Taipei Times: I’d like to begin by asking you to describe, in your words, what you believe to be the mission of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei?
Ron MacIntosh: CTOT, the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, was established in 1986. We just celebrated our 20th anniversary a couple of years ago. It’s evolved over the years to become the full-fledged Canadian representation in Taiwan, and it discharges the full range of functions of any of our embassies anywhere in the world.
We provide services to some 30,000 Canadian citizens who live here in Taiwan. We are actually the fourth largest passport-issuing authority in our service outside Canada, anywhere in the world. We have a staff of about 68 people, comprised not only of our consular and administrative staff, but also with about 20 or 22 people in the visa section here. We process the full range of visas to travel to Canada: from visitor visas, temporary worker visas, investor-category visas, student visas and of course, permanent residence [visas].
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
TT: Do you have quotas for the number of temporary worker visas you are authorized to issue?
MacIntosh: No, we don’t have a quota system.
TT: With regard to the investor category visas ...
MacIntosh: Actually, I have some information about that which is quite interesting, that I would like to pass along later ... That brings us back to trade and investment. That section consists of 12 people, and we also have two provincial “mini-offices” within our office, one for Quebec and one for Alberta. We handle a full range of trade activities ... I think what’s remarkable about this office is how much attention we now spend not just on promotion of exports, per se, but also on issues such as science and technology — or the knowledge economy, if you like — and investment.
Primarily [we focus on] investment in Canada, of course, but in fact on investment in both directions.
TT: Is there a recent example you can give me of successful cooperation between a Canadian firm and a Taiwanese firm? What makes this particular relationship unique?
MacIntosh: There are a number of examples, but I’ll mention one that kind of joins up a number of themes we hear these days, and is reflected in our doing business in Taiwan. It brings together our concerns about energy, the environment and cross-strait matters, and it also brings together technical cooperation and straight business development.
That’s the recent hook-up between a Canadian company called Dynamotive, which has set up with Marketech International Corporation (MIC, 帆宣系統科技) in Taiwan. Dynamotive is a leader in cellulose-based fuels technologies — so, biofuel. They signed a cooperation agreement with Marketech, and what they’re going to do is review the commercial feasibility of cellulose-based fuels in Taiwan.
They wanted to develop and construct, first, two commercial bio-oil plants here in Taiwan. They also established a memorandum to explore further cooperation in developing bio-oils for the entire cross-strait region — in other words, dealing in China as well.
Both companies, Dynamotive and Marketech, see the potential in producing bio-oil both in Taiwan and China, and they see how this converges with the concern about energy supplies — in particular, fossil fuels [he laughs] — and how that converges also with the widely held public perception that we have to reduce greenhouse gases.
But that’s ... it’s by no means the only sort of cooperation.
We have partnerships that are springing up in areas such as digital media and animation. We have a longstanding industrial cooperation arrangement here involving Bombardier of Canada — most people in Taiwan, or in Taipei at least, would know Bombardier as the folks constructing the Neihu MRT extension.
There are also partnerships in the aerospace sector. For instance, AIDC (Aerospace Industrial Development Corp, 漢翔航空) in Taichung has a relationship with Bell in Quebec [Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, Ltd is a unit of the US company, and is based in Mirabel, Quebec], manufacturing helicopter tail rotor assemblies.
TT: What are some of the things that Canadian companies and investors, when they look at Taiwan, are particularly interested in? Is there anything that really stands out in your mind?
MacIntosh: I believe that one of the things — from a business perspective — they look at is how, in Taiwan, leading-edge technologies are set against the background of China.
Ultimately, of course, you would have to ask the individual companies. But Taiwan’s strategic positives are very attractive.
Taiwan is a place where the rule of law is established. It also has a highly educated labor pool, which is an advantage for Canadian firms seeking to partner with Taiwanese companies.
As far as areas of particular interest, of course we always try to focus our efforts on industries with high-demand potential, and we can assist when interested parties do their inquiries. We can help with introductions, general advocacy and also have a role to play in major initiatives.
There are five specific areas of interest that I would like to talk about.
The first is agro-food and seafood. This is a major source of interest for Canadian companies when they look at Taiwan, which is a large market for these products.
The second is ICT, or information and communications technologies, which is a sector in which both Canadian and Taiwanese firms are leaders.
The third is building products — for example, high-quality lumber products and wood, which are produced in Canada and that are in great demand in Taiwan.
The fourth is biotech and life sciences, sectors in which, again, Canada is a leader and firms are looking for opportunities in Taiwan.
The final area is transportation. As I mentioned before, Bombardier has major interests in Taiwan’s rail transport system, but aerospace is also an important area in which Canadian companies can play a role.
In addition to these important sectors, Canadian firms also have much to offer with regard to environmental industries, services and goods, and of course, education.
TT: What about Taiwanese businesses looking at Canada? What are the opportunities and advantages that Canada has to offer?
MacIntosh: Canada, as part of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), is part of the largest market in the world, with over 440 million people.
There are significant opportunities for Taiwan in highlighting technologies and high-tech skills.
One of the great things about doing business in Canada is the quality of life, if you are looking for a place to take your business. Another attraction is that Canada has the world’s highest percentage of college graduates.
The Canadian government recently announced a C$590 million (US$585 million) investment to develop the “Pacific Gateway Strategy.” This includes investments in transportation infrastructure, secure and efficient border services, and deeper links with the Asia-Pacific region.
TT: What is the single biggest issue adversely affecting Canada-Taiwan trade and economic ties?
MacIntosh: I don’t know that there are any “adverse” issues, but if we talk about challenges, the biggest one is overcoming a lack of mutual awareness.
When companies and investors look abroad, they tend to look only at the cost of labor, and not to focus on high-end strategic investment. Labor costs should not be the driving factor for investment if you are looking at sectors such as fuel cells, nutri-ceuticals or green-building technologies — all industries in which there is significant overlap and opportunity between Canada and Taiwan.
Canada and Taiwan are both open societies, so any issues that we have are generally technical issues — such as ensuring standards for sanitation, labeling and fire codes. We don’t have any specific complaints, it’s just that it seems some of these things seem to take a long time to resolve.
An example is beef. Of course, the beef industry is very important to Canada. Although some Canadian beef imports are now allowed, products categorized as “beef-on-the-bone” are not. We just want the same treatment as other exporters, and we like to emphasize that restrictions should be based on the science of food safety.
TT: As with other countries, education seems to be an industry that is heavily promoted by Canada. What unique advantages do Canadian educational institutions have to offer Taiwanese students?
MacIntosh: Canada is the best place to live. The UN, the EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) and the World Competitiveness index always rank Canadian cities in the top 25. We’re very proud of that. But our local “Canadian Alumni” are some of our biggest advocates.
More than 70 percent of Canadians own their own homes. We have high rates of broadband connectivity, great outdoors and a rich cultural life.
For people looking to study in Canada, I would like to stress that Canada is a welcoming environment. It is multicultural and diverse, and Taiwanese might feel more at ease in Canada than in some other places.
It’s a beautiful place to live, with a huge network of national parks.
TT: What about the cost?
MacIntosh: It might seem high, but if you look at the whole picture, it is not prohibitive. Tuition and rental in general will end up being much cheaper than in some other places.
That brings me back to the visa issues I mentioned earlier.
In 2007, the Canadian government approved measures that permit visitors on student visas to engage in temporary employment.
Last year, our office in Taiwan issued more than 4,000 student-related visas. This includes not only students at institutions of higher-education, but also people on summer courses and language-training programs.
We also issued 249 “investor immigrant” visas, which brought in about C$99.6 million in investment.
TT: Is there anything else you would like to add?
MacIntosh: If there is something to point out, it is the sense of excitement about what is going on between Canada and Taiwan. We are both countries with small populations next to big neighbors, and we are both at the fulcrum of global commerce today.
In Canada, we are lucky to have a very good neighbor. Taiwan is not so lucky, but it seems to be moving in a positive direction, and Canada is very supportive and happy about that process.
There is a comfort level with the shared values of Canada and Taiwan — we are both committed to free trade, transparency and the rule of law. And we both see opportunities when we look at our bigger neighbors.
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