TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan business representatives attended the first meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) on Wednesday (Feb. 14), per CNA.

ABAC is currently being held in Malaysia and will last for three days from Feb. 14 to 16. Taiwanese representatives such as Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia Deputy Representative James Buu (卜正珉) and Taiwan Mobile CFO George Chang (張家麒) attended the first day.

At the meeting, Buu said that Taiwan supports regional economic integration, particularly emphasizing supply chain stability and security. “To achieve the goal of regional economic integration, the principles of non-discrimination, fairness, freedom, and openness should be implemented, and no economy should be excluded,” he added.

Chang told reporters after the meeting that the participants were concerned about sustainable development, CNA reported. “Taiwan has proposed achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and at least 90% or a higher proportion of the top 50 companies in Taiwan are committed to the issue of net-zero carbon emissions, indicating collaboration between the public and private sectors,” he said.

Chang presented Taiwan’s model for other economies to reference, and other participating business representatives also proposed corresponding solutions.

Regarding Malaysia’s technology industry, Chang said that Malaysia has focused on the packaging aspect of the integrated chip (IC) process. “However, just as another Malaysian official said, Malaysia should find a unique position in the supply chain, rather than simply seeking a competitive strategy,” he said.

APEC created ABAC in 1995. Its goal is “to provide the business perspective on specific areas of cooperation to APEC leaders, ministers, and senior officials,” per its website.