Taiwan committed to striving for a brighter future for Asia-Pacific

This article was written by Ho Mei-yueh and published by the Taiwan Journal on November 11, 2005. It reports that in recent years, Taiwan has worked hard to promote the principles of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation in the Asia-Pacific region. Taiwan has also been advocating for a free and open regional market and investment environment.

Taiwan began adopting economic internationalization and liberalization policies in the 1980s. The country initiated its application for accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1990. By the time Taiwan formally entered the WTO in 2002, the country's trade laws and regulations were in conformance with international norms and transparency principles.

In recent years, Taiwan has worked hard to develop a knowledge-based economy and to help APEC members develop their economies. In 2005, a total of 15 APEC meetings and activities were held in Taiwan. These include the APEC Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) Week, the APEC Nanoscale Measurement Technology Forum, and the APEC Biotechnology Conference. Meanwhile, Taiwan's information and communications technology (ICT) experts have been working with ADOC partner economies to conduct ICT Elite Camp training courses.

Other details about Taiwan's commitment to work with APEC member economies on issues such as countering terrorism, environmental protection and disease prevention are provided in this article.

Ho Mei-yueh is the Minister of Economic Affairs in Taiwan