In a new era of globalization, cities are playing a pivotal role in rewriting rules and shaping the future. Home to the largest number of Taiwan’s hidden champions, New Taipei City possesses some of Asia’s densest industrial clusters and a dynamic environment for innovation. Highlighting its key role, the city government, together with co-organizer CommonWealth Magazine, hosted the Navigator in Times of Change forum on September 17. Participants discussed forward-looking trends, industrial expansion, and collaborative business solutions, with the aim of helping companies attain the top tier of international competitiveness.
“We’re facing headwinds but must forge ahead!” exhorted CommonWealth Magazine Co-CEO Yeh Yun. She noted that Taiwan stands at a critical juncture in global industrial development. Amid a changing landscape of geopolitical and supply chain realignments, how can Taiwan emerge as a leader?
Find direction amidst change to navigate the new global order
New Taipei City hosts a number of industrial clusters that collectively account for 20% of Taiwan’s manufacturing. It is not only demonstrating its prowess in manufacturing but has also evolved into a hub for technology export, brand integration, and solutions development by drawing on its greatest strength—its people. Its foresight in adopting ESG principles should also not be overlooked.
The forum invited representatives from leading companies, including Lin Yan-Heng, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Spokesperson at C SUN, and David King, President of Litemax. Drawing on their real-world experiences, they shared specific practices and strategic thinking.
“Our focus is on talent as a foundation, taking advantage of industry-government-academia collaboration in New Taipei City. That’s because strengthening local connections while adopting a global perspective is the new trend in manufacturing partnership strategies for the AI era,” said Lin.
Draw on New Taipei’s strengths to expand from local to international
In response to the question of how manufacturing can integrate local connections and a global perspective in the AI era, Lin first noted that C SUN has evolved its product portfolio and operations since 2019. Early 2024 saw an especially important transition, when a review of C SUN’s strengths led it to broaden its role as a major equipment manufacturer. It has since become a driving force in AI-oriented chip packaging innovation as it expands into front-end semiconductor processes. The key to making such shifts lies in the availability of talent, and C SUN has drawn on New Taipei City’s underlying strength in industry-government-academia collaboration, which is deepening and expanding partnerships to attract a new generation of breakthrough business talent. C SUN had its eye particularly on the incremental technological innovation that will accompany TSMC’s overseas expansion. That expansion has led to expectations that Taiwan will contribute prominently to global AI-driven industry transformation over the next several years at least.
Litemax’s King focused on the intersection of regional headquarters and global operations, explaining how New Taipei City can be the backbone of Taiwan’s international brands. “Defining AI from the inside outwards” is Litemax’s regional headquarters-based global expansion strategy that combines operational coordination and organizational integration. Its core idea is that as companies globalize, they must transition from a manufacturing-based mindset to one that is market-oriented. They can partner with New Taipei City to draw on the city’s economic dynamism, pursue closer ties to markets, and establish technology corridors that build up the high-value upstream and downstream segments of industry value chains. That means upgrading R&D and design capabilities to enable companies to occupy an irreplaceable global role. By setting up regional headquarters in key global markets, they can mitigate tariff risks and uncertainties.
Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) President Lien Hsien-Ming discussed US President Donald Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating weapon and shared insights on how to deal with geopolitical risks as globalization reverses course. He observed that companies expanding beyond Taiwan must prioritize trade liberalization, economic security, and supply chain resilience, while heightening awareness of the impact of diplomatic confrontation and technology export controls.
Meet the challenge of economic restructuring by aligning perspective and action
Another highlight of the forum was a panel discussion with economists and business leaders. Their focus was on analyzing the challenges of the new era of globalization to help companies identify strategies, find paths forward, and make choices that build a clearer international perspective and lay the groundwork for action.
The discussion was moderated by Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine, and featured as panelists the New Taipei City Government Economic Development Department Director Sheng Hsiao-Rung, CIER’s Lien, and IMAGE Model President Kim Cheng, who also serves as convener of the New Taipei City Industrial Association’s (NTCIA) supervisory board. In discussing everything from geopolitical competition to value chain restructuring, they shared insights on how to choose markets, allocate resources, upgrade teams, and manage risk.
Cheng said that the NTCIA has helped its over 4,000 members expand their presence in Malaysia, India, and Germany with the assistance of the New Taipei City Government’s Economic Development Department. Through investment matchmaking, coordination of expertise, and the building of end-to-end supply chains, the NTCIA is showing the way forward for New Taipei City industry with more targeted, diversified, and long-term development initiatives.
“The New Taipei City Government’s Economic Development Department not only provides guidance to companies expanding abroad but also attracts buyers,”Director Shen. New Taipei City boasts population and talent advantages, and the Department is leveraging them to help New Taipei City companies connect with international resources, strengthen industry links, and enter foreign markets.
New Taipei City has industry at its core and embraces a global perspective. The Navigator in Times of Change forum drew on that global perspective and participants’ real-world experiences. Through dialogue among industry, government, and academia, the forum aimed to help companies identify their positioning, strengthen their worldwide presence, and expand their markets. It highlighted New Taipei City’s role as a home base for international brands equipped with distinctive competitive advantages. New Taipei City is charting a course for companies to expand their reach and ultimately make the city a fast-rising global business hub.
By New Taipei City Government Economic Development Department
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2025-10-03