Taiwanese enterprises to boost trade with South Asia

KUNMING -- The Taiwanese exhibition "Taiwan Excellence" opened Thursday at the first China-South Asia Expo being held in southwest China's Yunnan province, aimed at boosting trade and exchanges with South Asia.

M.S.Yeh, executive vice president of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, said Yunnan is a bridge connecting China with both South Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"Many local Yunnan companies expect to form partnerships with their Taiwanese counterparts," Yeh said.

Over 120 Taiwanese companies are participating in the expo.

"We brought Yunnan our best products to establish more Chinese and foreign business partnerships," Yeh added.

Leon Chang, sales director of a Taiwanese medical manufacturer, said Yunnan offers a unique positional advantage for medium- and small-sized enterprises that wish to join hands with South Asian companies.

"Medical device manufacturing is extremely weak in most of southern Asia," Chang said. "This has created huge market for us."

The exhibition was also featured at the second Yunnan-Taiwan Symposium on Trade and Cultural Exchanges, which opened on Monday.

Some 22 agreements in the areas of agriculture, tourism, e-commerce, education and biotechnology were made between Yunnan and Taiwan at the symposium, with a total investment of $2.65 billion.

Trade volume between Yunnan and Taiwan stood at $272 million in 2012, up 103.7 percent year-on-year, according to data from Yunnan's commerce authority.

Chen Lijun, director South Asia research at the Yunnan Academy of Social Science, said Yunnan has become a window for China-South Asia cooperation.

Vice Premier Ma Kai said at the expo's opening ceremony that the event provides a platform for China and South Asian countries to enhance understanding and communication.

He said China will accelerate the opening up of inland areas in order to deepen collaboration between China and neighboring countries.

He also highlighted cooperation among China, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh as part of an economic corridor discussed by Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to India in May.