Future Prospects
1. Continue developing Halal Certification training and the service industry
The current global population of Muslims rests at approximately 1.6 billion, comprising a quarter of the world’s population. In ASEAN alone, there are approximately 400 million Muslims. According to Thomas Reuters’State of the Global Islamic Economy, published in October 2016, the value of the global Halal industry market could reach three trillion USD by the year 2020. Indonesia and Malaysia are the countries with the largest Muslim populations and both are considered neighboring nations. Effectively tapping into this Halal market would be of great aid in developing our economy.

Furthermore, with respect to tourism, according to MasterCard’s “2017 MasterCard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI),” the 117 million Muslim tourists from 2016 increased to 121 million in 2017. This number is expected to reach 156 million by 2020, comprising approximately 10% of the global Muslim tourist market. MasterCard estimates that the value of the Muslim tourist market will grow to 220 billion USD by 2020 and 300 billion USD by 2026. According to the latest MasterCard survey, Taiwan performs well by different metrics, including accommodation options, air traffic connectivity, accessibility of Muslim prayer rooms, and Muslim tourist-friendliness. Among non-Muslim tourist destinations, Taiwan ranks number seven on the list of preferred destinations. Clearly, there is tremendous potential for Taiwan’s tourist industry in unlocking the Muslim tourist market.

Both attracting Muslim tourists to Taiwan and exporting domestic products to Halal markets require “Halal Certification.” Even after the production of a product with Halal Certification, one still faces export-related issues such as laws, taxes, routes, and e-commerce. Our university is located in the breadbasket of southern Taiwan. Its vigorous agricultural development, comfortable climate, and beautiful scenery make it eminently suitable for tourism. The ASEAN and South Asia Research Center is committed to externally promoting our nation’s products with Halal Certification and internally creating Muslim-tourist-friendly spaces. We will continue to synthesize industrial, governmental, and academic resources in order to (a) promote the Halal Certification of relevant national products and services and (b) provide resources and cooperative services explaining the laws, taxes, e-commerce, and trade routes related to Halal Certification. Our hope is that this will enable our nation’s industries to quickly enter the Halal market, seizing this economic opportunity to engage with the enormous Muslim market. The ASEAN and South Asia Research Center will also (a) develop Halal Certification training courses, workshops, and business opportunity forums, (b) train Halal Certification consultants, (c) provide our students with related training, (d) expand the variety of job opportunities for our students, and (e) continue working with the government to establish industrial, governmental, and academic partnerships, with professional teams continuing our expansion into the Halal market.


2. Continue organizing New Southbound talent development workshops
Currently, all southbound Taiwanese businesses need corresponding “southbound talent.” So the ASEAN and South Asia Research Center will continue organizing New Southbound talent development workshops to develop more mobile southbound talent. We will continue selecting and sending trained talent to southbound countries for internships, in an effort to increase the possibility of future employment in those countries. Additionally, the ASEAN and South Asia Research Center will also provide training courses tailor-made for various interested companies, to ensure trained students are well-equipped to begin work at said company.


3.Coordinate more industry-academy partnership projects in Thailand, Cambodia, and other New Southbound nations
Aside from academic cooperation with Thailand, Cambodia, and other nations, the ASEAN and South Asia Research Center is also actively coordinating new domestic industry-academy partnerships for expansion into Thailand, Cambodia, and other New Southbound nations. For example, the ASEAN and South Asia Research Center is currently working with two domestic companies to implement new agricultural farming techniques and establish an agricultural school on an 8000-hectare piece of land in Cambodia.