TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid hopes that the COVID-19 pandemic can fade away, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said Thursday (Jan. 13) it is planning Taiwan Image events for the second half of the year in the United States, India, Thailand, and Malaysia.

In addition, TAITRA Chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said his organization had chosen Kenya as the site for a "Taiwan Week," promoting the Asian country’s products in Africa, CNA reported. Similar events are scheduled in Vietnam and Indonesia, which are prime targets for trade and investment efforts under the government’s New Southbound Policy.

The pandemic had made it impossible for TAITRA to lead delegations of businesspeople overseas during the past two years, he said, promising that if the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) allowed, 2022 would be different.

For the U.S., the spotlight would fall on the shifting of supply chains, basic infrastructure, and the post-pandemic economic recovery, Huang said. A “national team” of businesspeople from Taiwan will visit the U.S. in October to promote Taiwanese brands.

Due to intensifying contacts with Central and Eastern European countries, TAITRA is planning to increase staff handling trade with that area.

At a news conference highlighting TAITRA’s plans for 2022, Huang also mentioned the establishment of a metaverse production alliance and of a digital science and technology center, in addition to its usual tasks of promoting international trade and investment.