Alexander Tah-ray Yui
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
Republic of China (Taiwan)
November 4, 2021
(As delivered)
Ladies and gentlemen:
Greetings from Taipei!
Last year, witnessed by Taiwan's Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu and Somaliland's then Foreign Minister Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Faraton, Taiwan and Somaliland formally established representative offices in each other's countries. Taiwan's Representative Office in Somaliland held the first Taiwan Expo soon afterwards. Working with the Somaliland government, it also started to implement a series of technical cooperation projects in such areas as energy, ICT, education, agriculture, and medicine in the hope of sharing prosperity in a transparent, responsible, and sustainable manner.
This year, based on the foundation of our collaboration with Somaliland, Taiwan is exploring opportunities for exchanges with Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda—East African countries that share with us the universal values of democracy and freedom. Our hope is to build up mutually beneficial economic relations.
To achieve this aspiration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has joined with several associations to plan a series of events in November. We are calling this “East Africa Month”. Firstly, MOFA has continued working with the TAITRA to organize an expanded “2021 Taiwan Expo in Somaliland”. Some 73 Taiwanese companies from the health care, ICT, food, solar power, and auto parts sectors have been invited to exhibit more than 400 high-quality products made in Taiwan.
Moreover, we have collaborated with the IEAT to hold a “Business Matchmaking Program for Imports from East Africa”. The IEAT is setting up a business matchmaking website for exchanging trading needs in real time. Two online-merge-offline videoconferences on November 17 and 24 will also promote African products to more than 4,000 Taiwanese importers.
What's even more exciting is the signing of the three memorandums of understanding between the IEAT and national chambers of commerce from Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Uganda, which we will witness today. These MOUs establish institutional platforms for bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and East African chambers of commerce going forward.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected international business activities and halted traditional face-to-face models of doing business. However, the postpandemic era brings with it opportunities for new forms of business and zero-contact transactions. And high-quality, competitively priced Taiwanese smartphones, notebooks, and PPE products are sure to attract the interest of East African buyers.
According to a report published by the TradeMark East Africa, the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on January 1 could stand to generate trade benefits for East African markets exceeding 1.8 billion US dollars. We would like to encourage Taiwanese business leaders to actively explore potential business opportunities in this emerging market and make the most of the explosive growth of consumption in Africa following the pandemic.
In addition to promoting exports to Africa, we would also like to encourage imports from the region, such as frankincense from Somaliland and specialty coffees from Ethiopia. These products have recently begun to gain popularity in Taiwan and become consumer favorites. For example, Ethiopian coffee beans have seen a significant 5.9 percentage point increase in market share in recent years. I extend our earnest invitation to businesses from Somaliland, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and elsewhere in East Africa to organize delegations to Taiwan once the pandemic subsides and explore opportunities for business cooperation.
Ladies and gentlemen, Taiwan and Somaliland are both situated at the junctions of important shipping routes. By using the strategically located Port of Berbera and leveraging access to a vast market of 17 landlocked East African countries, Taiwanese companies can make inroads into the region's markets. In a similar vein, we want to urge East African businesses to expand their Asian markets through Taiwan, the heart of Asia. Together we can achieve mutually beneficial prosperity. And with that, I wish today's event every success. Thank you!