Uni-Freight Logistics Co.,Ltd. – Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C.

June 8, 2017

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Interview with Mr. Nelson Lee
Managing Director

Nelson, tell us about when you started your freight forwarding company in Taiwan and about your main business focus. I understand that you also provide shipping agency besides project freight forwarding?

Uni-Freight Logistics Co.,Ltd. (UFL) was registered in 2002. I have been working in the shipping industry since 1993. UFL has branch offices in Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Qingdao and Shanghai.

Our general cargo (cy-cy) team has two main trades, USA to Asia and Asia (China) to Europe.

Our project cargo team has been focusing on oil & gas and energy projects.

UFL is also a licensed shipping / port agency in Taiwan.

Taiwan has a special location and relationship to both China and Hong Kong. Tell us about the current business climate between Taiwan and P.R. China.

Nowadays, there are 2.5 million (an unofficial record) Taiwanese people living and working in China. There are also countless enterprises, factories and companies there. It goes without saying that China and Taiwan are closely linked and inseparable. Politics is another matter.

When I first met you years ago I recall that you could NOT fly direct from Taiwan to P.R. China. Tell us about the situation back then and now.

1949 – 1986: Military confrontation. No flights between China and Taiwan.

1987 – 2009: All flights were required to stop over in Hong Kong, Macau, Japan or Korea. No direct flights.

2009 – now: There are hundreds of direct flights per day from Taiwan to more than 50 cities in China.

Are you a member of any networks these days? do you have offices outside Taiwan?

Uni-Freight Logistics is a member of CLC Projects Network.

UFL Shipping Agency is a member of Bimco.

Evergreen and Yangming Line are both Taiwanese shipowners, what can you tell us about them from a freight forwarders point of view?

Evergreen is a privately owned company. Yangming Line’s majority shareholder is the Taiwanese government. Basically their style is a bit different.

Do you need a licence to operate a freight forwarding company in Taiwan?

In Taiwan, a freight forwarding company is not a common enterprise. We are requested by law to register our bill of lading and buy a bond & liability insurance with a certain amount. There are also specific regulations for the capital investment and the background of the owner (Chairman).