Taipei, April 20 (CNA) The Taiwan Luxembourg Joint Business Council (TLJBC) was inaugurated Friday, with the long term goal of strengthening trade, business and investment relations between the two sides.
"Establishing linkages between Europe and Asia has not been easy, but we're determined to do it, and Luxembourg is the gateway for Taiwanese businesses into the European market, " council chairman Theodore Huang, who also serves as the Chairman of the National Association of Industry and Commerce.
Representatives from Luxembourg echoed the same opinion. "First of all, Luxembourg can be Taiwan's gateway to the European Union (EU) countries. Secondly, as the financial and logistic center of Europe, [Luxembourg] can be very attractive for Taiwanese companies, " said Pierre Gramegna, Director-General of the Chamber of Commerce of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Gramegna is among 30 Luxembourg economic mission delegates visiting Taiwan Apr. 19 - 21. If all goes well, he said, a Taiwan business delegation will be visiting Luxembourg this fall.
Luxembourgian businesses appreciate Taiwan's potential to produce top-quality products and its leading role in the Chinese world in democracy, said Marc Solvi, the other TLJBC chairman who is currently CEO of Paul Wurth Group.
"We're not just doing business with Taiwan," he said, adding that the company has a production facility in Kaohsiung from where it exports its products to many other countries around the world.
In the initial stages, the council will try to help businesses from both sides better understand one another, Huang said, adding that Taiwan can help Luxembourg penetrate Asian markets, such as Vietnam.
Economic relations between both sides are looking good, Gramegna said, as there are already Taiwanese companies from more than half dozen fields investing in Luxembourg.