According to statistics of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the country's overseas investment was rather limited until 1984, when the government began to promote overseas investment as a policy.
大勢所趨，投資海外根據經濟部統計資料顯示，我國對外投資在民國七十二年以前，金額相當有限。細數從頭，我國第一件正式申請的對外投資案，是在民國四十八年到馬來西亞設立水泥廠。東南亞因為華人多、離台灣近，打交道容易，早期國人對外投資遂集中在此地區。