Taipei, Jan. 18 (CNA) Australia is looking for more cooperation with Taiwan on all fronts, with economic ties being the top priority, the top Australian representative in Taiwan said Wednesday while urging the Taiwan government to make it easier and simpler for foreign companies to do business in Taiwan.
Steve Waters said that one of his jobs in Taiwan is to create mutual investments while promoting exports of Australian manufactured products to Taiwan. Waters assumed the post of top representative of the Australian Commerce and Industry Office (ACIO), Taipei, in July 2005.
However, Waters said he has found decreased interest among Australian businesspeople in doing business in Taiwan. "First of all it's because of their obsession with China -- a big market, " he noted.
"But we also see the Taiwan market as being too over-regulated. There is a lot of red tape and too many rules and regulations, which creates a heavy workload for foreign companies that want to enter the market," he explained.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei and the European Chamber of Commerce Taipei also share similar concerns about the difficulties in investing in Taiwan, he said. "What is needed for the Taiwan government is a top-down approach to reforming (the system), rather than a 'bottom-up' approach," he said.
It serves Taiwan's interests to open up to foreign investment because if there are more foreign companies operating in Taiwan, this means more foreign governments will be concerned about protecting their interests in the country if any sort of military conflict were to break out, Waters said. He added that opening up to foreign investment will help create jobs.
Waters, 54, said he will also try to increase scientific cooperation between academic institutions from the two sides. The best starting point is in the field of medicine. Moreover, Taiwan has already invested in a nuclear plant in Sydney, he added.
Educational exchanges are also important, Waters said, estimating that there are close to 10,000 Taiwanese students in Australia and "more and more are working on 4-year degrees and post-graduate degrees rather than short-term English courses."
Other areas Waters said he will work on include book publishing, especially children's literature in which Australia enjoys global success, as well as the theater and music industries.
"Most Australians don't have a very clear image of Taiwan. Instead, they confuse it (with China) . And I guess most Taiwan people's impression of Australia is: a big country, koalas, the Sydney Opera House and beaches," Waters said.
"That's why I encourage Australians to come and take a look (at Taiwan) and for Taiwanese to try to know more about Australia."
Waters worked at the ACIO, Taipei, from 1993-1996. He served as Australia's High Commissioner to Vanuatu from 2002 to 2005 and also served in Hong Kong, Lagos, Islamabad, Caracas and Bangkok.