About Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is the largest industrial and commercial harbor city in Taiwan. Up to December, 2020, there were 7,708 factories , 81,166 companies, and 124,621 cases of commercial registration that have successfully applied for government legalization. And the public open markets at 41 places were being governed. In order to solidify the industrial development of Kaohsiung and increase the international competitiveness of the city, Economic Development Bureau of the City Government actively assists the traditional businesses to perform transformation and upgrading, promotes newly emerged technological industries and expands marketing of the city and business solicitation so as to increase business opportunities and facilitate economic development of the city.
1. In the aspect of promotion of economic development, marketing and business solicitation:
Promote economic development:
(1) Continuous investments in Kaohsiung from domestically and globally renowned corporations
(2) Improve investment incentives and reward local investments
To promote the industrial development, encourage industrial investments, R&D and innovation and therefore boost industrial competitiveness of the City, create jobs and prosper local economic development, the City Government formulated incentive regulations such as the “Self-government Ordinances for Promoting Industrial Development in Kaohsiung City”, the “Kaohsiung City Self-government Ordinances for Governing Receipts, Expenditures, Custody and Utilization of the Private Investment Encouragement Fund”, the “Enforcement Regulations Governing the Promotion of Industrial Development in Kaohsiung City”, and the “Guidelines for Establishing Kaohsiung City Industrial Development Promotion Review Panel” in 2012. Focusing on the 12 strategic and key industries, including the cultural and creative industry that has been actively promoted by the City Government, as well as other industries that have been developed with the guidance and assistance of the City Government, subsidies for financing interests, premises rental, housing tax, new employee salary, vocational training and so on, are given to qualified companies with an aim of attracting more corporations to invest in the City. The subsidy program puts more emphasis on the subsidy for the new employee salary in response to the City Government’s industrial development policy. It is expected that the industrial restructuring of the Greater Kaohsiung area will accelerate the industry in the City. The industries in Kaohsiung, will move toward a low pollution, low energy consumption, and knowledge intensive environments after the city-county merger.
2. Promotion of industrial service
(1) Kaohsiung City Local Small Business Innovation Research Program (Local SBIR)
Kaohsiung City Government has approved 851 innovation and research subsidy projects with NT$647.5 million of government subsidy during 2008 and 2020, which attracted investment worth about NT$2.19 billion and NT$1.57 billion of R&D expenditure. The total output value reached NT$3.07 billion. The program helped enterprises to obtain 724 patents and numerous international invention awards.
(2) Kaohsiung City Government Small and Medium Enterprice Commercial Strategic Loan
Kaohsiung City Government has approved 971 applications of Commercial and Strategic Loans for S&M Enterprises from Feb. 3rd, 2009 to 2020. The total financing has accumulated to NT$599.8 million. Meanwhile, the City Government deems the green energy industry an emerging industry to be strategically promoted, and places the solar photovoltaic industry on the top of the list of industrial promotion.Due to the highly self-liquidating of solar photovoltaic system, the City Government considers making this industry eligible to apply for the loan, providing a maximum loan at NT$7 million.
(3) Promote green energy industry
A.Solar photovoltaic promotion program
B.Promote green loans
C.Assist the private sector in establishing a renewable energy electrical company
3. Industrial services and assistances
(1) Reinforce assistance to and supervision of unregistered factories
(2) Assist the private sector in privately-initiated industrial zoning applications, adjoining non-urban land change applications, and new business plans
(3) Industrial park zoning applications
In response to the demand for industrial land in Kaohsiung, the Bureau assesses and decides appropriate land for industrial parks in accordance with the Act for Industrial Innovation. Hefa Industrial Park project was originally the development project for Dafa Base and Hechun Base in an approximate 136.23-hectare innovative metal industrial park planned by the former Kaohsiung County Government. By the end of 2013, its feasibility planning report was approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, its urban planning change report and maps were approved by the Urban Planning Conference of the Ministry of the Interiorban Planning Conference, and its environmental impact report was approved by the Environmental Assessment Conference of the Environmental Protection Administration. The whole project is expected to be approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs for industrial park establishment at the beginning of 2014. This project is expected to produce an output value worth NT$40 billion and create 10,000 jobs; meanwhile, it will stimulate consumer demands and attract relative businesses to move into the industrial park, contributing to the local economic growth and tax revenue.
4. Promote MICE industry
(1) Formulate the “Enforcement Regulations Governing Activities Related to Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) Held in Kaohsiung City” to attract more organizations to hold MICE in Kaohsiung. The Bureau succeeded in inviting several conventions such as the “2014 AIESEC Assembly”, the “2013 Seminar on Urban Construction Practices” and the “2013 13th Pan Pacific Polymer Symposium” to be held in the City, shaping the City as a convention and exhibition venue.
(2) In coordination with the opening of the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center in April 2014 and to foster the City’s exhibition ability, the City Government has established the “Convention and Exhibition Promotion Office, Kaohsiung City Government” and an exhibition hotline to provide each exhibition project with respective assistance and consultation, reinforced and improved exhibition infrastructure, and endeavored to shape the City as an unique, attractive bay city exhibition venue, expecting to market the City’s exhibition service.
(3) The Bureau actively participated in the international specialized exhibition “Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA)” and the annual meeting of international exhibition association “Annual Meeting of International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA)” to reinforce the relationship with international exhibition associations, explore more exhibition business opportunities from abroad for Kaohsiung, learn the trend in international exhibitions, and market Kaohsiung’s exhibition service. In addition, the Bureau held Kaohsiung Exhibition and Convention Seminar and invited participants from domestic exhibition industry and associations as well as academic institutions, for the purpose of announcing the City Government’s determination of developing the exhibition industry as well as publicizing Kaohsiung’s exhibition service policies.
(4) Organize business negotiation sessions and undertake global marketing to create business opportunities for local businesses
A.The Bureau organized the “Yuasa Inc. Purchase of Energy-Saving and Household Appliances Business Negotiation Session” and the “Hitachi Ltd. Int’l Purchase Kaohsiung Business Negotiation Session” to attract Japanese buyers to purchase parts and components from Taiwan, in hopes of shaping the City as the major business and purchase venue in Taiwan for Japanese buyers.
B.The Bureau held Kaohsiung International Digital Conference and attracted 13 foreign companies from 8 countries to attend this conference. It also organized corporate visits, investment environment inspections and investment seminars to promote Kaohsiung’s well-organized investment environment. Foreign companies also attended the International Business Symposium and Industry Negotiation Session to meet 24 local businesses (including 13 from Kaohsiung) face to face, an event leading to 97 negotiation sessions and 25 signed memorandums of cooperation, succeeding in establishing the communication and cooperation between local digital businesses and foreign companies, and exploring new business opportunities.
C.Undertake global marketing
The Bureau led local aerospace companies such as Drewloong Precision, Inc. to communicate with Japanese outstanding metal processing and aerospace companies, in order to reinforce the internationalization of the metal processing, machinery component and aerospace component industries in Kaohsiung; it organized investment seminars in Japan and visited 9 Japanese companies in the industries of film and TV production, game software, mobile App and cultural and creative handicrafts to publicize Kaohsiung’s investment environment and various incentives, in hopes of creating mutual cooperation. The Bureau also went to Vietnam and China to invite local city mayors and Taiwanese businesses in both countries to attend the “2013 Asia Pacific Cities Summit”, for the purpose of promoting Kaohsiung’s exhibition industry, attracting more investments to Kaohsiung and assisting overseas Taiwanese businesses in returning to Taiwan and staying in Kaohsiung through intercity communications and corporate visits. When staying in Japan for marketing investment opportunities in Kaohsiung and inspecting the development of local business districts, the Bureau visited 6 business and academic institutions such as the Regional Area Strategy Center of Mie University, Dai-Ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd., Japan Material Co., Ltd., Kodansha Ltd., Tomoegawa Co., Ltd. and Avex Group, in hopes of persuading them to establish their branch offices in Kaohsiung.