TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) launched its center of excellence on smart manufacturing in Taichung Tuesday (August 6).

International cooperation should turn Taiwan into a regional Asia-Pacific center for smart machinery and smart manufacturing, Economics Minister Shen Rong-jin (沈榮津) said at the launch ceremony.

The proposal for the center of excellence in Taichung was made last April at a meeting of the APO, one of the few international bodies Taiwan has joined under its official name of “Republic of China,” according to a Central News Agency report.

The center will allow for regional cooperation on training talent and on research and development, leading to a new model of cooperation, officials said.

In his address, the economics minister said that the experience of Taiwan’s government with local enterprises could be passed on to other countries for reference.

Turning to the subject of the trade war between the United States and China, Shen said the higher-end manufacturers could return to Taiwan, while the lower-end ones should go invest in the nations of the New Southbound Policy group.

Earlier this month, the government announced it had already reached its aim for the year of attracting investments totaling NT$500 billion from Taiwanese companies which once invested overseas, mostly in China.