Cooperation between the

Czech Republic and Taiwan Has Been

Flourishing in Recent Years

As one of the managers of CzechInvest,

how do you perceive the cooperation

between the Czech Republic and Taiwan

in the area of investment?

One of CzechInvest’s key roles is to help

foreign investors establish their operations in

the Czech Republic and boost business

opportunities for both foreign investors and

Czech companies.

It is safe to say that Taiwan is one of the key

investors in the Czech Republic from the

region of South-East Asia, which reflects the

larger extent of investment from China in the

Czech Republic in the recent years.

According to CzechInvest's statistics, since

its establishment in November 1992

CzechInvest has helped Taiwanese enterprises to invest around USD 750 million and

create over 23,000 jobs opportunities in the

Czech Republic.

These companies are also very important

when it comes to Czech exports.

There are also Taiwanese investors, namely

for instance Foxconn CZ, that are counted

among the largest Czech exporters. In 2018,

Foxconn CZ ranked as the Czech Republic’s

second largest exporter after Škoda Auto.

What are the crucial sectors of Taiwanese

investment in the Czech Republic?

The key areas of investment are electrical

components and consumer electronics.

These two areas account for 70% of

investments from Taiwan. Other sectors are

in the area of telecommunications and other

machine parts.

If we look back in history, the first significant

special 2019

Taiwanese investment was that of the computer manufacturer First International Computer

(FIC), Inc. which built a computer assembly

plant worth USD 100 million in the Czech

Republic. The company launched operations

in February 1998 with production of 10,000

computers per month. The number of

manufactured computers increased to

50,000 per month by 2000. Computers are

produced for both the Czech market and the

wider region of Central and Eastern Europe.

In 2008, the Czech subsidiary of FIC was

acquired by Foxconn, currently the major

investor from Taiwan in the Czech Republic.

The initial investment of Foxconn in the

Czech Republic was estimated at USD 40

million. In August 2000, FOXCONN CZ, s.r.o.

started the production and assembly of

components and computers by Apple,

Compaq and IBM as well as mobile phones,

and its activities have grown ever since.

Foxconn is also significantly developing

collaboration with universities in the area of

research and innovation.

What activities does CzechInvest conduct

to help foreign investors in the Czech

Republic?

This can be divided into two areas. The first

part is business as usual. We like to call our

services a one-stop shop, meaning that we

help from the beginning until the end of the

investment project. CzechInvest’s services

include information and business intelligence,

consultancy on available financial support for

investment projects (investment incentives),

identification of greenfield and brownfield

sites, production facilities and offices, liaison

with government bodies, identification of

potential acquisition, joint-venture and supply

partners and tailored visits to the Czech

Republic.

Our support for investors does not end at this

point. We also provide aftercare services.

One of the key areas is facilitation of visa

processes and programmes for hiring foreign

employees.

Another area is direct contact with Taiwanese

companies in their own country. We have an

office in Shanghai which is ready to support

Taiwanese investors. Thanks to close cooperation with the Czech Economic and Cultural

Office in Taipei, CzechInvest is going to be a

part of a delegation to Taiwan in September

this year. During the visit, CzechInvest will

hold a business seminar for the Taiwanese

investors already operating in the Czech

Republic. This will also be an opportunity to

show Taiwanese investors modern trends in

the Czech economy and possibilities for

further investment, especially in R&D.

We have been talking a lot about the

investments of Taiwanese companies in

the Czech Republic. What makes the

Czech Republic so attractive for foreign

investors?

The Czech Republic is no longer a place for

labor-intensive investments, though it still has

plenty to offer with respect to value-added

projects and research, for example in the

areas of artificial intelligence, robotics and