The first-ever Taiwan Expo will be held in New Delhi at the Pragati Maidan (Hall No: 11) from May 17-19, 2018, according to a recent announcement by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). Taipei World Trade Centre (TWTC) also launched its office in New Delhi with the objective of promoting trade between India and Taiwan.

India has emerged as an attractive target market for many Taiwanese companies – the result of its booming economy supported by demographic dividend and growing infrastructure that has recently been emphasising on smart cities. Propelled by the Taiwanese government's New Southbound Policy whereby India is a prominent focus, bilateral trade between the two countries reached US$6 billion in 2017, marking a 28% year-on-year increase.

Taiwan Expo that made its debut in ASEAN countries last year was a huge success and has created a mark in the global exposition market. The Indian edition of the expo will showcase Taiwan’s latest technologies, eco-friendly products besides offering a much-needed platform to boost ties in cultural, tourism and educational fields between the two countries.

“The prime objective of the Taiwan Expos is to create a platform to encourage cooperation between different industrial verticals leveraging on Taiwan’s advanced technology and industry experience. It is heartening to see that there has been a growth in trade and economic ties between India and Taiwan over the years. Trade between the two sides increased from US $1.2 billion in 2000 to $ 6 billion in 2016 and there are nearly 90 Taiwanese companies working in different sectors of the Indian economy,” said Walter M S Yeh, President & CEO of TAITRA, who also stressed that there is a scope to create synergies between India’s Act East policy and Taiwan’s Southbound policy.

"I have to confess that we (Taiwan) have not paid enough attention to India in the past. But things have changed a lot in the past few years... Yes, we are late, but it is never too late if we are determined to catch up," Taipei World Trade Centre Chairman James CF Huang said addressing the press conference in New Delhi. The press conference also witnessed an insightful presentation by Vincent Chang, Sales Head of Asia Pacific and Intercontinental Region, Advantech on ‘Embracing the Industry 4.0 Opportunity’.

Taiwan Expo in New Delhi will feature eight themed pavilions along with eight specialised industry exhibition areas dedicated to diverse industry verticals including green products, smart cities, EV Alliance, healthcare, tourism, food processing machinery, textiles, automobiles, sports, agriculture, ICT products, Mandarin education and business service. Around 130 handpicked vendors from Taiwan will present their high-quality products and services at the much-awaited event.

Mr Yeh highlighted that the Taiwan electric vehicle alliance can supply all key components for building electric vehicles in India, as the country looks to ramp up its use of electric vehicles.

India is one of the five countries apart from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia where Taiwan Expo is being organised this year. India had last year signed an industrial cooperation agreement with Taiwan. The bilateral trade was worth USD 6.3 billion in 2017.

"Considering the close economic ties between the two countries, we expect the annual trade will grow manifolds in the years to come on the back of our fresh investments. Taiwan Expo is being organised in India at a very conducive time when many companies in both the countries are keen to tie-up with each other for economic benefits," concluded Yeh.