August 13, 2004
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (
MOEA) invited academic, business and cultural leaders to meet with representatives of government agencies July 30th to exchange views on how to promote Taiwan's cultural and creative industries as part of a larger effort to stimulate growth in the services sector.
According to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, the total value of Taiwan's service sector in 2003 was US$200 billion, accounting for 67.7 percent of
GDP--somewhat lower than the United States' 72 percent and the United Kingdom's 69 percent.
To enhance the service sector in Taiwan, the Council for Economic Planning and Development launched an action plan in March targeting 12 business areas for government assistance. Developing service industries is viewed by government policy-makers as critical to the goal of building a strong knowledge-based economy. Success in that endeavor not only can help make up for declining manufacturing sector employment but also can improve the quality of life. Another conference for evaluating the plan as a whole is scheduled for Sept. 2.
Cultural and creative industries encompass a wide range of businesses based on artistic creativity or cultural heritage, including the visual arts, music and the performing arts, art galleries, traditional crafts, film making, broadcasting, publishing, advertising, fashion, architecture, digital entertainment and related marketing agencies. According to the
MOEA, their combined production value amounted to US$9.1 billion in 2001 and currently provides hundreds of thousands of jobs.
The meeting addressed a wide range of issues, from identifying future markets, establishing mechanisms to protect intellectual property rights and providing regular venues for performances and exhibitions, to constructing data banks, creating platforms for exchanges of ideas and nurturing talents.
Holding that the last issue is the most urgent, Wu Jing-jyi, executive director of the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange, contended that whereas film making could be a leader among the cultural and creative industries, Taiwan's movie industry requires better story-telling abilities.
Wu also suggested that government agencies look beyond production value and take advantage of highly recognized performing groups to increase Taiwan's visibility.
At the meeting, representatives of the Government Information Office proposed a project to invigorate the local film industry, with the dual goal of enabling people in Taiwan to enjoy high quality movies while also promoting Taiwan globally.
Expressing hope that such a project will increase local enthusiasm for Taiwan-produced cinematic productions, Chiu Kun-liang, president of the Taipei National University of the Arts, urged the government to create platforms for artists and cultural innovators to exchange ideas, as it did for the fields of technology and economics by establishing the Industrial Technology Research Institute and the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research.
On the theme of protection of intellectual property rights, Lee Ruei-bin, speaking on behalf of the recording industry, focused on the electronic transmission of music via the Internet.
He called on the soon-to-be-established National Communications Commission to employ its powers effectively to establish an orderly Internet environment.
Lee stressed that Taiwan's music market is strong, citing the fact that summer concerts held on the island attract tens of thousands of people, and the karaoke business earns hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Addressing the lack of funding for artists, Guy Wittich, CEO of the European Chamber of Commerce Taipei, recommended that the
MOEA form a special task force to promote cooperation between artists and enterprises, arguing that since artists are not businesspeople, professional agents and long-term support mechanisms are necessary in order for their artistic productivity to thrive.
Source: GIO, Meifang Lee
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