Esteemed guests, dear partners, and friends committed to the Taiwan-Philippines economic and cultural exchanges, On behalf of the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to all our partners who have supported and participated in this year's survey on the images of Taiwan and Taiwanese businesses. This report marks a significant milestone in deepening cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines. It provides an honest reflection of how Philippine society perceives and understands the images of Taiwan and Taiwanese businesses, highlighting the diversity and potential of bilateral relations between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Since 2019, the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation has conducted this annual survey to better understand the perceptions, attitudes, and suggestions of civil societies in Taiwan's New Southbound partner countries. Our goal is to enhance Taiwan's image and develop improvement plans. We have remained dedicated to this series of surveys, having successfully completed them in Vietnam (2019), Indonesia (2020), Thailand (2021), Singapore (2022), and Malaysia (2023).
In 2024, the survey in the Philippines has also come to a successful conclusion. Our survey reveals that Taiwan's overall national and corporate images are perceived positively by Philippine business executives, particularly in technological advancements, cultural friendliness, and corporate social responsibilities. As many as 94% of Philippine business executives expressed favorable perceptions of Taiwanese businesses. This support and trust serves as the most valuable feedback on our continuous efforts.
The core of this survey also explored how Taiwan could enhance its brand image in the Philippine market and deepen bilateral economic and trade cooperation. The report indicates that Taiwanese businesses play a significant role in the Philippines' economic development, gaining wide recognition, particularly for creating job opportunities and driving industrial upgrades and technological innovation. We also found that Taiwanese businesses' commitment to environmental sustainability and employee welfare earns them great trust in the Philippines.
Notably, the expectations for Taiwan's technological innovation and industrial cooperation continue to increase in the Philippines, revealing significant opportunities for cooperation, particularly in semiconductors, smart transportation, agricultural technology, and healthcare. This not only demonstrates Taiwan's critical role in global supply chains but also underscores its global competitiveness in technology and innovation as well as how relevant advantages can be converted into a driving force for deepening New Southbound cooperation.
Beyond economic cooperation, cultural exchanges serve as another key cornerstone of Taiwan-Philippines relations. This survey discovered close connections between the Taiwanese and Philippine cultures, including areas such as food, tourism, and arts. The Taiwanese culture is well-received in the Philippines and acts as a bridge for deepening mutual understanding and interactions. Additionally, Filipinos' perceptions of Taiwanese people as friendly and warm further strengthen the emotional ties between the people of the two countries.
However, we also learned that Taiwanese brands still face several challenges in the Philippine market. For instance, the linguistic feature of Taiwanese brands easily causes confusion with Chinese brands, influencing the uniqueness of Taiwanese companies to a certain degree. Therefore, enhancing the brand identity of "Made in Taiwan" and leveraging localized promotion will be essential moving forward.
The report also highlights that social media remains the primary channel through which Philippine companies and people learn about Taiwan. More than 60% of the interviewees received Taiwan-relevant information via platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. This reminds us that effectively leveraging digital tools and social media for precision communications will facilitate the comprehensive enhancement of Taiwan's image.
Meanwhile, the report reveals that the awareness and influence of the New Southbound Policy have been steadily increasing in the Philippines. This policy has provided new momentum to the economic cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines and created opportunities for the two countries to explore cooperation in innovation. Going forward, we will continue to increase the visibility of the New Southbound Policy +, maximizing its positive impact.
In today's rapidly changing international landscape, Taiwan and the Philippines share common challenges and opportunities. The report shows that the interviewed Philippine business executives looked forward to future cooperation with Taiwan. As many as 96% of the interviewees expressed willingness to deepen cooperation with Taiwanese businesses, sending an encouraging message. In building global supply chain resilience as well as responding to geopolitical risks,
Taiwan and the Philippines share common interests and visions. Finally, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our team at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation and all partners who contributed to this survey. It is due to the efforts of these professional people that we are able to complete this report that offers valuable insights. In the future, the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation will continue to uphold the spirit of openness and cooperation, fostering the robust development of the bilateral relations between Taiwan and the Philippines.
Let us join hands and march forward together. With the concerted effort to advance the New Southbound Policy +, we can achieve a bright future for Taiwan-Philippines cooperation.
Dr. Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao
Chairman, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation
For Full Report, Please see: https://drive.google.com/file/...