TEEMA and AmCham: Together for Further and Deeper Collaboration between Taiwan and US

By Jon Tsai, International Affairs Department of TEEMA

In order to strengthen the connection between TEEMA and AmCham as well as to discuss how we can cooperate on “Build Back Better Roundtable” event planned to be held from April 21st to 23rd, Chairman Richard Lee visited AmCham on February 25 to meet Chairperson Vincent Shih and President Andrew Wylegala for further cooperation possibilities.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham) is the most impactful and influential international business organization in Taiwan, with about 1,000 members from more than 500 companies in the global business community. Many members have been in Taiwan for decades and are deeply vested in the economy's success. Founded in 1951, the organization drives innovation with advocacy, networking, and information sharing. AmCham Taiwan cares deeply about innovation, competitiveness, efficient governance, democracy, and stability.
AmCham coordinates the activities of 25 industry committees that address advocacy issues and provide opportunities for professional and business development. AmCham works to strengthen the international business community with events that create valuable opportunities to network and share information. AmCham creates content – such as the monthly TOPICS magazine, White Paper and Business Climate Survey – that helps business leaders become better informed about Taiwan.
Since the start 0f 2020, TEEMA has been affected by issues such as geopolitics, regional wars, and COVID-19 pandemic. With the board of directors will be reelected on May 20th, Chairman Ricard Lee are laying long-term plans for not just TEEMA, but for the next elected chairman of TEEMA to follow through.
Furthermore, Chairman Richard Lee also shared some rough plans of future delegations to our friends from AmCham. United States has always been our focus because it is the country where most of Taiwan ICT sector's clients are located. Moreover, many Taiwanese companies have invested in states such as Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California just to name a few.
After the trading war between China and US, the total investment value from Taiwan to US has drastically increased, at around 6 billion dollars, US and Mexico border combined.
Nevertheless, TEEMA also planned delegation tours to Mexico, China, and India as well. The delegations to Mexico and China are pretty obvious: One stands as Taiwan's most invested country due to its close distance with US, while the other one still has over 70 of our member companies' factories. India is an optimal and feasible option for Taiwanese companies that are seeking investment opportunities outside of China. Chairman Richard Lee also stated that TEEMA will continue to serve as a platform connecting Taiwan and foreign companies or associations, assisting member manufacturers to expand their sales in overseas markets.