Central Taiwan's Chungkang Export Processing Zone Exceeds 2015 Investment-soliciting Goal

The Chungkang Export Processing Zone in central Taiwan, one of several export processing zones on the island, reported fruitful results from its 2015 program to attract investments, including 18 new or capital-increase investment projects that totaled about NT$7.63 billion (US$229.7 million), outstripping its original goal, according to the Export Processing Zone Administration (EPZA) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

Liang Yu-wen, director general of EPZA's Chungkang branch, pointed out that after aggressive efforts by his branch and continued help from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (TFRI) of the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture, over the last 10-plus years the Chungkang zone in central Taiwan's western coast has overcome severe environmental challenges such as destructive wind, sand, saline fog and unstable soil. But now, he added, the Chungkang Export Processing Zone has evolved into a coastal green-garden model, in which the companies compete to show off fruitful achievements in greening the environment, which will be voted online and chosen by judges for awards.

In addition to successfully achieving the annual investment-soliciting goal and ample results in environmental greening, Liang added, the Chungkang branch has been promoting various projects to make the area more attractive to local and foreign investors. The programs most widely lauded include: 1. Cross-field industry-academic cooperation plans that involve the branch office to help companies in the zone find talents, qualified workforce from various educational institutes, by encouraging companies to provide scholarships and job opportunities. 2. The branch has been encouraging enterprises in the zone to construct employee dormitories (by end of February some 588 beds in 105 rooms will be available), as well as introducing convenient-store chains to set up points in the zone to upgrade lifestyle and convenience for workers in the area.

The branch director-general says the Chungkang Export Processing Zone will continue to provide the best services to meet resident companies' expectations toward development and prospects for the zone. 

To help develop Taiwan into an Asia-Pacific regional operations center and expand its functions in transportation, processing and re-export, the MOEA has selected the Taichung Harbor Area as the site to establish the Chungkang Export Processing Zone. Positioning the center as an international operation, cooperation and transportation hub, the Chungkang Export Processing Zone bridges domestic and international production lines to help boost Taiwan's continual development into a tech-industry island. The zone has also been planned on the basis of manufacturing and lifestyle industries, coupled with the operations of marine and aviation transportation, warehousing, packing/unpacking, processing, reassembly, certification, tagging, packaging and delivery to diversify the functions of the harbor area and enhance added-value of products made, handled and processed there. 

Furthermore, the zone also promotes the growth of R&D, design, finance, international trade, customs clearance, insurance and other related industries to collectively develop into a value-added industrial park for global logistics.