Taiwan businesses find favorable environment, warm welcome in Wuhan

Taiwan businesspeople have expressed growing interest in investing in Wuhan, the capital of central China's Hubei province, due to its favorable business environment, rich natural resources and diverse talent pool.

They made the remarks at a promotional event in Beijing on Thursday at which officials from Wuhan introduced policies for Taiwan businesses in the city, aiming to facilitate cross-Strait economic exchange and communication.

Liu Hongming, the director of Wuhan's Taiwan Affairs Office, said communication and cooperation between Wuhan and Taiwan had deepened in recent years, yielding fruitful results.

He said the city would implement policies to optimize the investment environment and provide a better living and working environment for Taiwan compatriots in Wuhan.

Taiwan entrepreneur Wu Chih-jung, who runs a popular science education company in Wuhan, shared his success story with other businesspeople at the event and said the city was now his "second home".

Wu used to work in Taiwan's education department but quit that job in 2015 to chase his business dream in Wuhan after learning about its advantageous geographical location, abundant talent, and improved supportive measures.

He said his company had provided scientific teaching services to over 3,000 mainland schools over the past eight years, and he had also attracted and helped about 150 young Taiwan people to work on the mainland.

Reflecting on his decision to move to Wuhan, Wu said, "I achieved a life transformation, all thanks to the right decision I made back then."

Another Taiwan businessperson, Liu Jianmin, who is general manager of Wistron, an information technology service company, said Wuhan was an attractive city for Taiwan investment due to its favorable business environment and the ready availability of high-quality talents.

After establishing a branch in Wuhan in 2003, the company moved its headquarters there in 2018. By 2022, its annual business turnover had reached 1.28 billion yuan ($175 million).

Liu said his company benefited a lot from Wuhan's quality education resources, with many senior executives coming from Hubei province, and he would continue to invest in Wuhan.

Many Taiwan businesspeople attending the event said they intended to invest, establish roots, and develop in the city.

Lee Hsu-heng, who visited Wuhan recently, said he was fascinated by the city's cuisine and flourishing service industry.

Lee, who runs a design company that services major restaurant brands' overseas shops, said he looked forward to cooperate with Wuhan's catering industry to promote the local cuisine to the world.