CEO Edison Chen of the TeaLa visited Detroit from 3/27 to 4/4. He had a profound experience during this trip and had fruitful discussions with partners of TeaLa.
They reached many consensuses and unanimously agreed that the United States is a market worth vigorously developing.
First Event: On 3/29, Attending the Taiwan Automotive, Aerospace, and CNC Industries Exhibition organized by Chairman Huang Hong-lang of Asia Forging Supply.
The exhibition, hosted by Mr. Huang Hong-lang, a director of TeaLa and chairman of Asia Forging Supply, invited many guest companies interested in the automotive, aerospace, and CNC industries to promote Taiwanese industries from the three fields together in Detroit.
Chairman Huang Hong-lang expressed, "The reshoring of the manufacturing industry to the United States has opened up opportunities for Taiwan. Taiwan is welcomed to invest and establish factories in the United States to become suppliers. Due to the impact of the Ukraine-Russia war, automobile manufacturers require more direct suppliers for parts. The demand is urgent, but the production capacity is insufficient. With the warming of Taiwan-US political and economic relations and the substantial increase in manufacturing costs in China, as well as the uncertainty of the national system and policies, foreign companies are in panic. To protect themselves or reduce risks, many of them are withdrawing from China, closing factories, or shifting orders as a response."
CEO Edison Chen of TeaLa attached great importance to this exhibition and specially made time to visit Detroit. He stated, "The New Eastward Initiative encourages everyone to head to the United States. The United States is currently the largest and most mature market with vast business opportunities. Investing and establishing factories in the United States is to gain access to a larger market. Once long-term stable orders are obtained, it will generate more demand and opportunities. Therefore, to support the expansion of the New Eastward Initiative, TeaLa actively collaborate with universities in the United States, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia to cultivate more talents."
After the exhibition, CEO Edison Chen expressed his deep feelings and praised, "Chairman Huang's approach to doing things is atypical for someone from Taiwan. For 16 years, he has immersed himself in Detroit, demonstrating a unique blend of faith, strategic foresight, and practical execution. The industry truly requires such exceptional individuals to enact meaningful change. This unwavering Taiwanese company exemplifies stability and strength, essential qualities for Taiwan's advancement. Furthermore, he seamlessly integrates religious convictions with the local African-American cultural community, perhaps driven by divine inspiration. It is through these compassionate endeavors that Taiwan can foster growth and generate value in Detroit."
He also quoted the Buddhist saying, "Faith is the source of virtues and nurtures all good roots.
The holy scripture also says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Thus, Chairman Huang's actions reflect the true meaning of 'faith'."
Second Event: 4/2, meeting with Mayor George Chen of Torrance City, California.
During this visit, Dr. Hsiao You-yu and Mayor George Chen extended warm invitations in the hope of discussing cooperation matters. CEO Chen made a deliberate trip to Los Angeles and had the opportunity to meet a professor from National Taiwan University as well as Dr. Kelven from the Bay Area. Both individuals are highly regarded experts in the realms of unmanned vehicles and drones, and they are also involved in their own entrepreneurial pursuits. Notably, one of them has an established track record as a serial entrepreneur.
The professor from National Taiwan University and Dr. Kelven from the Bay Area expressed their concerns, stating that despite Taiwan's long-standing technical integration with mainstream America and their roles as reviewers for important government agencies, there is a regrettable lack of depth in Taiwan's technology. They emphasized that critical areas such as electric buses and batteries still heavily rely on the United States, and Taiwan lacks the necessary vision, passion, and capital for innovation. With Toyota's departure from Torrance, there is an abundance of skilled workers available in the area. In light of this, they proposed that Taiwan should invest its resources in early-stage integration with industries in the US, capitalizing on the clean energy subsidies offered by the Biden administration. Failing to do so may result in Taiwan not owning the core technology, including technology originating from China, despite the billions of dollars in government subsidies allocated for light rail and electric buses over the past eight years. They also highlighted the concerning trend of Japan being predominantly absorbed by China, while Taiwan has little to show for it's efforts other than empty promises, occasional deception by foreign fraudulent companies.
After the meeting, Mayor George Chen took CEO Edison Chen to visit several properties in Torrance and the surrounding area.
CEO Edison Chen expressed his satisfaction with the meeting, stating, "The discussion with the mayor was highly productive, and I was particularly impressed with the welcoming atmosphere of Torrance City. We have also achieved a significant level of agreement and understanding. In July, a large number of companies will visit the US together, and Torrance will be the most important stop. I look forward to the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Cheng Kung University, Torrance City, and TeaLa."
Mayor George Chen stated, "The perspectives and proposals of TeaLa are good, but the local US authorities need assistance because Torrance City Hall currently does not have personnel to cooperate with."
Dr. Hsiao You-yu was profoundly touched and enthusiastically expressed, "Despite residing in Northern California, he is willing to provide assistance."
After a nearly ten day trip,
Upon his return to Taiwan, CEO Edison Chen announced, "Our next step involves organizing comprehensive discussions with Vice Director David Peng of NCKU's Startup Accelerator Center to explore the potential and timeline of establishing an incubator in Torrance City. If successful, it will mark the first overseas innovation center by a Taiwanese university. In our subsequent visit to the US, I plan to visit Austin, which serves as another significant hub. I encourage everyone to actively participate and work together to advance our ventures in the US."
Vice Director David Peng stated, " Our thanks to CEO Chen of TeaLa for his efforts and dedication to Taiwan's future industrial development. We at Cheng Kung University are interested in and willing to establish a startup and business center in Torrance City to connect and promote Taiwanese industries to the US. A few days ago, we also discussed with the China Airlines US headquarters if there is office space available. However, we cannot claim to have the capability to meet the standards of an incubator or accelerator. But having a center in Torrance that can handle contacts and business promotion is a good starting point. As for the incubator and accelerator, we already have such environments in Cheng Kung University and the Kaohsiung 85 Sky Tower Building, which can integrate remotely with the US. This is my current idea. After further discussions with CEO Chen, we will make a final decision and report back to everyone. Thank you."
Through this successful cooperation between the government and the private sector, both parties will work together to promote specific cooperation projects and announce them soon. We look forward to the active participation and support of our partners in TeaLa!
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