00:00German businesses in Taiwan are generally positive about the country's economic outlook this year,
00:05but some are worried about U.S. tariffs and how the war in the Middle East could affect energy prices.
00:12I think this uncertainty coupled with tariffs, of course, definitely ranks very highly on the list of the companies that
00:20we have surveyed.
00:21So overall, all these ups and downs are not helping the investment sentiment either,
00:26because in most cases companies were happy that a deal has been reached because you then finally know what is
00:33the actual tariff number.
00:36The German trade office Taipei released its latest business confidence report on Thursday.
00:41Most German businesses said they have no plans to move investment elsewhere and remain upbeat about Taiwan's long-term growth.
00:49Companies including Siemens and Mercedes-Benz also shared their operational experiences and challenges in Taiwan.
00:56The local head of Mercedes-Benz spoke of competing with the tech sector for talent.
01:03Having qualified staff in our workshops or in our service facility becomes more and more challenging
01:10because obviously the different industries compete with one another for that talent.
01:15And with their strength in the semiconductor industry, they attract talent because obviously they can pay the salaries,
01:23they have the profitability to do so, which then challenges other industries to still retain that talent.
01:30Total trade between Taiwan and Germany was over US$21 billion in 2025, up 6% from the previous year.
01:40So what I like about the
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