Mr. Chern-Chyi Chen, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, virtually atte...

　　Mr. Chern-Chyi Chen, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Affairs, attended the 27th APEC SME virtual Ministerial Meeting on October 9 and exchanged thoughts on SME digitalization and the recoveryfrom the pandemic with APEC economies. Deputy Minister Chen shared policy experiences in promoting SME digital transformation and the achievements of Chinese Taipei's SME-relatedinitiativesthrough the APEC platform.

　　The agenda of the 27th APEC SMEMM echoes the theme of APEC 2021, designated by the host economy New Zealand: "Join, Work, Grow. Together". The meeting was kicked off by a traditional Māori welcome. In the ensuing session,Mr. Mathias Cormann, the Secretary General of OECD, delivered a keynote speech on "SME Resilience in a World with Covid 19". As the meeting focused on how to build SME resilience in the new normal, two topics were prepared for thorough discussions - "Digitalization as Enabler of Effective Recovery from Economic Shocks" and "Promoting Inclusion and Wellbeing for Recovery". The former topic was addressed byFrances Valintine, the founderof the Tech Futures Lab. The latter topic was addressed byRachel Taulelei, ABAC Chair, and Mark van Ommeren, the head of the Mental Health Unit, Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, WHO.

　　In line with our vision of "Digital Nation, Innovative Economic Development", the Ministry of Economic Affairs has actively promoted digital transformation of Chinese Taipei's SME and cooperated with partner economies in the APEC platform to implement initiatives related to the digital economy.Deputy MinisterChenresponded to the topic of "Digitalization as Enabler of Effective Recovery from Economic Shocks," and elaborated on the strategic progress of digital transformation: The enhancement of the digital infrastructure comes first, such as the establishment of ultra-wideband technology and cloud computing platforms. Next, resourcesto be provided with corresponding economic incentiveswill be a critical enabler.For example, the project "Digital Transformation in the Cloud Era" established a cloud platform for SMEs to acquire digital transformation solutionsmore easily through digital vouchers so as to upgrade their business operations, and expand development opportunities. Then, opportunities tocarryout innovationshould be increasedin order to facilitatethe commercialization of innovative services and products.

　　Deputy MinisterChen also highlighted that Chinese Taipei has implemented the serial O2O (Online-to-Offline) initiatives, and serial initiatives about the local innovation ecosystem, Cross-Sector and Cross-Domain Innovation Ecosystem, together with APEC partner economies. Deputy MinisterChen welcomed further cooperation among member economies in the aforementioned areas so as to work together to enhance digital empowerment of SMEsin the APEC region.

For further details, or to arrange possible media interviews, please contact:
Ms. Betty Hu
Deputy Director General, Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, MOEA
02-23680816#202
bdhu@moea.gov.tw

Ms. Yi-ChunChen
Section Chief, Policy Planning Division, Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, MOEA
02-23680816#251
ycc@moea.gov.tw