TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A city councilor from Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), challenged Taipei authorities on Friday (April 11) to develop a substantive strategy ensuring that planned procurement events won't devolve into mere promotional showcases for American products. The pointed request follows an urgent meeting held two days earlier among officials from four northern Taiwan municipalities — Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan — convened to formulate responses to potential U.S. tariff increases.
KMT Taipei City Councilor Liu Tsai-wei (柳采葳) raised her concerns during a Thursday council session where Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) delivered his policy report. Liu directly questioned the substantive nature of the proposed rotating American product procurement events planned across the four northern municipalities. She pointedly asked whether these events would amount to little more than promotional "American Day" or "American Week" sales, suggesting a lack of strategic depth.
In his response, Mayor Chiang explained that the procurement initiative stemmed from collaborative discussions with industry representatives and now forms part of a coordinated strategic approach among the four northern cities. He outlined a two-pronged consultation process: first engaging with local businesses to assess their specific requirements, then consulting with the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (美國商會), an influential business organization representing U.S. corporate interests on the island. Chiang indicated that Taipei's Department of Economic Development (產業局) would spearhead the coordination of these initiatives.
Commissioner Chen Chun-an (陳俊安), who heads the Department of Economic Development, elaborated on the strategic approach to these procurement events. Chen emphasized that planners would implement a hybrid framework combining business-to-business (B2B) networking opportunities with direct business-to-consumer (B2C) engagement. This dual approach, according to Chen, would maximize participation across various sectors while delivering more substantial economic benefits than traditional promotional events. ★