At the Award for International Trade in 2013 and the 16th Rising Star Award Ceremony today, Premier Jiang Yi-huah presented honors to the nation's most outstanding import and export traders and manufacturers and thanked them for contributing to Taiwan's trade development.
The Award for International Trade was founded in 1969 by the late premier Sun Yun-suan, who was then minister of economic affairs. "All the award recipients in the 44 years since then have been entrepreneurial trailblazers who have made great contributions to the nation's import and export trade," Jiang said.
The Rising Star Award, which is in its 16th year, honors similar achievements by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). "The entrepreneurial spirit demonstrated by the SMEs is Taiwan's most important asset," the premier remarked.
"Taiwan's economic development has been acclaimed by the world as an economic miracle largely because such growth was achieved despite a relative lack of natural resources, the limitations of a small and densely populated territory and decades of tension with mainland China," Jiang stated. "The world is full of respect for us and eager to learn from our economic development experience. Over the past decades, Taiwanese entrepreneurs have demonstrated their innovation, diligence and perseverance, whether their businesses are located firmly in Taiwan or deployed globally.
"SMEs make up about 98 percent of all Taiwan's enterprises and employ over 90 percent of the work force. While we may not have certain advantages that other countries possess, our enterprises are always seeking innovation and change. They never give up and strive to the end. These qualities are not seen in the enterprises of many other countries. It is because of this that we have created a place to live in peace and work in contentment, a prosperous society and a thriving economy—in other words, Taiwan's economic miracle.
"During a nation's development, the government must proactively collaborate with the private sector, acting as a major partner for businesses as they move forward. Officials must keep in mind how to help creative Taiwanese enterprises continuously expand in the global market."
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Bureau of Foreign Trade, to augment enterprises' participation in the Award for International Trade and meet the government's policies and needs, the MOEA on July 26 of this year promulgated an amendment to the Regulations Governing the Commendation of Excellent Exporters/Importers revising the awards and selection standards as follows:
1. Best Contribution to Trade Award: for the top 10 firms in import and export performance over the past year
2. Major Emerging Market Award: for the top 10 companies in expanding exports into major emerging markets as well as the top-performing company in each industry over the past year
3. Foreign Exchange Contribution Award: for the top five firms in foreign exchange surplus over the past year