New Leader eager to serve 'Little Taipei'

By Xu Xiaomin

THE telephone on Kuan Shin Lee's desk has been ringing almost non-stop over the past few weeks. Lee, chairman of Taijune Enterprise Co Ltd, is the new president of the Taiwan Compatriot Investment Enterprises Association of Kunshan, a small city that is home to about 2,700 Taiwan enterprises.

With business connections in Japan, the United States, Canada, Thailand and cities in China, Lee usually travels around the world every year. Now that he is president - fourth in the association's seven-year history - he has decided to spend more time in Kunshan. "At least half of every year," said the 63-year-old businessman.

Founded in 1998, the association has more than 1,000 members and the number rises every year.

"It only includes a small proportion of the Taiwan investors here," said Lee.

Kunshan, a small city in East China's Jiangsu Province, 55 kilometres from Shanghai, accommodates 4,700 overseas investment companies, 60 per cent of them from Taiwan. More than 30,000 Taiwanese live in this city of 1.2 million people.

This year, the total value of import and export in Kunshan is expected to hit US$34.5 billion; next year the figure is expected to surpass US$40 billion. One-tenth of the world's laptop production is based in Kunshan.
Investors from Taiwan are believed to make the biggest contribution.
Many Taiwanese investors have made their permanent home in Kunshan. It is not unusual to see three generations of a Taiwan family living here, Lee said. The city is called "Little Taipei" by those who live there.

"With so many Taiwanese investors here, the importance of the association is obvious. It is not only a service organization but also a bridge between Taiwanese entrepreneurs and the local government," Lee said.

Taiwanese-owned enterprises in Kunshan run the gamut from basic industries to high-tech industries. There are big enterprises such as Uni-President, Giant, Nanpao and Sakura, but there are also small businesses like single restaurants or hotels.

"Not all the businesses are familiar with local law and policy, some might even attempt to avoid compliance. That's why it's necessary to have the association," Lee said. "We communicate with the government about policy making to lower the investment risk, we also help the government ensure that entrepreneurs do not violate tax, environmental protection or labour regulations."

It is not an easy job, Lee confessed.

The first thing the new president has to do is to find additional staff, "willing to make sacrifices and contribute" to the association.

The position of president of the association is not as popular as some may think.

"Not many business people here would be willing to accept this position. That's because it requires lots of time, energy and money, you know. It is hard for business people, who almost have to work 24 hours a day, to find time for public affairs," Lee said.

While deputy president during the past two years, Lee said he was sometimes awaken by calls at midnight from Taiwanese who had problems.

"You can expect all kinds of things. Someone had a traffic dispute and asked me to bargain with the other side about the compensation, someone was found drunk-driving, someone else had health problems," he said.

"I consider myself more than just a businessman, but also a resident of Kunshan. I have the social responsibility to make a contribution because Taiwanese business people and Kunshan cannot live without each other," he said.