第十七台印尼經濟合作會議專輯  

附件六 經濟部梁次長國新專題致詞稿

Keynote Speech
by
Francis Kuo-Hsin Liang
Vice Minister of Economic Affairs
The 17th Joint Economic Cooperation Conference
Between Indonesia and Taiwan

Chairman Wen-Ent PAN of the Indonesia Committee of the Chinese
International Economic Cooperation Association, Chairman Agum
GUMELAR of the Taiwan Committee of the Indonesian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, Representative Harmen SEMBIRING of the
Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei, Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good morning to you all.
It is a great honor for me to be invited here today for the 17th Joint Economic Cooperation Conference between Taiwan and Indonesia. On behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, I would like to convey my warmest welcome to the members of the Indonesian delegation who have traveled such a long distance to join us today. I also wish to express my heartfelt appreciation to Chairman Wenent Pan and the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association for their efforts in making this conference possible.

Taiwan and Indonesia have long maintained close economic and trade relations. Based on our customs statistics, Indonesia in 2010 ranked as our 11th largest trading partner, 11th leading source of imports and 13th largest export market. Total bilateral trade between Taiwan and Indonesia amounted to 10.5 billion US dollars last year, marking an increase of 25.37% over the figure for 2009. Taiwan’s exports to Indonesia rose 39.79% to 4.5 billion US dollars, while Taiwan’s imports from Indonesiaincreased 16.39% to 6.03 billion US dollars.

The investment relationship between Taiwan and Indonesia has been equally strong. Statistics compiled by our Investment Commission indicate that Indonesia had made 271 investments in Taiwan, with a total value of 107.9 million US, dollars as of December 2010. According to our
Department of Investment Services, as of the end of 2010, Taiwan’s total investment in Indonesia was valued at 13.96 billion US dollars involving 1,291 cases, making Taiwan the eighth-largest investor in Indonesia.

Much of this investment has been concentrated in the paper, textile, footwear, non-ferrous mineral, metalworking, trade services, and agricultural sectors. These figures underscore the extremely close
investment ties that connect our two economies.

At present, our government's economic strategy, via the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with mainland China, is to strengthen Taiwan, link with the Asia-Pacific region, and deploy globally, thereby creating a golden decade for the country. The ECFA,
which was signed on June 29 of last year and came into effect on September 12, is regarded as the most important agreement between Taiwan and mainland China in the past 60 years and viewed as a useful tool in promoting regional economic integration and the peaceful development of cross-strait relations. The accord will help strengthen Taiwan’s economic relations with ASEAN countries, as well as increase its investments in these countries.

The Taiwan government has been helping domestic enterprises to diversify their overseas investments and reduce their over-reliance on a limited number of markets. Stricter investment policies, legislative restrictions and the RMB revaluation in mainland China have driven many Taiwanese investors to relocate to neighboring countries, such as Indonesia.

Despite the recent global financial crisis, the Indonesian economy has performed very well over the past several years. Under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s able leadership, Indonesia has achieved stronger economic growth than many of its neighboring countries. At the same time, it has become one of the leading countries in the world in terms of future development potential. For this reason, our government has designated Indonesia as one of the priority countries with which to promote trade and investment. Indonesia is a country bestowed with abundant natural resources, while Taiwan possesses strengths in hi-tech research and development, as well as the ability to ommercialize new innovations.

Given the complimentary nature of our economies and their relative competitiveness, I believe that our respective business communities can work together to create a win-win situation for both sides.

Distinguished guests, today’s conference provides an excellent opportunity for constructive interaction in this regard. I am also confident that through such exchanges, the economic and investment partnership between Taiwan and Indonesia will continue to move forward. In conclusion, I
would like to wish complete success for this conference, continued prosperity for both Indonesia and Taiwan, as well as good health to all of you.
Thank you for your time!