Minister opens Taiwanese trade fair

 MINISTER of Religion, Youth and Community Development Loujaya Kouza opened the Taiwan Trade Mission Trade Fair in Lae last Thursday at the Papua New Guinea Forest Research Institute Hall.

Trade mission representative Daniel Hu congratulated the PNG Government for being awarded the right to host the APEC leaders’ summit in 2018.

The two-day trade fair saw Taiwanese companies showcasing pro­ducts ranging from bedding to hardware, skin products, electronics, IT products, auto and truck parts and accessories, machinery and fishing products, among others.

Hu said small to medium enterprises were the pillar of the Taiwanese economy as they had more than 1.2 million SMEs employing over eight million people.

He said that made up 78% of the island’s overall employment.

“ I am proud of Taiwan’s continuous presence in PNG for the past 23 years as a long established partner,” he said.

“We are here to work hand in hand with the PNG Government to develop the country and extend our trade ties with the Momase, Highlands and Islands regions in line with the key policy and strategy to create a business environment to promote the development of a sustainable and competitive small-to-medium enterprise sector.

Kouza lauded the Taiwan Trade Mission for their long outstanding relationship with the people of Morobe and said people must take care of SMEs by training and increasing the momentum of trade activities to find a pathway to exhibit local products.