will not only
be the further improvement of GTO services but also smart machinery and
energy transition as in previous years, in order to strengthen and highlight
German quality and the quality label Made in Germany. Furthermore, he pointed
to several upcoming projects, including the Traction Battery Storage and
Charging Infrastructure Delegation to Germany in July and an Offshore Wind
Energy Delegation to Taiwan in September.
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