Strategic Economic Hub in Asia Pacific
Taiwan is located just east of Mainland China, the center of global economic growth and the world''''s second largest economy, south of Japan, the world''''s third largest economy, east of the United States, the world''''s largest economy, and north of the ten ASEAN countries. It occupies a critical strategic location in Asia.
As a transportation hub in Asia Pacific between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia, Taiwan has first-rate international airports and ports and is well-connected to other countries. The average flight time from Taipei to major cities in Western Pacific such as Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore is only 2.55 hours.
The average voyage time from the Port of Kaohsiung, the 15th largest in the world, to five major ports including Manila, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo is approximately 53 hours. It is an important bridge between Europe, United States, Japan and the emerging Asian markets, and a top choice for operation centers of multinational companies in Asia Pacific.
Outstanding International Rankings
The investment environment in Taiwan has received significant international recognition.。
- It ranked 7th in World Competitiveness (International Institute for Management Development (IMD) 2022).
- Taiwan ranked 4th globally and 2nd in Asia in the Investment Environment Risk Assessment Report (Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI), 2021).
- It ranked 16th globally in the IMD World Talent Ranking 2021.
- It ranked 6th in the world in the Index of Economic Freedom (Heritage Foundation, 2021).
Strong Industrial Clusters
Taiwan has a comprehensive upstream, midstream, and downstream supply chain that rapidly supports all customer demand and provide customized components. It makes Taiwanese products competitive in both quality and quantity and it is an important niche for attracting foreign investors to Taiwan.
The rapid development of industrial clusters has made Taiwan the second largest producer of IT hardware equipment in the world. Its foundry and packaging & testing industries ranks first in the world, its IC design industry ranks second, and its PC products rank third. In addition, international companies such as Google, Microsoft, ASML, and Ørsted have increased their investments in Taiwan to intensify collaboration in R&D, advanced manufacturing, and industry collaboration in Taiwan.
High-quality Human Resources
Taiwan''''s government continues to promote the creation of world-class universities and top research institutions. It is committed to transforming Taiwan into a center of tertiary education in East Asia and a major exporter of Chinese language and culture to satisfy the demand of multinational companies for advancing into the Asia Pacific market. According to the "IMD World Talent Ranking 2021", Taiwan ranked 16th in 64 economies included in the assessment and it ranked third in Asia, trailing only Hong Kong and Singapore.
As a major hub of the global high-tech industry, Taiwan ranked first in total R&D personnel per capita in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2021. The results demonstrated that Taiwan has continued to develop tertiary education and R&D talents. Tech giants such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have increased their investments in Taiwan in recent years by setting up innovation centers to recruit more local talents.
Comprehensive Infrastructure
Taiwan has constructed a comprehensive transportation network with advanced railways, roads, and urban mass rapid transportation to create a one-day living circle by shortening the distance between northern and southern Taiwan. It has also demonstrated efficiency in business, warehousing and storage, and other forms of transportation.
Taiwan also has relatively cheap water, electricity, and telecommunication facilities with nearly 100% availability.
Taiwan ranked first in the world in mobile broadband user market share and third in the penetration rate of smart phones in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2021. Overall Internet adoption is high and its advanced digital technologies are one of the key reasons that attract foreign investment.
Healthy Legal System Consistent with Global Trends
Taiwan has a healthy legal system with a predictable and stable business environment. Its business regulations have been rapidly adjusted to meet international trends to protect the rights and interests of investors. Foreign investors in Taiwan are also protected by the "Statute for Investment by Foreign Nationals".
Taiwan also has an open and transparent system for intellectual property rights. To protect intellectual property rights, Taiwan has established a professional Intellectual Property Court and the Intellectual Property Rights Police Team to crack down on counterfeiting and piracy. Taiwan offers comprehensive and friendly protection of intellectual property rights which meet the basic requirements in international conventions and are reviewed and revised in accordance with changes in the industry and international legislation for intellectual property rights. Taiwan also continues to enhance the effectiveness and quality of patent and trademark reviews and optimizes the online application and inquiry system to provide better services to businesses.
According to the "2021 Index of Economic Freedom" published by the U.S. Heritage Foundation, Taiwan ranked 6th among the 184 economies across the world, which was a significant improvement of 5 ranks compared to 2020. It shows that the results of the free and open economy, an ethical and able government, and improved legal system have won the recognition of multinational companies and rights holder groups.
Abundant Capacity for Innovation
With resource integration between different government agencies and joint participation of the private sector, Taiwan''''s startup ecosystem has gradually won international recognition. According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index Report 2021 published by the international startup research center StartupBlink, Taiwan ranked 26th in the world and 7th in Asia among 100 surveyed countries. Taiwan ranks among the top in the world including 14th in hardware & IoT and 15th in health tech.
Friendly and Comfortable Living Environment
Taiwan is a subtropical country with stable weather conditions in all seasons. It also offers great medical services and convenient consumer access. According to the "Expat Insider 2021" survey conducted by InterNations, the largest expat website in the world, Taiwan was ranked first as best destination in the world for expatriates for three consecutive years with over 90% satisfaction rate for safety, healthcare, affordability, and friendliness of the people.
