The visiting executives hosted the “Taiwan Construction Mission to Guam Business Expo” held at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa on Monday.
The group is expected to meet with public and private sector officials and leave today.
Tony Blaz, Guam Economic Development Authority administrator, said the event was a logical conclusion to Gov. Felix Camacho’s economic trade mission to Taiwan earlier this year.
Blaz said the government of Guam’s overseas travels were part of GEDA’s desire to bring potential investors to Guam.
Aside from Taiwan, GEDA has also led trade missions to Australia and the Philippines.
While in Taiwan, Camacho met with over 150 potential business investors and “we’re reaping the fruits of our labor today,” said Blaz.
The aims of the business expo, said a Taiwan official, are to introduce Taiwan material producers to local companies and introduce Taiwan’s engineering construction services to local firms.
“Since the Guam buildup was announced in Taiwan, we were already thinking about the opportunities here. We also realized that we had to come to Guam. We can’t do everything ourselves or our way. We’re looking to find potential, real partners to work with us, so it should be both ways. We hope our members will find the mission successful,” said Walter Yeh, mission leader and executive vice president of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council.
Although Taiwan has capable skilled workers who could assist in the buildup, the question of whether Taiwan can bring in H-2 workers is an issue that has yet to be resolved.
“This is a ticklish problem because of the lack of formal diplomatic relationship between Taiwan and America, although the relationship between Taiwan and the U.S. are close. We don’t know under what category Taiwan workers will be classified. So far, there is no mention by the Homeland Security of where we fall,” said Yeh.
