Taiwan Trade Center opened

The Taiwan Trade Center in Jakarta was officially opened on Monday that will fulfill the increasing need from both Taiwanese and Indonesian entrepreneurs to exploit potential business opportunities, in line with the recent improvement in trade and investment between the two countries.

The opening was marked by the cutting of a red ribbon by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce's economic cooperation committee chairman Steve Sondakh, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) president Yuen-Chuan Chao, representative of the Taipei Economic and Trade Office (TETO) in Indonesia, David Y.L. Lin and Jakarta-Taiwanese Businessmen's Club chairman Yung Fung Lee.

There are some 1,000 Taiwanese businesses operating in Indonesia, contributing to last year's US$5.97 billion two-way trade between the countries, an increase of some 35 percent from the previous year, Chao said.

Taiwanese investments in Indonesia have accumulated to $12.98 billion as of last year, making Taiwan among Indonesia's top-10 sources of foreign investment. Indonesia is now Taiwan's second largest investment destination after China.

Some 300,000 Taiwanese tourists visit Indonesia every year, third after Japan and Australia.

"We hope the opening of the center will attract more Taiwanese businesses to undertake trade and investment in Indonesia, vice versa," Chao said.

The Taiwan Trade Center, located on the 16th floor of the GKBI Building on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta, will promote bilateral trade and investment opportunities between Indonesia and Taiwan, and assist in establishing strategic business partnerships between the two countries.

The Taiwan Trade Center in Jakarta is TAITRA's 36th overseas office worldwide. -- JP