Taiwan promotes green industry as a new driving force of the country's export growth, according to Walter Yeh, the President and CEO of the country's nonprofit trade promoting organization, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).
In a recent meeting organized by TAITRA in Taiwanese capital city Taipei, Yeh told Anadolu Agency that to strengthen international marketing of the country's green industry, the government launched the 'Green Trade Promotion Program' in 2011.
Supported by the Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), 'Green Trade Promotion Program' is as a central platform for Taiwan’s green trade affairs.
'We are in a time of global energy transition and green energy is the new engine driving economic development,' Yeh said.
'Taiwan's solar cell industry inside the solar energy industry accounts for about 10 percent of the global solar cell production, second only to mainland China. Taiwanese companies, such as Motech, Gintech and Neo Solar Power are among the top 10 solar cell manufacturers in the world,' he added.
The government assists green industry through industrial transformation of '5+2 Industrial Innovation Plan', which aims to transform Taiwan's manufacturing towards high value-added serve and solutions to spur domestic economic growth and industrial development.
'This reflects the importance of green industry in the role of domestic economic growth and industrial development. We must drive growth through supporting Taiwan green industries to expand its exports,' he explained.
'Many companies have upgraded their business model for solar panels from quantity to a more value-added whole-plant solutions, incorporating development of related products such as portable storage and charging equipment. Through innovations and technological breakthroughs, Taiwan manufacturers capture major overseas markets', Yeh informed.
The organization hopes to help Taiwan's green industry in cultivating its strength, to connect with the international market and to enhance the overall green industry image of Taiwan.
The Green Trade Project Office (GTPO), which works as the primary think tank and accelerator established to help craft policies to support development of green trade in Taiwan, is the office in charge of implementation of 'Green Trade Promotion Program', while TAITRA is responsible for the operation of the GTPO and its implementation of the program.
Although renewable energy is the key promotional items, GTPO also covers different categories such as energy saving solutions, recycling of resources, environmental protection equipment and low-carbon transportation.
- Taiwan's green energy transition
Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011 tempered public sentiment towards nuclear power in Taiwan, causing the government to use more natural gas and renewable sources to feed the power supply.
In May 2016, when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen took office, the country's ministry of economic affairs announced a new energy policy, aimed at phasing out nuclear energy and increasing the share of renewables in electricity generation to 20 percent by 2025.
By Firdevs Yuksel in Taipei
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr