Facebook opens new headquarters in Taiwan

TAIPEI (CNA) – Facebook Inc. opened a new Taiwan headquarters in Nan Shan Plaza, in the Xinyi District of Taipei yesterday.

Taiwan is a very important market to Facebook and the relocation reflects the company’s confidence in the future of the local market by laying down a marker for its long-term development in Taiwan, said Dan Neary, Asia-Pacific president at the California-based social media and networking service company.

He said Facebook will continue to invest in Taiwan and looks forward to helping develop the many opportunities available to Taiwan as it seeks to connect to the rest of the world.

Speaking on the same occasion, Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said he was happy that Facebook had delivered on its promise to expand investment in Taiwan and help upgrade the development of Taiwan’s digital economy.

“We hope Facebook will pour more resources into Taiwan and help create more opportunities for local industry as part of the country’s efforts to transform its digital economy,” he said.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will team up with Facebook to promote digital marketing, artificial intelligence, and AR/VR, Chen said.

Since 2015, when Facebook established its first office in Taiwan, the company has seen its workforce gradually increase and achieved much by cooperating with Taiwan’s government, industry, and social media platforms, MOEA said.

In September last year, MOEA and Facebook launched the “Made by Taiwan – Loved by the World” program.

The program consisted of nine projects and promoted social media, enterprise, and technology talent, with the aim of helping Taiwan enterprises be more international and cultivate more digital talent.

Earlier Thursday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on her Facebook page that she paid a visit to Facebook’s new headquarters Wednesday and was delighted to see the passion of its Taiwanese staff.

“Taiwan has the best talent and we are every bit as good as other countries as evidenced by the role Taiwan played in producing the recent image of a black hole and in the development of Facebook,” she said.

“It is my mission and that of my administration to build a sound environment where Taiwan’s youth are willing to stay and develop their strengths,” Tsai stressed.

By Flor Wang

Original Source