World Wide Web Sites

With the advent and growth of the world wide web, much of the information a person would want to know about the Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea is available at his or her fingertips. One can find out about the economic conditions in the these countries directly from their governments, learn about the hottest trends in Asian music and fashion, or contact potential new business partners electronically. It all depends on what one might be looking for. Below are fifteen web sites (five for each country) that focus on topics of interest to businesses investigating the Three Dragons.

Hong Kong

American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong
http://www.amcham.org.hk

The Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit membership organization that provides information and assistance to US companies in Hong Kong. This web site describes the chamber's services and sources of information at the disposal of its members.

Best Feature: The "About Hong Kong" web page gives a good overview of the US presence in Hong Kong, its integration with China, and what US companies need to about the Basic Law.

This web site is a comprehensive list of links to various web sites focusing on Hong Kong. Links range from governmental information to travel news, entertainment listings, and employment opportunities in Hong Kong.

Best Feature: This is a good site with which to start exploring Hong Kong on the internet. Visitors will want to use this site to find tourist attractions, night clubs, restaurants, weather conditions, and other information to make a business trip more enjoyable.

This is the official web site of the government of Hong Kong. From this site, one can access useful information from various departments of the Hong Kong government, including: economic statistics, legal information, and information about the coming integration with China.

Best Feature: The Government Information Centre web site includes an annual report which discusses a number of topics relating to the politics, economics, culture, and history of Hong Kong. Plus, visitors can review all of the customs and entry requirements for the region before they leave home.

The mission of the Trade Development Council (TDC) is to promote the city of Hong Kong, its companies, and its reputation as a center for Asian business. The TDC web site is both comprehensive and impressive

Best Feature: The TDC web site provides visitors with a tremendous amount of information. One can download tips for doing business in Hong Kong, international market news, and trade opportunities with Hong Kong companies. Plus, the web site includes descriptions of services it offers to companies.

The South China Morning Post is one of Hong Kong's best known English-speaking newspapers. This web page is the internet counterpart to the daily newspaper in Hong Kong.

Best Feature: This web site is a great way to keep abreast of current news in Hong Kong including: business news, political news, market news, sports, and weather. The web site also includes a "breaking news" ticker that updates the most current stories. Registration is required to access the site, but the registration is free.

Taiwan

This is a small web site maintained by the Council for Economic Planning and Development. The goals of the council is to attract investment to Taiwan.

Best Feature: The Council for Economic Planning and Development presents some very good economic information on its web site. Visitors to this site can gather trade data, exchange rate trends, labor force indicators, and the level of foreign investment in Taiwan.

This is the official web site for the government and overseas consulates of the Republic of China. Included on this site are links to the Taiwanese consulates around the world and links to sources or information published by the government.

Best Feature: Visitors have access to recent position papers and news relating to issues considered to be important by the government of Taiwan. Also, visitors can read through articles from the Free China Journal, Free China Review, and Sinorama Magazine.

R.O.C. Online bills itself as "the authoritative information source about the Republic of China on Taiwan." Links are available for information sources, a bulletin board trade discussion forum, industry trade associations, and current news from Taiwan.

Best Feature: The section of the R.O.C. web page called "Taiwan Navigator" features links to hospitals, expatriate organizations, language and cultural centers, government offices, news sources, and trade information for Taiwan.

SinaNet is a comprehensive web site designed for anyone interested in Taiwan. Links are provided for current news, financial news, job openings, shopping, and even a chat area.

Best Feature: The links to current news and financial information are quite good, though much of the information is printed in Chinese. Plus, the chat rooms present an interesting method to meet Taiwanese people and learn about the country.

Sponsored by the China External Trade Development Council and the Taipei World Trade Center, Trade Point Taiwan is one of the most beneficial web sites for business people wishing to learn about the island.

Best Feature: Trade Point Taiwan provides excellent information for business people, such as information on doing business with Taiwan, directories of Taiwanese importers and sales agents, and annual economic statistics for the Republic of China.

South Korea

Embassy of the Republic of Korea
http://korea.emb.washington.dc.us

This is the official website for the South Korean Embassy to the US. Extensive descriptions of the embassy's services are provided on this site, including information for travelers, a large research library, and special information for businesses.

Best Feature: This page includes a special section for those interested in doing business with South Korea. One can access information on Korea's economy, foreign investment in Korea, owning a business there, or one can find out who to contact for further information. Also included are many links that would be of interest to Koreans and others wishing to learn more about the country.

This website is the internet version of two of South Korea's best known newspapers, the Korea Economic Daily, and the Korea Economic Weekly. Visitors to this site can access stories written in both Korean and English.

Best Feature: This web site is an excellent way to keep abreast of current news in South Korea. Stories written in Korean are updated on a daily basis, whereas the English versions of these stories are only published once a week in the Korea Economic Weekly.

The Korea Trade/Investment Agency is a non-profit wing of the South Korean government whose purpose is to attract foreign investment and promote international trade. The site provides overviews of the Korean economy and links to company home pages and business opportunities in the country.

Best Feature: Excellent information is available on this site for those wishing to invest in South Korea. Descriptions of Korean products are available, and the site has extensive links to other sources of valuable information.

The Korean International Trade Association is the major stockholder in the World Trade Center of Korea. The organization and its website maintain numerous links to databases and other sources of business information on South Korea.

Best Feature: With this website one can access the Trade Tower newsletter, the Korean Trade Port magazine, international trade databases, links to trade associations, and directories of Korean companies.

Seoul Focus is the website for the Seoul metropolitan government. Many kinds of information, from news from the Mayor's office to current weather conditions, cultural events, and tips for people living in Seoul, are provided via the internet.

Best Feature: This site is a great place to begin planning a trip to Seoul. Everything from travel tips to current news can be found, as well as insights into driving in Seoul, taxation, medical services, and shopping.

Other Important Sites

Asian Business Watch is a comprehensive source of economic data and marketing information for Asia. The web site draws upon a number of sources and is updated daily.

Best Feature: Not only is the quality of the information on this page excellent, but one is also able to access daily news reports from Asian newspapers and CNN. Also included is a nice search engine that targets specific countries.

Stat-USA is a web site for business, economic, and trade information compiled by the branches of the US government. Many types of information are included, such as market research reports, import/export statistics, and an index of foreign traders. Though visiting the site is free, a fee is charged to view and download the information on the site.

Best Feature: Included in Stat-USA is the National Trade Data Bank (NTDB). The internet version of the NTDB is user friendly and easy to search. Nevertheless, users must pay a registration fee before they can use this service.

Before concluding this section, it should be noted that hundreds of world wide web sites contain excellent information on the Three Dragons. Some of these sites are very specific, focusing on just one industry, or perhaps just one company. Since the kind of information needed varies depending on the company and its business goals, GBIN recommends that companies make detailed searches of the internet on their own. By using a search engine such as Yahoo or Alta Vista, and by highlighting a particular industry and region of the world, companies can generate many useful links to information that will suit it particular needs. Also, one should keep in mind that most web sites provide links to other sources of information on the web that may be of interest. Therefore, "be prepared to surf!"

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