Upgrading equipment to promote industrial transformation through long-term plan
“Although I am not young any more, I still share the feelings of young people from Taiwan who come to Xiamen for business. I hope that I can do my best in the association to answer their questions and help them achieve better development in Xiamen.” Chen Yanwen, chairman of the Youth Committee of the Taiwan Business Association in Xiamen and general manager of King Paper (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., says to the reporter. Mr. Chen says with a smile that the reason of more and more young people in Taiwan coming to the mainland for development is the booming economic construction here. Reform and opening up not only attracted a generation of Taiwanese businessmen to invest in the mainland, but also created opportunities for their younger generation to take over the inheritance and come to work and start a business in the mainland.

Filled with thoughts and feelings while looking back to Xiamen’s development
“I first came to Xiamen in 2000. At that time, I stayed at the Lushan Hotel. And there were not many high-rise buildings around.” Chen Yanwen says that since he took over the company, he also witnessed the development of the city and had a deep feeling inside. “Over the years, the mainland has developed rapidly. People’s lives have become richer and more affluent, which has been attracting more and more investors.”
As a successor to the company, Chen Yanwen says that running a company in the traditional paper-making industry needs to make long-term development strategy. “In 1999, my father came to Xiamen to invest and build factories which were officially opened in 2003. At that time, the Taiwanese company Xianglu Group was the major customer. Today, we continue to expand our market, and our customers are widely spread in Fuzhou, Guangzhou and other east China regions.”
Promote transformation through upgrading environmental protection equipment
At present, the company’s business is developing steadily. And Chen Yanwen is also thinking about how to expand market share. He believes that enterprise upgrading is particularly important. “The sewage treatment of traditional paper-making company is the key to upgrade. In particular, Xiamen pays special attention to green development and the environmental protection requirements for enterprises are constantly improving.”
Chen Yanwen says that there are many Taiwanese companies in the manufacturing sector in Xiamen which are considering about transformation and upgrading. “Our company is also thinking about ways to upgrade ourselves, so we are working hard on environmental protection and decontamination.”
To this end, Chen Yanwen spent a lot of efforts. “Our environmental protection equipment is constantly being upgraded from the early chemical treatment equipment to the UASB biological waste water treatment equipment. In recent years, the most advanced anaerobic reaction tower for biological waste water treatment and advanced processing equipment have been built. And currently, the more advanced odor control equipment is being setting up to ensure the steady operation of the company.”
Build platforms of employment and entrepreneurship for young Taiwanese businessmen
Contacting with youth entrepreneurship base, organizing entrepreneurial lectures, conducting business visits, and organizing young people from Taiwan to attend China International Cultural Industries Fair…As the chairman of the Youth Committee of the Taiwan Business Association in Xiamen, Chen is also thinking about how to help young people from Taiwan better adapt themselves to the mainland market. “Actually, the smooth operation of the Youth Committee should be greatly attributed to the deputy chairmen. They have made a lot of efforts to organize many activities and to answer questions for young people who have just come to do business in Xiamen.”
Over the past 40 years of reform and opening up, Chen Yanwen saw the continuous opening of the mainland market, which has been attracting many young Taiwanese. “This is an era of cross-strait exchanges and integration. Now the young people on both sides of the strait are very thoughtful and courageous.” In this year particularly, the Taiwan Business Association in Xiamen organized a number of activities for young businessmen from Taiwan. Many young entrepreneurs exchanged ideas and communicated with each other, and planned to realize common development in Xiamen.

November 27, 2018 West Strait Morning Post Edition A11 City Story By Pan Wei
