Pretoria - Taiwan has plenty of business opportunities, especially in the agro-processing and jewellery sectors, says Director of the Department of International Cooperation in Taiwan, I-Min Tong.
Tong was addressing South Africa’s business delegation that arrived in the country on the second leg of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Outward Selling and Investment Mission (OSIM).
In his address to the delegation, which represents 18 companies, Tong said South African agricultural products are popular.
“South African agricultural products, especially wines and grapes, are very popular in Taiwan. This has been the case for a number of years which has seen Taiwan increasingly importing most of these products from South Africa,” said Tong at trade and investment seminar held on Thursday.
He added that the export of finished products from South Africa to Taiwan did not mean that Taiwan and South Africa could not collaborate in the food processing industry in particular.
“Taiwan has advanced technology when it comes to food processing and the exchange of skills and technology can assist South Africa to be on par with other countries and develop its agricultural processing industry further,” he said.
The investment mission would generate more bilateral cooperation that would create more trade and investment opportunities for South Africa and Taiwan.
The Chief Director for International Trade and Economic Development at the dti, Victor Mashabela, said the department was meeting with the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan during the OSIM to deepen bilateral trade relations.
Mashabela said the economic consultation meetings focussed on cooperation on a number of sectors including the ones represented in the OSIM, and strengthening investment promotion for Taiwan and South Africa.
“The economic consultation with Taiwan will give South African businesses more options and opportunities when they want to enter and explore the Taiwanese market,” said Mashabela.
The SA delegation will today (Friday) visit different sites in and around Taipei covering various sectors which are represented by the delegation. These include ago-processing, jewellery and the automotive sectors.
The investment mission, which profiles South Africa as an investment destination, kicked off in Thailand on Monday.
The delegation arrived in Taipei on Wednesday. – SAnews.gov.za
