Американская торговая палата в Тайване: поддержка бизнеса и укрепление связей.

an international business group

The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan; ) is an international business association based in Taipei City, Taiwan, with about 1,100 members representing over 580 companies across various sectors. AmCham Taiwan was founded in 1951 as the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (AmCham Taipei; ). A non profit, non partisan foreign chamber of commerce, AmCham Taiwan advocates on behalf of the American and international business community in Taiwan and participates in public relations and lobbying activities. It organizes a variety of forums and industry committees that address issues related to improving Taiwan's business environment, as well as strengthening relations between Taiwan and the United States. AmCham Taiwan publishes a monthly journal entitled Taiwan Business TOPICS. It is a founding member of the Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce.

An elected Board of Governors oversees AmCham, and chooses one of its members to serve as Chairperson for a one year term. The Board also hires a president to guide the overall direction and manage the day to day affairs of the Chamber. The current president is Patrick P. Lin.

AmCham Taiwan represents its diverse membership in government advocacy efforts, provides a forum for networking and access to information, and encourages civic minded participation in the greater Taiwan community.

Much of AmCham's advocacy efforts begin in one of 26 committees, whose fields of activity range from agro chemical, banking, and semiconductor to digital economy, public health and travel & tourism. Most committees formulate a priority issues paper included in the Taiwan White Paper.

Each year, AmCham publishes a white paper that summarizes AmCham's recommendations to the government and public on legislative, regulatory and enforcement issues that have a major impact on the quality of the business environment. The primary purposes are information and advocacy. The paper assesses the Taiwan business climate on both the macro level and sector by sector. It provides a review of the status of last year's priority issues, states the current issues identified by AmCham's industry specific committees, and offers recommendations to the U. S. government.

The Chamber's flagship publication provides year round reporting and policy analysis in support of Chamber advocacy. First issued in 1969, TOPICS has become the definitive voice on the Taiwan business climate for executives, government officials, the media, and academics. The magazine appears monthly and enjoys widespread distribution to prominent officials, elected representatives, and think tanks in the United States and Taiwan. The June issue is devoted to the Taiwan White Paper.

An AmCham tradition since 1970, the Hiseh Nien Fan (End of the Year) banquet is an opportunity to thank Taiwan government officials for their assistance in the previous year. Customarily, Taiwan's sitting president is the keynote speaker. In 2023, American Institute in Taiwan chair Laura Rosenberger delivered remarks.

Once a year, an AmCham delegation meets with senior officials in the U. S. Administration and on Capitol Hill to discuss international business concerns regarding U. S. Taiwan trade and commerce.

A late 2022 AmCham Taiwan survey found that 33% of company respondents said their operations were "significantly disrupted" amid rising tensions in Cross Strait relations.

AmCham registered with the Taipei City Government on 14 September 1951. The heads of five U. S. companies—three trading companies and the oil companies Caltex and Standard Vacuum (the precursor of both Exxon and Mobil)—joined together originally to lobby Washington to open Taiwan's procurement of equipment, raw materials, and commodities to U. S. private companies. After this early success, AmCham grew, with early members including Eli Lilly, Mattel, Timex, and distributors for U. S. motion pictures. By the 1960s, the Chamber was developing into an active professional organization: In 1967, it held its first formal breakfast meeting; in 1968, it became a founding member of the new Asia Pacific Council of American Chambers (APCAC); and in 1969, AmCham published the first issue of its bimonthly magazine, now called Taiwan Business TOPICS.

U. S. companies played an important role in laying the groundwork for Taiwan's later economic achievements in the consumer electronics, computer, semiconductor, and flat panel display industries. General Instrument's decision in 1964 to set up a subsidiary on the island to make various electronic components was a pioneering investment that prompted other major U. S. electronics companies to follow suit and laid the groundwork for Taiwan's entry into consumer electronics, which eventually led to the production of computers, semiconductors, and flat panel displays. General Instrument grew into one of Taiwan's biggest employers; by 1980, it had 10,000 workers. American firms also helped advance Taiwan's 10 Big Projects, which in the 1970s provided the infrastructure foundation for the island's future economic prosperity. For Taiwan's first international standard freeway—the Sun Yat sen Freeway stretching from Keelung to Kaohsiung—U. S. engineering companies helped to conduct feasibility studies, design several sections, and provide construction engineering and inspection. Numerous American companies, including Amoco Chemical, Mesta Machine, General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, and U. S. Steel Corp., provided Taiwan's first integrated steel mill and its new petrochemical complex with investment, procurement, training, and engineering consultation. American firms like Texas Instruments and Varian Associates were early entrants into the Hsinchu Science Park. Established in 1980 and inspired by the Stanford Research Park that nurtured Silicon Valley, Hsinchu has helped foster the development of some renowned global technology companies.

Following the shock of U. S. recognition of the People's Republic of China, AmCham's leadership played an instrumental role in determining the form of the continued U. S. relationship with Taiwan. The final version of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) saw virtually all of AmCham's principal recommendations written into law.

In the wake of the official switch of U. S. diplomatic relations, uncertainty surrounded the potential impact on Americans and other foreign residents in Taiwan. As the U. S. embassy in Taipei wrapped up its operations, AmCham stepped in to serve as the main conduit for communication with the Taiwan authorities to preserve or establish needed expatriate community organizations. AmCham worked to establish International Community Radio Taiwan (ICRT) to replace the Armed Forced Network Taiwan (AFNT), which stopped broadcasting English language news, entertainment, and vital emergency information on typhoons and earthquakes. The departure of the U. S. military also risked leaving a gap in social and recreational programs. The Chamber helped to create the Taipei Youth Program Association to provide recreational opportunities for expat children, and arranged for a new and larger location for the American Club in China (ACC). The Chamber also secured the legal status of the Taipei American School, then the sole large scale institution of international education on the island.

In January 2002, Taiwan acceded to the World Trade Organization (WTO) under the name of Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. In 2008, Taiwan signed the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) under the WTO and began regularly scheduled cross Strait direct air service. Committed to the easy flow of people, goods, services, and investment, AmCham lobbied hard for these developments.