Chinese Taipei and Malaysia explore the Potential of SMEs Through Digital TransformationMinistry of Economic Affairs

Organization: Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs       

On 25-26 April, over 150 participants representing more than 50 organizations from 15 APEC economies gathered in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, for the “APEC O2O Forum: Unleash the Potential of SMEs through Digital Transformation for a Shared Future” along with the “APEC SME Digital Resilience Training Workshop”, successfully co-hosted by the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA), the Ministry of Economic Affair (MOEA) of Chinese Taipei and the SME Corporation Malaysia. The participants came from various background, – NGOs, public authorities, industry, policy makers, representatives of APEC economies, start-up and key stakeholders to share experiences and insights on utilizing digital technology to accelerate business growth and strengthening the cooperation among SMEs in APEC.

Unleash the Potential of APEC SMEs through Digital Transformation
   The forum opening remarks delivered by Ms. Wen-Ling Su, Deputy Director General of SMEA, MOEA and Tan Sri Ir. (Dr.) Mohamed Al-Amin Abdul Majid, Chairman of SME Corp. Malaysia. “With the focus of capacity building on digital transformation and impact dissemination for SMEs in APEC, this year, Chinese Taipei is going to host 10 O2O serial events, including 1 Summit, 4 fora and 5 Training Workshops in 6 APEC cities with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam” said Ms. Wen-Ling Su.

   “Apart from strengthening the friendship and partnership among APEC economies, the implementation of these events is to encourage digital transformation, stimulate the start-up ecosystem in APEC, prepare SMEs to fight against cyber threats, and create a shared digital future for all APEC member economies”continued Ms. Su, stressing the focus and goals to the implementation of APEC O2O initiative.

   The rest of the forum was organized in 4 sessions, featured 3 panel sessions focusing on Digitalization Transformation: Grabbing the Opportunity to Seize World, Cross Border e-Commerce, and e-Fulfilment, and a demo session where 10 startups from many APEC economies are provided with opportunities of networking and showcasing.

Fortifying SME Security Defense
   Digital market is expected to grow 11% over next five years to 2020, indicated by a research of APEC PSU. However, the lack of awareness and capability of digital security make SMEs the “sweet-spot” for cyber attackers and cause the global supply chains disruptions. According to statistics presented by McKinsey Global Institute, the ultimate impact could be as much as $3 trillion in lost productivity and growth by 2020.

   Therefore, in 2018, 5 APEC SME Digital Resilience Training Workshop are to be hosted in Malaysia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines and Viet Nam to build capacity on digital resilience for APEC SMEs to thrive in digital age.

   On 26 April, APEC SME Digital Resilience Training Workshop is co-hosted by Chinese Taipei and Malaysia. This train-the-trainer course is designed to simulate real cyber-attacks and create realistic experiences where participants can build up their abilities to make prompt decisions and gain better understanding of procedures to safeguard their companies. Through interactive and sharing sessions, seed trainers are empowered to facilitate cross-border cooperation, build stronger partnerships, and raise digital resilience and cyber security awareness.

APEC O2O Initiative to Enhance Digital Transformation for SMEs
   In 2018, 10 APEC O2O events are scheduled to be implemented within the framework of the 3rd phase of “APEC O2O initiative- Unleash the Potential of SMEs through Digital Transformation for a Shared Future” proposed by Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam. The first APEC O2O Forum was successfully completed in Brunei. Following the events held in Malaysia are the APEC O2O Forum and Digital resilience training Workshop to be hosted on 6-7 June in Bangkok, Thailand. On 2-4 July, “APEC O2O Summit”, highlight of O2O initiative this year, will be hosted in Kaohsiung the beautiful harbour city, along with an APEC Digital Resilience Training Workshop, engaging key stakeholders from APEC to have in-depth discussions for SMEs to undertake sustainable, innovative and inclusive digital transformation towards quality growth, and seize the opportunities in the digital era.

   Chinese Taipei will continue exploring and addressing challenges and issues facing SMEs in the digital era, strengthening the friendship and partnership among APEC economies, encouraging digital transformation, stimulating the startup ecosystem in the APEC, and creating a shared digital future for all APEC member economies.



*For further details, or to arrange possible media interviews, please contact:

Ms. Wen-Ling Su
Deputy Director General, Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, MOEA
02-2366-2203
wenling@moea.gov.tw

Ms. Hsin-Yi Tseng
Section Chief, Policy Planning Division, Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, MOEA
02-2366-2251
thy@moea.gov.tw