In the 1950s the United States, Japan and other nations began to move their labor-intensive industries abroad, and Taiwan moved toward economic liberalization and an export orientation so as to attract foreign investment. In 1960 the Legislative Yuan passed the Investment Incentive Act, and at the end of 1966 the ROC established the world's first export processing zone in Kaohsiung.
1950 年代末，美、日等國計劃將勞力密集產業外移，台灣為了吸引外商投資，決定採取自由開放、鼓勵出口政策，1960 年公布「獎勵投資條例」，1966 年底在高雄成立全球首座加工出口區（EPZ）。