Since the establishment of the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, its branches continued to grow across six continents, and so the strengths of the first generation of Taiwanese businesspeople had become more and more robust. At the same time, their children, the second generation, had begun to develop their independence, and with the advantages of high-tech developments, they were ready to start their own journeys. In light of this, the senior cadres of the WTCC were convinced that they should proactively unite this new force, and actively plan ahead for the next decade, or the next ten decades, to prepare for the second generation to take over and pass on the legacy of the WTCC; they did not waste a moment to cultivate the next generation of leaders. This consensus was put to action by the 5 th WTCC President Chang Sheng Kai, who proposed the pioneering concept - to host a “Youth Entrepreneurship Seminar”; this proposal was approved on February 14 th , 1999 in the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Fifth Term.
June of 1999- Through the careful planning of the WTCC President Chang Sheng Kai, and through the annual conference that was held in Chicago, the first World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Young Businesspeople Entrepreneurship Camp took place at the same time. Hosted by the Taiwanese American Chambers of Commerce of Greater Chicago and co-hosted by the Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce of North America, nearly 100 young Taiwanese businesspeople attended. The foremost purpose of this five-day event (from June 23 rd to June 27 th ), in addition to sharing business experiences, was visiting the world-famous Chicago Board of Trade, discussing how to host mix-and-mingle events and unite the second generations, and to lay the foundation for the establishment of young Taiwanese businesspeople organizations going forward. It also meant that the overseas Taiwanese communities had been cultivating new generations in response to changes in societal infrastructures. Since the first run at the event was fruitful, on September 30 th , 1999, at the First Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixth Term, the board members decided to host the World Taiwanese Young Businesspeople Entrepreneurship Camp annually; the board members also decided to hold the second World Taiwanese Young Businesspeople Entrepreneurship Camp in Cape Town, South Africa at the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixth Term.
Under the thoughtful arrangement of the 6th WTCC President Lu Hsien-Chih, the second World Taiwanese Young Businesspeople Entrepreneurship Camp took place in Cape Town, South Africa, from June 30 th to July 2 nd , 2000. The camp was arranged by the World Taiwanese Social Events Committee, hosted by Cape Town Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce South Africa, co-hosted by Africa Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, and nearly 100 young Taiwanese businesspeople attended the event. In addition to arranging a start-up symposium, the highlight of the camp was having the Deputy Chairman of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of China, Luo Wen-Jia, joined as a guest speaker, and it drew a successful conclusion to the event.
In order to have overseas youths seek their roots back in their hometowns, the 7 th WTCC President Lien Yuan Chang co-operated with the Overseas Community Affairs Council and held the “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Wondrous Taiwan Culture Tour for the Second Generation” under the sponsorship of the Taiwan Development Institute (regional). The group of 16 had an eight-day tour from July 15th to July 22nd, 2001. During the tour, these overseas second-generations gained a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s local folk customs through fieldtrips and hands-on experiences, which meant that the first event held by the WTCC in Taiwan drew to a perfect ending.
Due to the fact that organizing the second-generation young businesspeople cannot be put on hold, on October 8th, 2003, the authority of research and planning on the establishment of the Junior Chapter of second-generation young businesspeople was passed and also formed a committee for the Junior Chapter at the WTCC to provide guidance and assistance with the approval from the First Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Tenth Term. On September 21st, 2004, at the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Tenth Term, the board members adopted the procedures to establish the Junior Chapter Bylaws given by the proposer at the meeting and agreed to further discuss the details at the next joint meeting. Soon, on September 22nd, at the First Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Eleventh Term, the board members passed the requisition to form the Junior Chapter Committee, hired director Chiang Chiu Chu as the convener, and thus officially initiated the relevant tasks of organizing the Junior Chapter.
The Junior Chapter Committee drew up a detailed plan right away and proposed the idea to establish the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce-Junior Chapter. At the same time, the 11th WTCC President, Wen Yu Hsia, along with the Honorary President of the WTCC, Wu Sung Pei (one of the 6 th term Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Taiwanese government), began to pay multiple visits to and consulted the Deputy Chairman of the Overseas Community Affairs Council, Yang Tzu-Pao, in regards to hosting a Taiwanese businesspeople second-generation youth leadership training camp and its relevant affairs and suggesting the government to provide channels to overseas interest in order for them to obtain entrepreneurship information. Under the active push of the then WTCC President Wen Yu Hsia, the members at the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Eleventh Term agreed to suggest the Overseas Community Affairs Council, using the Leadership Training Class for Taiwanese Businesspeople as a reference, to host an overseas youth leadership seminar.
From September 14th to 21st, 2005, the Overseas Community Affairs Council officially held the “Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Second-Generation Elite Leadership Training Workshop”, in which about 30 Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce second-generation elites from all over the world were invited along with a group of 10 domestic young elites, who participated and exchanged ideas on how to cultivate the next generation leadership talents globally. The responses to the event were enthusiastic. On September 28th, 2006, at the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Twelfth Term, the board members agreed and asked the Junior Chapter Committee to propose a detailed plan to assist the Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce across all continents to establish their own Junior Chapters, then, the decision of whether or not to officially establish the WTCC Junior Chapter will be considered based on how well the operations run across each continent. On March 18th, 2007, at the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Thirteenth Term, the board members approved the decision to have the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce to provide funds for the establishment of its Junior Chapter and asked the Junior Chapter Committee to submit detailed plans and budget reports to be reviewed at the next joint conference.
Put Together by Everyone’s Hard Work, The Junior Chapter is Finally Coming into Play
On September 29 th , 2009, at the First Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixteenth Term, the topic around whether to officially establish an organization of the Junior Chapters once again took over the spotlight. An extempore motion was brought up, and it was a proposal to strengthen the integration of the Junior Chapters around the world; this showed that the time had come for the WTCCJC to be formed. The resolutions were: to put together the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter and the president of the WTCC will hold the authority on such affairs. After taking the office, the WTCC President Tsai Kuo-Tai, actively sought for suggestions and recommendations on this matter through the exchange of ideas with the Junior Chapter Committee Advisor Jackson Yang, Consultant Chiang Chiu Chu, and the WTCC Honorary Consultant Chen Tsung-Wen. As the establishment of the WTCC Junior Chapter has a far-and-wide impact on the future of the WTCC, careful analysis and planning should be done before moving forward. In light of such, Tsai Kuo-Tai also sought for advises from relevant personnel and asked the Honorary Consultant Chen Tsung-Wen, to help prepare for the draft proposal for the “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce to Establish the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Alliance Plan” to use as reference.
In order to make good use of the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference that took place in Paris, WTCC could call for a meeting regarding the feasibility of the establishment of the Junior Chapter. Along with the goals to exchange ideas on the matter and discuss establishing a preparatory committee to form the organizational structure, the organizational statute, and to hold an inauguration conference, the WTCC sent out an invitation to Chambers of Commerce located in various continents on January 18th, 2010 and invited them to send over their top-five talents to join with all expenses paid for.
On April 9th, 2010, the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixteenth Term took place at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Paris, France. The WTCC held the “Preparation Symposium for the Establishment of the World Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Federation”, hosted by the WTCC President Tsai Kuo-Tai, who presided over the resolution of the establishment of “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Federation”. On the same day, six conveners were chosen from each of the six continents - Jimmy Liao for North America Lynn Wen (p.p) (United States), Charles C. Lai for Asia, who is the President of Asia World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce to serve as temporary interim, Tsai Chung Chiang for Europe (France), Michael Sun for Africa (South Africa), Ana Wang for Latin America (Argentina), and Brenda Chen for Oceania (Australia). Among these six conveners, Michael Sun from South Africa and Tsai Chung Chiang from France were chosen to be the General Convener to promote the establishment of the Junior Chapter.
On the 10 th , the Second Board of Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixteenth Term took place and passed the “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce to Establish World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Alliance Plan” that WTCC President Tsai Kuo-Tai had proposed. Also, during the same meeting, he proposed a provisional motion, which was that since the “Preparation Symposium for the Establishment of the World Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter” already took place on the 9 th , had associate trainees from the six continents appointed, and had approved the establishment of the “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Federation”, he therefore suggested that the WTCC should allocate a special budget of USD $3,000 per year in order to sponsor interactive business events that would encourage discussions between young cadres. The motion was decided and approved. However, the mutual consensus on the name of “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Federation” sowed the seeds that led to endless debates at the next joint meeting.
After the symposium in Paris, the Conveners of all continents returned to their homes and started to actively convene young businesspeople. During the preparatory period, aside from the support and guidance from the WTCC President Tsai Kuo-Tai, the Honorary President Wu Sung Pei, as well as the Honorary Consultant Chen Tsung-Wen, Consultant Chiang Chiu Chu also spared no effort to raise funds, and many Taiwanese businesses donated generously. On August 25 th , 2010, the WTCC invited all outstanding young Taiwanese businesspeople with leadership talents to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the establishment of the “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Federation”.
At 3 pm on October 3 rd , 2010, the inauguration ceremony of the establishment of the “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Federation” along with the First Members’ Representative Assembly, took place at the B1 Hall of the Grand Hotel Taipei and had changed the name to “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter”. Furthermore, Michael Sun from South Africa was elected the President of the organization, Ching-Hsin Wen from Germany as the Chief Supervisor, Brian Lee (North America), Jack Hsu (Asia), David Kao (Europe), Christopher Wang (Africa), Sophia Chang (Latin America), and James P. Young (Oceania) were elected as the Vice Presidents. The First Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the First Term of the Junior Chapter was held immediately, and Christopher Wang from South Africa was nominated as the Secretary General, and Tsai Hsin Tien from Malaysia was nominated as Treasurer.
The statute of the “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter” submitted by the General Secretariat of the WTCC was reviewed at the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixteenth Term on October 6 th . Because there were some strong disagreements among the board members in regards to the name, orientation, position, as well as the use of the word “statute” for the organization’s regulations; the term “Junior Chapter Federation” instead of “Junior Chapter” and especially the use of the word “statute” demonstrated that the Junior Chapter was an independent organization. This was against the board’s original intent to establish the Junior Chapter, as it was to encourage young businesspeople to participate in the WTCC affairs, so as to accelerate the passing of the torch. At the same time, some thought that to cap the age limit for people to join the Junior Chapter at 40 seemed inappropriate, as people closer to the age of 40 should be encouraged to participate in their regional Chambers of Commerce events, accumulate experiences, and take on different important roles of all levels in the Chambers of Commerce. Those who were for the idea, thought that the younger generation’s thought process, use of language, and the contents of event planning are much different than those of the older generation, therefore, some of them may be reluctant to join the WTCC. In order to encourage their future interest in joining the WTCC, it might also be better to have the younger members plan and organize the operations of the Junior Chapter independently, and the WTCC could provide guidance and assistance when needed. In terms of the age limit, they also agreed that it should be capped at 40. Since those who are 35 or under may still be in their start-up phase and may be too preoccupied to participate in events and may lack of practical experiences, they may not be able to provide positive influence that would benefit the development of the Junior Chapter. Both opposing parties were firm on their opinions and were unable to reach a consensus for quite some time. Finally, President Tsai Kuo-Tai sensibly appealed to the board of directors and supervisors to “set-up first, coach later”. Eventually, they passed the resolution to establish the Junior Chapter at the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixteenth Term and Members’ Representative Assembly based on the resolution as follows:
- Since the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter” is an internal organization of the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, then it’s statute that was originally passed should be renamed to the “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce - Junior Chapter Bylaws”
- The organization’s name should be changed into “ WORLD TAIWANESE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE - JUNIOR CHAPTER”.
- The Legal Affairs Committee will be invited to consider opinions that are put forward by the Board of Directors and Supervisors, in regards to the structures and contents of the Bylaws, which will then be reviewed and revised. Details are to be discussed at the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Seventeenth Term.
Through collective thinking, amendments were made to the Bylaws. After the Junior Chapter was formed, in order for the organization’s Bylaws to become more rounded, and their enforcement smoother, many of the predecessors continued to provide recommendations and support to the organization through concrete actions. On March 15 th , 2011, the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Seventeenth Term took place in Durban, South Africa, and during which, the amendments to the to “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Bylaws” were adopted. Hereby listed are the origins of the establishment, the purpose, missions, organizational orientation, and membership qualifications as follows:
Origins of the Establishment
The “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce-Junior Chapter” (hereinafter WTCCJC or the Chapter) was established in order to encourage overseas young Taiwanese businesspeople and Taiwanese businesspeople second generation to join their regional World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce (hereinafter WTCC or the Chamber), to inherit the legacy and to develop the organization.
Purpose
The Chapter is an organization composed of young businesspeople from Taiwan or whose parents are from Taiwan or, young businesspeople who recognize Taiwan and identify with the purpose of the Chapter. The organization is to connect young Taiwanese entrepreneurs and the second-generation descendants of Taiwanese businesspeople who reside overseas, so as to seek mutual business development, and to induct him/her /them into their national (or regional) TCC, so as to encourage participation in his/her national (or regional) TCC events and activities.
- Value humanities, human rights, and the spirits of humanitarianism, so as to uplift the international image and standing of Taiwanese businesspeople.
- Fortify relations with the local mainstream society, strive to obtain supports for Taiwan and assist in the expansion of foreign relations.
- The Chapter shall verify the ages of its members and shall ask he/she to present supporting identifications when necessary. Should the member refuse to abide by such request, his/her membership would be revoked.
In order to encourage young businesspeople to actively participate in the WTCC activities and to assist in the inheritance of the legacy, according to the “World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce to Establish the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Junior Chapter Alliance Plan” that was adopted at the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixteenth Term, those who are elected as the continental Junior Chapter Presidents shall be listed as the WTCC Director nominated by their continental WTCC, so as to strengthen the bond between the Junior Chapter and the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce. In the 18 th Term, under the impetus of the WTCC President Huang Cheng-Sheng, during the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Eighteenth Term on October 1 st , 2012, the resolution was passed to have those WTCC and continental WTCC Junior Chapter Presidents with outstanding performances fill in continental WTCC directorial vacancies after their terms end, and this was to be implemented at the 19 th Term. The regional WTCC Presidents, Vice Presidents, or Supervisors will automatically have their Junior Chapter membership removed. This does not apply to those who have been nominated by their continental WTCC to serve as the WTCC Directors.
In order to strengthen the future operations and increase recognition and participation for those who joined the Junior Chapter, it was proposed that the supervisory staff and above should pay an annual membership fee, the qualifications for re-election of the Board of Directors and Board of Supervisors, to become the President, Secretary General and Chief Supervisor were instituted. After these proposals have been passed at the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Third Term of the Junior Chapter, they will be passed on the WTCC Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Nineteenth Term for review. After discussion, the decision was made to pass the annual membership fee. Due to other proposals being related to the amendments to the Junior Chapter organizational regulations, the WTCC Legal Affairs Committee revised the relevant Bylaws, along with the Junior Chapter’s advice, and submitted the revision at the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Nineteenth Term for approval.
On July 9 th , 2013, the 3 rd President of the Junior Chapter Jia Hsieh and Secretary General Andy Chiu discussed matters in regards to the operations of the Junior Chapter and, together with the WTCC Secretary General Chan Yih Yung, Honorary Consultant Chen Tsung-Wen, and Director of the Taipei Office Hsieh Ling Yu, discussed the amendments to the Bylaws. With regards to the age limit to be eligible to join the organization, the original bylaw stated between the ages 21-35, but that is the age suitable for employment or beginning of entrepreneurship, which is unfavorable to have positive impacts within the Junior Chapter; it was therefore proposed to relax the age restriction to 40. On September 30 th , 2013, at the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Nineteenth Term, the amendments parts of the bylaws provisions were approved, which included opening the positions for Counseling President and Senior Directors and the qualifications and conditions for being re-elected for the Junior Chapter board positions, such as the President, Secretary General, and Chief Supervisor. The age limit was voted to stay the same.
In order for the Junior Chapter to have a sound development, on September 30 th , 2013, at the First Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Twentieth Term, the board members requested for the WTCC Elite Training Committee to guide the operations of the Junior Chapter. On December 26 th , 2013, President Jackson Yang of the WTCC asked the Director of the Elite Training Committee Chan Yih Yung to invite the Honorary Advisor Chen Tsung-Wen, Director of the Taipei Office Hsieh Ling Yu, as well as the WTCC Junior Chapter members, President Brian Lee (United States), Counseling President Jia Hsieh (Philippines), Vice Presidents David Yang (Vancouver)、Andy Chiu (Vietnam)、John C.C. Chuang (Japan)、 Edison Li (Vietnam)、Wu Chien-Ming(Singapore)、Huang Kai Yi (Vietnam)、Paul Li (Costa Rica)、Ana Yang (Ecuador)、Charles Ho (Brazil)、Ricardo Huang (Brazil)、Simone Huang (Australia), to jointly dis- cuss the future developments of the organization, to exchange views on amendments to the Bylaws, and to encourage their participation in relevant affairs to further pass on the legacy.
On March 21 st , 2014, the “5 th President of the Junior Chapter Qualification Supplementary Appendix” was approved at the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Fourth Term of the Junior Chapter. The candidates to run for the president of the Junior Chapter must have served as the president of their regional Junior Chapter in order to be eligible in the run. The 5th Junior Chapter conference was to be hosted by Latin America at the time, and because the 5 th presidential candidate, Director Paul Li, did not meet the presidential candidate qualifications, he was not able to run for the role. He then launched a signed petition along with Directors Felisa Sung (Latin America), Emily Lien (Latin America), Alexander Wu (Asia), and Edison Li (Asia) to seek for eligibility from WTCCJC to stay in the run and revision to the qualifications to run for the 5 th WTCCJC president. After the vote, the decision was made: due to under-qualifications of the candidate, both the continental Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Latin America and its Junior Chapter were asked to jointly issue a candidacy recommendation letter for the WTCC Junior Chapter to review, and that candidate must attend all meetings and conferences in the 4 th Term.
On September 28 th , 2014, the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Fourth Term of the Junior Chapter was held at the Grand Hotel Taipei. At the meeting, the Senior Director Andy Chiu proposed to establish the “Long-Term Development Committee” as a permanent operations committee of the organization. After the vote, the resolution was for the Senior Director Andy Chiu to take on the role of the convener, and draw up a report on implementation details to be reviewed or approved at the next meeting.
On September 29 th , 2014, at the Third Board of Supervisors Joint Conference of the Twentieth Term, the Junior Chapter President at the time, Brian Lee, proposed to WTCC again to: discuss revisions to the Junior Chapter Bylaws, including the eligibility to join the organization being between the ages of 21-35. However, those being the ages suitable for employment or beginning entrepreneurship and unfavorable for making impacts within the Junior Chapter, he proposed to relax the upper age limit to 40 years old. The WTCC Board of Directors and Supervisors voted in favor of and approved the resolution, therefore, the Junior Chapter membership eligibility age limit was relaxed to 40 years old.
In order to enhance development opportunities for the Junior Chapter and to encourage and provide guidance to young Taiwanese entrepreneurs, the 20 th WTCC President Jackson Yang raised one million dollars to set up a venture capital fund to help those young businesspeople who need the capitals to start their businesses, hoping to have the effect of “to throw a sprat to catch a mackerel”. With the continuous efforts to pass on the torch from one term to the next, elaborate support and faithful assistance from the seniors of the WTCC, the Junior Chapter symbolizes the eternal sustained development of and, depending on how it transcends traditions and gets the courage to innovate, will undoubtedly be the beacon of hope for the next 20 years of the WTCC.
On September 28 th , 2014, Mr. Paul Li was successfully elected as the 5 th President of the Junior Chapter, and he immediately held the first board meeting of the fifth Term. On April 3 rd , 2015, the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Fifth Term of the Junior Chapter was held in São Paulo, Brazil. The Sixth Term conference was to be hosted by The Council of Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Europe, and because the 6 th presidential candidate Ms. Lily Wang did not meet the candidacy qualifications, she was not eligible to run for the position. Therefore, the Vice President Eric Lee proposed a petition, which was signed by Lily Wang (Europe) David Burie (Europe) and Daniel Chang (Europe) to seek for her eligibility to stay in the run and revisions to the qualifications to run for the 6 th WTCCJC president. It was voted that: both The Council of Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Europe and its Junior Chapter need to issue a letter of recommendation and submit it to the WTCC Junior Chapter. The Secretariat’s proposal for the Second Meeting of the Fifth Term is as follows:
- It is proposed that the preparatory group shall have an online meeting and shall compose meeting minutes on matters in regards to establishing the “Junior Chapter Long-Term Development Committee” and submit it to the WTCC. The Committee shall consist of the current cadres and senior Directors and shall put forward one of the Senior Directors as a Commissioner, whose term will be two years. The preparatory group nominated and agreed to have the Senior Director Andy Chiu be the first Commissioner and sent the meeting minutes to the WTCC. WTCC approved the nomination, and the operations of the committee shall start in the 6th term of the Junior Chapter.
- It is proposed that the Junior Chapter Board of Directors shall agree that more than one-third of the cadres must attend a Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Junior Chapter when it takes place overseas, so the meeting can take place (the original organizational bylaw states one-half). More than half voted in favor of the proposal, motion approved.
- It is proposed that the Chief Supervisor of the Junior Chapter shall be elected by the Board of Supervisors as well as the Senior Directors (the original organizational Bylaw states that the Board of Supervisors shall select the individual). The motion was approved as the vote was unanimous.
On September 27 th , 2015, the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Fifth Term of the Junior Chapter was held at the Grand Hotel Taipei, during which the Secretariat put forward the motion, which was co-signed by the Secretary General Felisa Sung, Treasurer Emily Lien, and Senior Director Andy Chiu, to add the “Honorary President” role; motion was approved, but only applicable to those who are 40 and under. On September 27 th , 2015, Ms. Lily Wang was voted as the 6 th Junior Chapter President, and had immediately held the First Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixth Term of the Junior Chapter. On March 4 th , 2016 the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixth Term of the Junior Chapter took place in Madrid, where the Secretariat put forward the motion in regards to the Handover Measures. After discussion, the term “Measures” was changed to “Ordinances”, and the term “Governing Agency” was changed to “Handover Procedures Supervisor”. The motion was put to vote and was approved: 26 in favour, and 3 against.
On September 25 th , 2016, the Third Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Sixth Term of the Junior Chapter was held at the Grand Hotel Taipei. The 7 th Junior Chapter President Andy Chiu (Vietnam) and Chief Supervisor David Burie (France) were elected. The Minister of OCAC Wu Hsin-Hsing presented the certificate of election to the newly elected President and Chief Supervisor, hosted the hand- over ceremony and supervised the oath of all cadres, thus witnessing the birth of a new Term of the Junior Chapter. Minister Wu Hsin-Hsing stated in his speech: “Young businesspeople have better language skills and academic qualifications than their fathers, just as the saying goes - the pupils have surpassed their masters. The new generation should support overseas Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, in order to help them generate more positive influence on their local communities and protect their rights and interests in their countries of investment, therefore assisting Taiwanese businesspeople walk onto the international platform so Taiwan can shine bright on the world stage.”
On September 25 th , 2016, the Junior Chapter President Andy Chiu immediately held the First Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Seventh Term of the Junior Chapter and announced the cadres of the 7 th Term and the annual work plan. On September 27 th , 2016, the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce First Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Twenty-third Term was held by the President Jason Lin, during which the Secretariat proposed to establish the “The Junior Chapter Group-of-Ten Evaluators Committee”. The Honorary President Tsai Kuo-Tai was to serve as the Convener, and the rest of the members of the Junior Chapter Evaluators Committee were: WTCC President Jason Lin, Honorary President Tsai-Kuo-Tai, the Legal Affairs Committee Commissioner Sabine Chen, Vice President Lee Tien-Chi (Asia), Vice President Fernando Hung (Latin America), Vice President Jerry Sung (Africa), Vice President Sharon Chang (Europe), Advisory Committee Advisor Edward Lin (Oceania), Consultant Lynn Wen (North America), and the Junior Chapter President Andy Chiu.
From October 2016 to April 2017, the 7 th Junior Chapter held a number of business matchmaking and promotional events, under the leadership of the Junior Chapter President Andy Chiu, to promote business exchanges between domestic industries and overseas young businesspeople and to provide entrepreneurship counseling. Which includes: The Overseas Community Affairs Council Innovation and Entrepreneurship Delegation, Taiwan-Japan International Economic and Trade Forum, the Asia Taiwanese Young Entrepreneurs Forum... and so on. He also gave speeches at domestic institutional units and colleges, shared his ASEAN market experiences with: The Food Industry Research and Development Institute, National Chengchi University, Ming Chuan University, Dayeh University, China Youth Corps, and other organizations.
On April 7 th , 2017, the Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Seventh Junior Chapter Term was held in Melbourne, Australia. The Secretariat’s proposals were as follows:
- Putting forward the list of members of the Election Committee and its Chairman from each continent; motion was passed.
- Making amendments to some provisions of the organizational Bylaws (from the fourth to the sixth Term), which was expected to be presented and voted at the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce Second Board of Directors and Supervisors Joint Conference of the Twenty-third Term; the motion was passed.