TAIPEI: The Ministry of Economic Affairs has set a goal of attracting US$11 billion in foreign investments in 2015, an increase of nearly 2 percent from last year, as it gears up to send delegations overseas to encourage foreign companies and individuals to invest in Taiwan.
The MOEA said that the 2015 goal in foreign direct investments (FDI) will be 1.9 percent higher than the goal in 2014, when Taiwan secured a total of US$10.81 billion in FDI, slightly higher than the year’s target of US$10.8 billion.
The ministry said that Economics Minister Deng Chen-chung and his deputies are expected to lead delegations to Europe, the United States and Japan in a bid to introduce the business environment in Taiwan to potential foreign investors.
It said that the government welcomes foreign investment in a wide range of industries, such as wind power development, electric car production, mobile communications services, semiconductor production equipment supply, logistics and biotech research.
The government also hopes that foreign investors will participate in the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project which aims to develop Taiwan into a regional transportation and logistics hub.
In addition, it will encourage foreign investors to team up with local enterprises to set up research and development centers in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the MOEA said that it has also set a goal of boosting domestic private investments in Taiwan to NT$1.4 trillion in 2015, up from NT$1.304 trillion recorded a year earlier.
The MOEA said that among the businesses which are expected to raise their investments in 2015, the electricity supply sector could hike its investments by NT$9 billion from a year earlier, the information technology sector could increase funds by NT$50 billion year-on-year, and the metal and machinery sector is likely to add NT$25 billion in investments.
Last year, the high-tech sector contributed most to the total private investment, the MOEA said. Electronics heavyweights, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, smartphone camera lens maker Largan Precision Co, and integrated circuit packaging and testing services provider Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc were among the largest investors in the year.
