- US-Taiwan Business Council
Infobox_Company
company_name = US-Taiwan Business Council
美台商業協會
Měi Tái Shāng Yè Xíe Hùi
company_
company_type = Non-profit
company_slogan = "Fostering Business Relations between the United States and Taiwan"
foundation = 1976;Chicago, Illinois
location =Arlington, Virginia ;USA
key_people = Paul D. Wolfowitz
Chairman
Vance Coffman
Vice Chairman
Senator Lisa Murkowski
Senator John D. Rockefeller
Honorary Co-ChairmenRupert Hammond-Chambers
President
industry = Trade Promotion
services = Information Products
Relationship Management
Client Representation
Consulting
homepage = [http://www.us-taiwan.org www.us-taiwan.org]The US-Taiwan Business Council (Traditional Chinese: 美台商業協會;
Pinyin : Měi Tái Shāng Yè Xíe Hùi) is a membership-based,non-profit organization founded in 1976 to foster trade and business relations between theUnited States and Taiwan. Council members consist of private companies with business interests in Taiwan, and range in size from one-person consulting firms to largemultinational corporation s. Because the organization reflects the views and concerns of an extensive group of US businesses, the Council is generally considered to be one of the most influential private organizations playing a part in the unofficial relationship between the two economies. The organization is particularly well known in the Defense & Security community, as it is the host of an annual [http://www.us-taiwan.org/defense/events.html US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference] . The [http://www.atimes.com/china/DC19Ad02.html inaugural conference] inSt. Petersburg, Florida in 2002 brought Taiwan's Minister of National Defense to the U.S. for the first time since 1979.Mandate
The mission of the US-Taiwan Business Council - as defined in its By-Laws - is to develop private economic, commercial and financial relationships, to foster investment, trade, and commerce between the United States and Taiwan. [http://www.us-taiwan.org]
ervices
The organization provides a variety of services to its members, including:
Consulting
Tactical and
strategic business advice to companies looking to get established, or to expand, in the Taiwan market.Advocacy work - on behalf of individual companies or on behalf of groups of members - can range from dealing with market access issues and equipment sales, to resolving contractual difficulties or attempting to change Taiwan government policies.Ebulletins
Weekly email bulletins examine recent US-Taiwan-China business, economic, and political developments. Issues covered include General
Business , Finance & Banking, Defense & Security,Semiconductors , PCs,Intellectual property , andBiotechnology .Quarterly reports
Quarterly publications include an in-depth analysis on recent trends in a sector, and contain contact information, statistics, and other relevant data. Quarterly reports are produced on defense and security, and on semiconductors.
Events
Conferences, seminars, receptions, and other events are held throughout the U.S. and Taiwan each year. The two largest events are the annual "US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference" and the "Taiwan + China Semiconductor Industry Conference". Tang Yiau-ming, Taiwan's Minister of National Defense, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense
Paul Wolfowitz and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly attended the 2002 Defense Industry Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida. Taiwan Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min attended the 2008 Defense Industry Conference on Amelia Island, Florida.Relationship building
The organization cultivates an extensive network of contacts and relationships within the U.S. and Taiwan governments, as well as within the private sector and among
non-government organization s with an interest in Taiwan. Both theUnited States Congress and theExecutive Branch frequently call upon the organization to express its views on the US-Taiwan business relationship.Organizational structure
Chairman
Executive Committee
Board of Directors
President
Vice President
Staff in functional departmentsCurrent staff
Chairman: Paul D. Wolfowitz
President:Rupert Hammond-Chambers
Vice President: [http://www.lottaworld.com Lotta Danielsson-Murphy]
Director of Finance & Administration: Christine MessickHistory
1970s
In 1976,
David M. Kennedy formed the organization inChicago, Illinois as the “USA-ROC Economic Council.” For the next 14 years he served as Chairman of the organization and helped guide its development.William Morell was elected President the same year.The organization quickly got involved with the commercial and political spheres in both the
United States andTaiwan , and it played an important role in the drafting and passing of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) in 1979, the legislation that guides US-Taiwan relations in liu of officialdiplomatic recognition .1980s
The 1980s brought the Council an expanded membership base and deeper ties with business and political leaders in Taiwan. Since U.S. diplomatic recognition had been transferred from
Taipei toBeijing , the Council took on greater importance as it continued to work towards strengthening trade and communications with Taiwan on behalf of American companies.1990s
In 1990,
Caspar Weinberger ("Cap") succeeded David Kennedy as Chairman of the organization andDavid Laux was elected to take the place of outgoing President William Morell. The change in leadership also brought with it a change in venue, as the Council relocated its office fromChicago toWashington, D.C. In 1991, the Council formed its “Chairman’s Circle,” a group of member companies with heavily vested business interests in Taiwan. In 1995,
Dan Tellep was elected Chairman as Caspar Weinberger rotated out of the post. Soon afterwards the “USA-ROC Economic Council” changed its name to the “US-ROC (Taiwan) Business Council.”William P. Clark was elected Chairman in January 1997. Later that year, Senators
Frank H. Murkowski ofAlaska and John D. Rockefeller, IV ofWest Virginia became Honorary Co-chairmen. The Council also moved once more toArlington, Virginia to share a floor with the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the entity that - under contract to theU.S. State Department - manages America’s unofficial relationship with the island.Frank C. Carlucci replaced William Clark as Chairman of the organization in 1999.2000s
In 2000,
David Laux stepped down andRupert Hammond-Chambers was elected as the youngest-ever President. In 2001, the name of the organization was again changed to “US-Taiwan Business Council.” In 2003,William Cohen was elected as Chairman and SenatorConrad Burns ofMontana took the place ofFrank Murkowski as Honorary Co-chairman.In 2005, the Council gained new leadership with the election of Senator William Brock to the Chairmanship and
Vance D. Coffman to the position of Vice Chairman. In 2007, SenatorLisa Murkowski ofAlaska took over the Honorary Co-Chairman seat vacated byConrad Burns . In 2008, Paul D. Wolfowitz joined the Council as its Chairman, succeedingBill Brock .Contact information
1700 North Moore Street, Suite 1703
Arlington, Virginia 22209
USA
Phone: (703) 465-2930
Fax: (703) 465-2937
Email: Council(at)us-Taiwan.orgMiscellaneous
The Council is incorporated in the District of Columbia and is designated by the
Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization under section501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code.The Council's "sister organization" in Taiwan is the
ROC-USA Business Council . During the 1980s and 1990s, the two organizations co-hosted conferences - called "Annual Joint Business Conferences" - which were held on alternate years in either Taiwan or the US. The conferences served as opportunities for high-level bilateral dialogue, and often broughtUnited States Cabinet officers to Taiwan. This tradition ended in 2004.External links
* [http://www.us-taiwan.org Official site]
* [http://www.us-taiwan.org/defense/events.html US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference]
* [http://taiwansecurity.org/TSR-Tang.htm Articles about the first Defense Industry Conference]
* [http://www.taiwan-china-outlook.com Taiwan + China Semiconductor Outlook Conference]
* [http://www.rocusabc.org.tw ROC-USA Business Council]
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