The inaugural "Taiwan Showcase" was held at the Parliament of Victoria on 23 September, bringing six Taiwanese companies into direct dialogue with the Victorian Government and parliamentarians from across party lines on their Australian operations, two-way investment and opportunities for deeper industry cooperation.
The event was jointly promoted by the Victorian Taiwanese Friendship Group and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Melbourne. Participants included Melissa Horne, Victorian Minister for Jobs, Minister for Industry and Advanced Manufacturing, and Minister for Defence Industry; Natalie Hutchins MP and Brad Rowswell MP, Co-Chairs of the Victorian Taiwanese Friendship Group; and members of the Victorian Parliament from across party lines.
Minister Horne said the direction of Taiwanese business development aligned closely with Victoria’s economic priorities. She noted the depth, breadth and diversity of Taiwanese business activity in Victoria, spanning aviation, information technology, the rapidly growing data-centre supply chain and food industries, with significant potential for further growth.
Minister Horne also highlighted the bipartisan support for Taiwanese businesses to expand in Victoria. She noted that "Invest Victoria" would serve as a single point of contact between businesses and government, helping companies navigate government resources, reduce administrative barriers and further expand their presence in Victoria and Australia.
The six companies participating in Taiwan Showcase were Billion Watts, Synnex Technology International, Advantech, Delta Electronics, China Airlines and Potato Mart. Together they represented sectors ranging from energy management, ICT and smart manufacturing to electronics, aviation and food retail, highlighting the breadth of Taiwan’s growing business presence in Australia.
Natalie Hutchins MP, a long-standing Co-Chair of the Friendship Group, said she was pleased to work with Director-General Ray Ming-tse Lu and TECO Melbourne to bring the event together, providing an opportunity for the Victorian Parliament not only to discuss Taiwan, but also to see first-hand the connections already established between Taiwan and Victoria in innovation, industry and business.
Brad Rowswell MP said strengthening relations between Victoria and Taiwan was an area in which parliamentarians from different political parties could work together. Direct engagement between Taiwanese businesses and Victorian stakeholders, he said, would help identify further potential in trade, industry and skills cooperation and create new economic opportunities.
Director-General Ray Ming-tse Lu said bringing Taiwan Showcase to the Victorian Parliament was about more than displaying products. It was designed to help policymakers gain a fuller understanding of Taiwan through individual companies and industries, as well as the economic and commercial links Taiwanese businesses have already established in Australia.
Director-General Lu said he hoped Australians would see Taiwan “not only as an important Indo-Pacific economy, but also as a "reliable, innovative and practical partner.” Taiwan–Australia economic relations, he noted, already extend well beyond trade in goods, with considerable scope for deeper cooperation in technology, energy, education, agriculture, aviation and innovation.
He added that Australia’s strengths in energy, critical minerals, research, education and international market connections are highly complementary to Taiwan’s capabilities in technology, advanced manufacturing, supply-chain integration and industrial innovation. The next stage of the economic relationship, he said, should move beyond trade towards two-way investment, technology cooperation and deeper industrial linkages.
Director-General Lu expressed the hope that more competitive and high-potential Taiwanese companies would include Australia in their long-term plans, while more Australian companies would come to know and invest in Taiwan. TECO Melbourne will continue working with the Victorian Government, Parliament and industry to turn the connections established through Taiwan Showcase into concrete opportunities for two-way investment and industry cooperation.
