TW Biz News｜WK 06/09 - 06/15

Every week, we'll select Taiwan's five business news from the previous week for your review.

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• 〔TaiwanPlus〕Taiwan Exports Hit Monthly Record High in May at US$51 Billion

Taiwan's exports hit a monthly record high of US$51 billion in May, with 30% of exports going to the United States ahead of threatened tariffs. The export boom is largely due to high demand for AI and the changing global supply chain environment.

• 〔Taiwan News〕Taipei MRT to accept credit cards, mobile payments in October

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) will upgrade its ticket gates by October to accept credit cards, contactless and mobile payments. Since June 2023, the system has progressively upgraded 1,396 ticketing gates across all 117 stations, per Knews. The upgraded gates will retain the original stored-value card function while adding support for contactless payments via physical credit cards and mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

• 〔Taiwan News〕Taiwan’s Bafang Dumpling to open US headquarters

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Bafang Dumpling said Tuesday it will expand its US footprint with a planned Texas headquarters and new store openings this year. The company said the new office, to be operational in the second half of the year, will anchor its expansion in the south-central US, per CNA. The Lone Star State’s large consumer base and influx of Taiwanese tech firms like TSMC and Foxconn are expected to drive demand for familiar brands, it added.

• 〔Taiwan News〕Book retailer Eslite Spectrum opens Tainan branch

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Book retailer Eslite Spectrum Corporation opened a branch in Tainan on Saturday, hoping to provide 500 jobs and attract 4 million customers a year. The two lower floors of the site house a department store, while the largest offering of books in south Taiwan is to be found on the third and fourth floors, the Liberty Times reported. The store, located in Tainan’s South District, measures 20,000 square meters.

• 〔Taiwan News〕Taiwan Tourism Administration opens information center in Seattle

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Tourism Administration opened an information center in Seattle on Friday as airlines expanded flights between Taiwan and the US. Taiwan already manages a similar center north of the border, in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia. The opening of the new office in Seattle, Washington State, shows the Tourism Administration’s determination to tap into outbound travel demand from North America, per CNA.