UPBEAT: About 60 percent of AmCham members voiced confidence in Taiwan’s economic growth this year and the government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 05, 2020
By: Crystal Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Most US companies in Taiwan are optimistic about the nation’s economy this year and beyond,

saying the COVID-19 outbreak would not affect firms in the manufacturing industry and the effect on the service sector would likely be short-lived, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (AmCham) said yesterday.

About 60 percent of respondents in a survey of AmCham members expressed confidence in Taiwan’s economic growth in the next 12 months, a sharp increase from 46 percent last year.

“The level of confidence would likely have been higher, if not for the coronavirus outbreak that erupted during the survey period” from January to Feb. 17, AmCham chairman C.W. Chin (金奇偉) said.

While a phase 1 trade deal between the US and China helped lift sentiment, Taiwan’s progress on energy and labor policies, as well as its regulatory framework, also lent support, Chin said.
[FULL  STORY]