More Taiwan firms tap mainland market via import expo

SHANGHAI -- A surging number of enterprises from Taiwan are using the ongoing second China International Import Expo (CIIE) as a gateway to tap into the Chinese mainland market.

A total of 124 firms from Taiwan are marketing their products at this year's expo, up roughly 70 percent over the first CIIE, according to the Mainland Association for Cross-Strait Economic and Trade Exchanges in charge of introducing Taiwan enterprises to the CIIE.

The firms take up an exhibition area of about 3,300 square meters and showcase products in eight categories including lifestyle, farm produce and service trade.

"The CIIE is surely an opportunity that we cannot afford to miss," said Noel Chang, vice president of Prince Group Auto21. "The expo can be a fast track into the mainland market and also a platform to approach business opportunities across the world."

After the fruitful participation in last year's CIIE, this year Prince Group Auto21 brought more of its latest products, such as gesture-recognition solutions, AI-assisted material handling systems and cosmetic surgery procedures.

This year the CIIE also organized a promotion event enabling food companies from Taiwan to meet potential mainland buyers. More than 70 firms from Taiwan have discussed business with leading online shopping platforms and over 60 off-line dealers from the mainland.

For Fresh Life Enterprise Co. Ltd., a Taiwan-based juice company, the reason it actively signed up for the CIIE was to expand its supplier pool.

"The CIIE is a good platform for us to meet suppliers from across the world and find more high-quality fruits," Chen Chien-sheng, a senior executive with the company's Kunshan branch. Fresh Life owns several factories in the mainland and has become a leading supplier for restaurants, hotels, cafes, as well as drink and diary firms here.

A day before the CIIE opened, the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office and the National Development and Reform Commission unveiled measures to further promote economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait.

Half of the 26 measures are about ensuring enterprises from Taiwan receive the same treatment as those from the mainland, including investing or participating in projects of major technological equipment, 5G, circular economy, civil aviation, theme parks and new types of financial institutions. The other 13 measures concern the same treatment for compatriots from Taiwan as those from the mainland.

"The mainland market is key to business people from Taiwan. We come here to share the development opportunities of the mainland but behind the business lies our profound bond of kinship," Chang said.