ECI’s CEO Paul Walsh, Operations Manager Hellen van Mil and Communications Officer Istvan Koles travelled to Taiwan to attend the Taipei Cycle Show for the first time. Not only did last week mark ECI’s international debut on the global cycling stage, but it also saw the first international edition of the Leaders’ Breakfast. Held just before the show’s opening ceremony, this event set the tone for high-level dialogue among industry leaders.
The week of Taipei Cycle Show 2026 offered a possibility for the association representing the European cycling industry to engage with Taiwanese counterparts as truly global peers. By securing a premier exhibition space in the European Pavilion, ECI provided European companies with a vital platform to navigate an increasingly complex and difficult international geopolitical landscape.
The future and development of trade shows: what makes the Taipei Cycle Show unique
There is no question that the Taipei Cycle Show remains an extremely influential trade show for the cycling industry. The ongoing war in the Middle East didn’t make it easy to travel to Taipei for Europeans. Nonetheless, for those who weren’t affected by travel issues, the 2026 show didn’t feel any slower than before: people were fully booked with meetings, and agendas filled very quickly with networking invitations.
Indeed, the show highlighted a major shift: B2B events are moving from simple transactions to sophisticated knowledge exchanges. The show’s trade element is no longer exclusively concerned with import and export questions, orders from distributors, manufacturing contacts, or choosing the next “standard” bottom bracket. Visitors and exhibitors traded insights, best practices, and their vision for the sector. High-level industry panels and discussions started early on Tuesday (long before the entry doors to the halls were open) and lasted until the last day of the show.
Made in Europe is not a taboo under the right circumstances
While the phrase ‘never waste a crisis’ has become a cliché, it perfectly captures the strategic imperative currently facing the industry. Therefore, coming out of the Taipei Cycle Show, we are confident that we have leveraged our attendance to address the industry’s current challenges, seizing those as opportunities to build a much stronger relationship with our Taiwanese partners. By doing so, we can find ourselves much better positioned to face the constraints and difficulties which will surely rise in the future.
Young Liu, Chairman of the Giant Group, set the tone on the opening night with a clear message: Europe must define what it actually wants from Taiwanese suppliers. The ECI team agrees: broad calls for “reshoring” and general complaints about transport delays are not enough. What is needed is a consistent and clearly articulated European position – something that Phoebe Liu, CEO of the Giant Group, reinforced during the Leaders’ Breakfast. She also highlighted that long and complex supply chains are increasingly out of step with European consumer expectations. In other words, the business case for restructuring supply chains is already there.
Taken together, their messages point in the same direction: greater clarity from Europe, and a more responsive, better-aligned supply chain.
This transition cannot be driven by companies alone. ECI has a key role in aligning members and defining a common industry strategy, including a clear stance on reshoring. In this context, cooperation with the Taiwanese Bicycle Association is essential, with both associations providing leadership.
This also aligns with broader developments in Brussels, where calls for “Made in Europe” legislation are growing. The cycling industry should be part of this shift, bearing in mind that strengthening Europe’s manufacturing base will require close alignment with experienced international partners, particularly those with decades of expertise.
The BAS is more than a sustainability body
Last year, our colleague Jacques Lovell commented on how the Bicycling Alliance for Sustainability (BAS) is leading the way on environmental and social sustainability in the cycling sector. That leadership was equally apparent this year. The commitment of Taiwanese companies to sustainability standards is remarkably consistent. In fact, discussions at the recent ESG Global Forum indicate that these efforts are often more ambitious than those led by European NGOs or trade bodies. This creates a compelling contrast as Europe begins to prioritize industrial competitiveness, transitioning its rhetoric from “green” to “clean industrial” development.
BAS, which brings together just short of 100 members, requires its members to make significant changes to reduce their carbon footprint – efforts that go much beyond box ticking exercises. This has been done so effectively that the BAS surpassed, this year, its 2030 target of reducing carbon emissions by 25%. Clearly, there is something that European companies and initiatives can learn from BAS – not just in terms of sustainability, but also in terms of coherent and efficient response to regulatory changes. The leadership evidenced by the Taiwanese bicycle sector through this initiative means that it is reasonable to expect Taiwanese companies to respond to European ‘reshoring’ requests with similar professionalism.
Looking for a more consistent Europe-Taiwan connection
Our over-riding impression from the event is of the kindness and hospitality of our hosts. Not to mention the fact that from advocacy to high-level strategic initiatives, our colleagues there are setting a standard for trade association effectiveness that is world-class.
At this moment, having a united European association built on solid foundations, we see a clear willingness to strengthen the connection that we already have with Taiwan and to create something special for the cycling industry. We certainly see Taipei Cycle Show 2026 as a launchpad for a stronger and more fruitful partnership and, over the course of this year, we are looking forward to continue discussions geared towards producing concrete results for our sector.
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