The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan says most of its member companies were not affected by China’s recent military drills. The exercises around Taiwan in early August were largely seen as a reaction to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the country on August 2.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, known colloquially as AmCham, was established in 1951. It’s one of the biggest international business associations in Taiwan.
In a press release on Friday, the chamber said that over three-quarters of its members who replied to a survey said their business was not significantly affected by China’s drills.
Only 17% said they experienced disruptions, mainly related to shipping and insurance costs or supply chain delays. Nearly half of the companies whose business was affected said that disruptions came from policy changes put in place by their overseas headquarters.
Nearly half of the respondents said they were expecting increased military activity this and next year to disrupt their normal operations. Surveyed companies also said they were more concerned than usual for the future. The average level of concern was 2.8 on a five-point scale.
AmCham Taiwan President Andrew Wylegala is calling for “stepped-up economic collaboration” to support Taiwan’s resilience in the face of future drills. He also called Taiwan’s economic relationship with the United States a “security issue.”