Chinese tech firms, squeezed in Taiwan over politics, look to expand farther offshore
- Only 83 mainland exhibitors attended this week’s Computex Taipei tech show, down from 297 at last in-person show in 2019
- Direct investments from the mainland in Taiwan fell from a historic high of US$349.5 million in 2013 to US$38.7 million last year
Chen Tao, the founder of Chengdu-based Micronet Union, is using the annual Computex Taipei tech show as the company’s first venue to tap overseas clients.
His sparkly exhibition platform, prominently placed at the front of a major showroom, features stuffed pandas and monitor displays in simplified Chinese characters – both emblematic of the mainland.
“Politics is one matter, economics is another,” Chen said, referencing Taiwan-mainland spats and the China-US trade dispute.
The eight-year-old producer of network communications gear has now picked 35 countries – largely in Asia, the Middle East and South America – as targets for expansion, as it has sold all it can in its mainland China market.
“Economic issues are the most practical,” he added.
Micronet Union was one of 83 mainland exhibitors among the 1,000-plus total at Computex, which was attended by tech heavyweights such as NVIDIA founder Jensen Huang. The number of mainland exhibitors, however, was down sharply from 297 that attended the most recent fully in-person show in 2019.