Introduction
The Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) was established in 2000 by a group of prominent Taiwanese business leaders led by the late Founding Chairman, Dr. Jeffrey L. S. Koo. CIECA’s core mission is to foster robust international economic cooperation, bridging Taiwanese enterprises with their global counterparts.
As a premier membership-based association, CIECA integrates a diverse network of corporations and non-profit organizations across the manufacturing, services, and high-tech sectors. Embracing a dynamic "Team of Teams" model, CIECA serves as a unified platform that connects various industrial and commercial associations. By fostering this deep public-private synergy, the association works collectively to expand Taiwan’s international footprint, drive bilateral economic cooperation, and facilitate high-level technological exchanges.
Going beyond traditional trade promotion, CIECA has strategically repositioned itself to navigate modern global complexities. The association actively drives initiatives across eight critical strategic pillars:
• Investment and Finance
• Technology and Innovation
• Energy Security
• Supply Chain Resilience
• Transportation and Logistics
• Healthcare and Life Science
• Cyber Security
• Culture and Education
To date, CIECA has established formal cooperative relationships with 162 industrial and commercial counterparts across 99 countries. Through regularly scheduled bilateral economic cooperation conferences—structured as Joint Business Committees—CIECA actively assists businesses in Taiwan and partner nations with cross-border market entry, strategic alliances, and global expansion. Supplementing these bilateral initiatives, CIECA features 13 specialized industry committees dedicated to addressing sector-specific challenges and opportunities.
Honorably sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), CIECA collaborates closely with government ministries and their agencies to champion comprehensive economic and trade diplomacy. Furthermore, through a robust consultative framework, CIECA consistently engages renowned scholars and industry experts to bolster institutional capacity, enhance global resilience, and align Taiwan’s economic trajectory with shifting global dynamics.
Since December 2024, Mr. Joseph Jye-Cherng Lyu—former Minister of Finance, former Chairman of the Bank of Taiwan, and former Chairman of the Taiwan Bankers Association—has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Ms. Lillian Chu serves alongside him as the Convener of the Supervisory Board.
CIECA Functional Departments
American Department
The American Department acts as a vital strategic platform for advancing Taiwan’s economic cooperation, trade diplomacy, and global supply chain integration across North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Operating in lockstep with national economic and diplomatic priorities, the department coordinates high-level business delegations, investment missions, and targeted industrial exchanges. By seamlessly blending insights from Taiwan’s overseas missions, foreign government agencies, and local business networks with the market intelligence of leading Taiwanese enterprises, the department uncovers high-value cross-border investment opportunities and analyzes regional industrial landscapes.
• The American Desk: Established in 2025, the American Desk was specifically created to deepen and expand Taiwan’s commercial and industrial relationships across the United States. Anchored by a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC), the Desk spearheads prominent trade delegations, participates in high-impact economic forums, and conducts targeted site visits to key industry clusters and elite academic institutions. Through these concrete actions, the American Desk actively accelerates reciprocal investment and fortifies the critical Taiwan-US economic partnership.
European Department
In alignment with macroeconomic policies, the European Department is dedicated to deepening bilateral trade, investment, and technological synergy between Taiwan and European nations. Through the systematic convening of Joint Business Councils, specialized industry forums, and outbound trade delegations, the department establishes sophisticated platforms for Taiwan-Europe industrial dialogue, empowering enterprises to broaden their global collaborative horizons.
Recognizing the global imperative for technology-driven security, the European Department leverages Taiwan’s world-leading semiconductor manufacturing prowess as a cornerstone to forge strategic, trust-based alliances. The department actively drives collaboration in pivotal sectors, including smart manufacturing, green energy, biotechnology, advanced communications, smart cities, vibrant startup ecosystems, and food technology. By proactively tapping into emerging high-growth markets across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Central Asia, the European Department works tirelessly to fortify supply chain resilience and accelerate technological co-innovation.
Asia-Pacific Department
The Asia-Pacific Department oversees CIECA’s extensive portfolio across Asia and Oceania, driving deep regional engagement and strategic trade diplomacy. In coordination with national economic frameworks, the department assists domestic enterprises in optimizing their regional investment footprints, fostering advanced industrial cooperation, and embedding Taiwanese innovation into regional supply chain networks—thereby structurally strengthening Taiwan’s economic bonds with its Asia-Pacific partners.
• Strategic Regional Integration: A core mandate of the department is maintaining sustained, high-level institutional contact with leading business organizations within the member states of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), effectively paving the commercial path for Taiwan’s broader regional integration.
• The Japan Desk: Recognizing the deeply intertwined technological and industrial ties between the two economies, the dedicated Japan Desk operates as a direct conduit to integrate, secure, and expand bilateral supply chain networks and high-tech collaborations with Japanese industry leaders.
Administrative Department
The Administrative Department serves as the operational backbone of CIECA, ensuring institutional agility, governance, and long-term sustainability. The department expertly manages all facets of internal association governance, corporate administration, human capital development, and comprehensive financial management, enabling the specialized departments to execute their global economic diplomacy mandates seamlessly.
As a premier membership-based association, CIECA integrates a diverse network of corporations and non-profit organizations across the manufacturing, services, and high-tech sectors. Embracing a dynamic "Team of Teams" model, CIECA serves as a unified platform that connects various industrial and commercial associations. By fostering this deep public-private synergy, the association works collectively to expand Taiwan’s international footprint, drive bilateral economic cooperation, and facilitate high-level technological exchanges.
Going beyond traditional trade promotion, CIECA has strategically repositioned itself to navigate modern global complexities. The association actively drives initiatives across eight critical strategic pillars:
• Investment and Finance
• Technology and Innovation
• Energy Security
• Supply Chain Resilience
• Transportation and Logistics
• Healthcare and Life Science
• Cyber Security
• Culture and Education
To date, CIECA has established formal cooperative relationships with 162 industrial and commercial counterparts across 99 countries. Through regularly scheduled bilateral economic cooperation conferences—structured as Joint Business Committees—CIECA actively assists businesses in Taiwan and partner nations with cross-border market entry, strategic alliances, and global expansion. Supplementing these bilateral initiatives, CIECA features 13 specialized industry committees dedicated to addressing sector-specific challenges and opportunities.
Honorably sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), CIECA collaborates closely with government ministries and their agencies to champion comprehensive economic and trade diplomacy. Furthermore, through a robust consultative framework, CIECA consistently engages renowned scholars and industry experts to bolster institutional capacity, enhance global resilience, and align Taiwan’s economic trajectory with shifting global dynamics.
Since December 2024, Mr. Joseph Jye-Cherng Lyu—former Minister of Finance, former Chairman of the Bank of Taiwan, and former Chairman of the Taiwan Bankers Association—has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Ms. Lillian Chu serves alongside him as the Convener of the Supervisory Board.
CIECA Functional Departments
American Department
The American Department acts as a vital strategic platform for advancing Taiwan’s economic cooperation, trade diplomacy, and global supply chain integration across North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Operating in lockstep with national economic and diplomatic priorities, the department coordinates high-level business delegations, investment missions, and targeted industrial exchanges. By seamlessly blending insights from Taiwan’s overseas missions, foreign government agencies, and local business networks with the market intelligence of leading Taiwanese enterprises, the department uncovers high-value cross-border investment opportunities and analyzes regional industrial landscapes.
• The American Desk: Established in 2025, the American Desk was specifically created to deepen and expand Taiwan’s commercial and industrial relationships across the United States. Anchored by a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC), the Desk spearheads prominent trade delegations, participates in high-impact economic forums, and conducts targeted site visits to key industry clusters and elite academic institutions. Through these concrete actions, the American Desk actively accelerates reciprocal investment and fortifies the critical Taiwan-US economic partnership.
European Department
In alignment with macroeconomic policies, the European Department is dedicated to deepening bilateral trade, investment, and technological synergy between Taiwan and European nations. Through the systematic convening of Joint Business Councils, specialized industry forums, and outbound trade delegations, the department establishes sophisticated platforms for Taiwan-Europe industrial dialogue, empowering enterprises to broaden their global collaborative horizons.
Recognizing the global imperative for technology-driven security, the European Department leverages Taiwan’s world-leading semiconductor manufacturing prowess as a cornerstone to forge strategic, trust-based alliances. The department actively drives collaboration in pivotal sectors, including smart manufacturing, green energy, biotechnology, advanced communications, smart cities, vibrant startup ecosystems, and food technology. By proactively tapping into emerging high-growth markets across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Central Asia, the European Department works tirelessly to fortify supply chain resilience and accelerate technological co-innovation.
Asia-Pacific Department
The Asia-Pacific Department oversees CIECA’s extensive portfolio across Asia and Oceania, driving deep regional engagement and strategic trade diplomacy. In coordination with national economic frameworks, the department assists domestic enterprises in optimizing their regional investment footprints, fostering advanced industrial cooperation, and embedding Taiwanese innovation into regional supply chain networks—thereby structurally strengthening Taiwan’s economic bonds with its Asia-Pacific partners.
• Strategic Regional Integration: A core mandate of the department is maintaining sustained, high-level institutional contact with leading business organizations within the member states of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), effectively paving the commercial path for Taiwan’s broader regional integration.
• The Japan Desk: Recognizing the deeply intertwined technological and industrial ties between the two economies, the dedicated Japan Desk operates as a direct conduit to integrate, secure, and expand bilateral supply chain networks and high-tech collaborations with Japanese industry leaders.
Administrative Department
The Administrative Department serves as the operational backbone of CIECA, ensuring institutional agility, governance, and long-term sustainability. The department expertly manages all facets of internal association governance, corporate administration, human capital development, and comprehensive financial management, enabling the specialized departments to execute their global economic diplomacy mandates seamlessly.
