2017 Colliers International Taichung Commercial Real Estate Summit, cohosted by the Land Administration Bureau, Taichung City Government and Colliers International, kicked off on the 14th, where Mayor Chia-lung Lin talked about the urban development progress in Taichung, including: Shuinan Smart City, Greater Taichung Yamanote Line approved by the central government’s Foresight Program, Taichung Metro Blue Line and Green Line extending to Changhua, elevated railway extending from Daqing to Wuri along the mountain line, as well as Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. investing in the Outlet Park in the Port of Taichung etc. Mayor Lin emphasized “Taichung’s great investment environment is attributed to great transportation and infrastructure.”

The summit kicked off with the industry-academia alliance signing ceremony between Feng Chia University Senior Vice President Lung-shih Yang and Colliers International Taiwan Managing Director Andrew Liu. This was followed by speeches entitled “Deploying in Central Taiwan – Investment Opportunities in Taichung You Cannot Afford to Miss” and “How to Attract Domestic and Foreign Industries/Investors to Taichung” by Land Administration Bureau Director Chih-hsiang Chang and Economic Development Bureau of Taichung City Government Senior Executive Officer Chen-wei Chiang. Thereafter, Mr. Terence Tang, Managing Director of Capital Markets and Investment Services in Asia, Colliers International discussed “Latest international investment trends”, attracting over 120 domestic and overseas realtors to listen to his presentation.

Mayor Lin commented during his speech that he foresaw the future potential of Taichung City when he arrived here 12 years ago. In addition to hosting the Asian Real Estate Society (AsRES) and Global Chinese Real Estate Society (GCREC) Joint Annual Conference, Taichung City was also described by Nobel laureate in economics Robert J. Shiller as beautiful, where the clear skyline is complemented by stunning architectures to present urban aesthetics. He also shared the same sentiments with David Hand that Taichung City is a livable city conducive for working and living.

According to him, Taichung City is expected to surpass Kaohsiung City at the end of this in demographics to become the second largest metropolis in Taiwan. After the merger between Taichung City and Taichung County, the population in the city grew steadily by approximately 15,000-25,000 annually. Located in central Taiwan, Taichung possesses abundant inherent advantage; now, with acquired efforts, he hopes to transform Taichung into a livable city endowed with “sound infrastructure” and “soft power”.

Mayor Lin suggested that the city government is in the process of building the Shuinan Smart City; with 254 hectares of space, 60 hectares are open for investment, including innovation R&D area, eco residential area, trade and business area and cultural education area etc. The city is expected to generate a total investment of more than NT$ 60 billion.

Setting foot on Taichung for the first time in 2 decades, Colliers International Asia Pacific CEO David Hand stated that this year’s Colliers international investment forum will focus on real estate investment in Greater Taichung, because the annual turnover in Taichung City is a staggering NT$900 billion. Beside the 60km-long precision machinery and optronics cluster, Taichung also has 2 major sea and air ports (Port of Taichung and Taichung International Airport. In recent years, major business solicitation projects are also underway, with Shuinan Smart City being the most prominent program showcasing Taichung’s infinite development potential.

David Hand also has favorable impressions about the diverse developments and progress in Taichung, including, tourism and major investment projects etc. He is full of expectations about Taichung’s future developments, because he believes that Taichung will become the most popular livable city.

According to the Land Administration Bureau, with a space of 254 hectares, Shuinan Smart City is the premier land lot in Taichung. The city government is focusing on 3 main themes: “Smart, Low Carbon and Innovation” to launch 3 major infrastructures including the central park, underground parking and Shuinan Water Resources Recycling Center, as well as 5 key buildings: Shuinan Transfer Center, Shuinan International Convention Center, Taichung Green Museumbrary, Smart Operations Center and Central Taiwan Film Center. The aim is to create a smart city demonstration area that emanates avant-garde, innovative design.

In the future, 4 specialized land lots in Shuinan Smart City will become available for sale, rent or creation of superficies, including eco residential area, trade, innovation R&D and cultural business. With a space of 52 hectares, the total investment attracted is expected to reach NT$50 billion. In addition to Shuinan Smart City, Taichung City will continue to implement major business solicitation projects such as the Taiping Shin Kong Industry Area, Beitun MRT Station Special District and TSC Riverside Eco Park, covering a total area of 27 hectares. It is expected to generate over NT$20 billion investment, thereby injecting new vigor to the realty market in Taichung City.