IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Boasting a high-level of electronic readiness (e-readiness), Taiwan can export its expertise in e-business to fill the development gap in the Asia Pacific region, and accordingly enhance its international image, said the Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (AFACT) Chairman Javed Naushahi. According to the AFACT chairman, the development gap between developed and developing countries, an issue long bothering the international community, will be tackled through the advances of e-business, which can strengthen efficiency and help save five to 15 percent of production costs on average.

Taiwan has strong expertise in e-business development. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) 2003 e-readiness rankings have graded Taiwan as the 20th globally, trailing behind Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea in Asia Pacific.

Naushahi was speaking on the eAsia Week opening ceremony yesterday. The eAsia Week, organized by the AFACT and Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the Institute for Information Industry (III), consists of the eAsia Award, a forum and an exhibition displaying outstanding e-business projects in the region.

The Award will be announced today and will feature 10 winners, selected from the 20 semi-final projects from the region. There were 39 entries competing head-on for the award at the first place. "We have very high level of entries and we have observed very high quality (e-business projects) throughout the region," said Ray Walker, vice chairman of the United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), who is among the eAsia Award jury board.

Eyeing e-business market potential, many international giants, such as IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Microsoft, have rolled out their proprietary service packages. "IBM has observed an evolution of e-business over the past five to six years," from an Internet-based connection that boosts only departmental productivity to an on-demand-style organization integration, said Charles Bligh, general manager of IBM's e-business on demand group, who attended the eAsia Forum yesterday.

According to an IDC report, e-business related profits will hit US$102.5 billion in Asia Pacific by 2004. The hidden business potential explains why countries in the region have viewed the e-business and e-government developments as their priorities.

AFACT is a non-government organization in the Asia-Pacific region advocating for data exchange standards. It currently features 16 members: Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia. AFACT set up its Permanent Secretariat in Taipei in 2001 for a four-year tenure.

Quelle: China Post