Taiwan, Mainland China to Hold Talk Over LED Standard in June

Taipei, April 27, 2009 (CENS)--Primer Liu Chao-hsiuan recently said the issue of establishing a common industrial standard and certification system for Taiwan's and mainland China's LED manufacturing will be on the agenda for an LED industry forum between Taiwan and the mainland in June.

Senior officials of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) pointed out that the standard and system is designed to help Taiwanese LED-lighting manufacturers win the mainland's lucrative public-work lighting projects.

During his recent visit to local LED chipmaker Epistar Corp., Liu said lighting has outstripped backlights for mobile phones and liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and automotive lamps as the most important application for LED. He estimated Taiwan's LED industry revenue to reach NT$1 trillion (US$29 billion at US$1:NT$34) in 2015, thus making the island the world's No.1 manufacturer of LED light source and module.

MOEA is organizing a conference in June for Taiwan's and the mainland's LED industries to realize the consensus reached between a Taiwan's trade delegation and its mainland counterpart in a talk held early this year in Sichuan that the two sides should set up a common industrial standard and certification system for LED manufacturing.

Taiwan's industry watchers pointed out that Taiwan is already the world's most pivotal supplier of LED chips and the mainland has emerged as the world's most potential market for LED products, offering a solid foundation for the two sides to integrate the LED-lighting industry across the two sides into one with bigger size than ever once the two sides enter into cooperation.

Given a competition environment growingly disadvantageous to Taiwanese LED manufacturers--notably increased cross patent licensing among the world's top five LED makers excluding Taiwanese makers and stiffer underselling threat from mainland Chinese suppliers--, Epistar's president, C.M. Chou, urged the government should to help domestic LED industry by doing everything from pushing for the establishment of a common industrial standard between Taiwan and the mainland to integrating the Taiwanese manufacturers with government resources.

Liu said the government has pledged to set aside up to 10% of the committed stimulus package of NT$500 billion (US$14.7 billion) for procurements of eco-friendly products including LED lights in public-works projects.