To assist member countries in raising national competitiveness, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) in association with the China Productivity Center (CPC) recently concluded a workshop in Taipei on Developing Strategies for Enhancing Global Competitiveness and Productivity Growth, 28–31 August 2018.

APO members have a common goal under the Roadmap to Achieve the APO Vision 2020: improve their average ranking in the Global Competitiveness Index by five points by 2020. To achieve this, promoting innovation-led growth has been identified as the most suitable strategy for the 20 APO member economies. The recent workshop was organized to exchange, review, and develop strategies to spur innovation and create momentum for driving it.

Participants of APO Workshop on Developing Strategies for Enhancing Global Competitiveness and Productivity Growth learning the best practices of Taoyuan International Airport during field visit, Taoyuan, ROC, 30 August 2018.

The four-day workshop also reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of national competitiveness among member countries and enabled experts to exchange policy initiatives that have been effective in strengthening competitiveness and driving innovation for productivity enhancement.

Welcoming the 21 participants from 12 APO member countries, CPC President Pao-Cheng Chang advised them to exchange their views on national competitiveness and take the opportunity to observe and provide feedback on the innovation strategies and policies of the ROC.

The delegates visited Taoyuan International Airport (TIA), the largest airport in the ROC run by a state-owned enterprise, which has risen significantly in international rankings and continued to expand and transform itself. The delegates saw how the TIA played an innovative role in the economy by connecting itself to the ROC’s hospitality, logistics, and aeronautic industries, contributing to the local economy and environment-friendly development, which demonstrated how innovation at an organizational level could boost the national image and competitiveness.

The workshop was conducted by two APO international experts: University of Oslo Professor Jan Fagerberg of Norway; and Japanese National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies Professor Patarapong Intarakumnerd. Transparency International Membership Accreditation Committee Member Dr. Ernie Ko and National Taiwan University Professor Chia-Shen Chen also shared their views on how governance and entrepreneurship could contribute to national competitiveness and innovation.

Photos: CPC