Taiwan is promoting its halal industries to attract more global Muslim consumers, including from Indonesia, to use their products and visit the island nation as a Muslim-friendly tourist destination, an official stated.

“There are many Muslims across the globe, and that is why we want to welcome them and convince them of the various halal industries that we have,” Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Vice Executive Director, Vanessa Chang, noted here on Thursday.

In a bid to promote Taiwan’s halal industries, TAITRA will organize the “Taiwan Expo 2018” to exhibit more than 4.5 thousand products from 230 vendors at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) from March 29 to 31, in which 120 of them would display halal products.

Taiwan will bring various halal industries, from food and beverage products to tourism services, to suit Muslim`s preferences.

Taiwan is also interested in developing digital economy through e-commerce in Indonesia and attracting Indonesian investors as Taiwanese trade partners.

In parallel, the 2018 Expo will host a series of activities, including one-on-one trade meetings, Taiwan Medical Day, Taiwan Excellence Smart City Seminar, Taiwan Excellence Zumba Fest, Taiwan Cultural Performances, and other exciting events.

In terms of using the potential of the two economies, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been facilitating the expo every year, in particular to push Indonesian export.

“This will be the second year of the Taiwan Expo, and based on the first event, we can tell that the investors have become more enthusiastic,” Rini Lestari, the Commerce chairwoman of Indonesia-Taiwan Committee, revealed.

Lestari added that some Taiwanese businesses had been partnered with Indonesian companies, but most of them were for import.

“As Taiwan`s market is relatively small, it has not been targeted for Indonesian export yet,” she noted.

However, Lestari highlighted Indonesian handicrafts, such as batik clothes and house wares, which are in high demand in the Taiwanese market.