Taiwan businessmen confident in their career on mainland

Unlike their predecessors 20 years ago, the 70,000 Taiwanese businesspeople on the mainland are gradually adapting themselves to the lifestyle here. They not only moved their facilities, but also brought their families here in the hope that their offspring will take over their family businesses.

Some Taiwanese deputies to the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC) visited cities including Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen and Huizhou of South China's Guangdong Province from November 1 to 10 and held discussions with dozens of local businesspeople there. Having made great profits and being satisfied with the implementation of the law on protecting their investment here, the traders frankly told some problems they met. For example, best education for children; how to deal with the lingual problem for elder people when they go to hospital; tedious formalities getting the mainland travel permit for Taiwan residents in Hong Kong; short time limit for the registration of Taiwanese compatriots and the unduly low benchmark salary for personal income tax.

Yang Guoqing, president of All China Taiwanese Association and member of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People's Congress, said that Taiwanese traders are, as seen, have full confidence in their development in the mainland and they are facing problems propping up in the process of their adaptation. They are now merging themselves with the mainland instead of fumbling their way.

Com2B Corp, the biggest Taiwan-funded enterprise in Guangzhou, has seen an export volume reaching US$ 1.06 billion. Deputies were told that all the facilities of the corporation have been moved to the development zone in Guangzhou from Taiwan. The power supple products made by Delta Group have taken up 50-percent share of the global market. Sources from Delta Group said that it has also installed facilities on the mainland, including 18 factories in Dongguan alone with a staff of over 20, 000.

Zhang Qiujin, vice chairman of the association for Taiwanese businesses in Huizhou, said that ballooning from a small factory since 1991 his enterprise has gained a lot. Guo Shanhui, head of the Dongguan association, said that the association serves as a bridge between the governments and the over 6,000 Taiwan-funded enterprises there. Monthly meetings are held to keep smooth communication. "In my 13-year stay here, businesspeople from Taiwan have been truly making profits and their living condition has been improved greatly," said Guo.

Till September 2004, Guangdong Province has had over 18, 000 Taiwan-funded enterprises with a contractual investment of US$ 33.4 billion from Taiwan, which has become a primary source of external investment only second to Hong Kong.

After their 10-day visit, the NPC deputies expressed their satisfaction with the local governments in actively serving the businesses and creating pleasant investment environment, and in the mean time pointed out some aspects need to be improved.

There are over 1 million permanent residents with a floating population of 10 million in Shenzhen. Shenzhen government has actively enlarged the police force and strengthened management, especially through hi-tech means, over the immigrants to ensure a good environment for investment.

The deputies found that many Taiwanese traders, ill informed of the laws and regulations in the mainland, for example, the laws on labor, personal income and criminal law, are sometimes troubled in the businesses. They suggested the governments further popularize those relevant laws and regulations to facilitate Taiwanese investors.

As for the problems raised, the deputies promised to make serious investigation and report to NPC meetings for good solutions.

By People's Daily Online