TES & APEC

Written by Peter Li-Chang Kuo

(Chinese)

“TES” (The eStore System, an original Electronic Commerce System) is a new tech-economic system invented based on universal concern. In addition to its long list of components such as contactless induction technology and cashless transaction systems, it also introduced visionary concepts and slogans such as "Innovative Industries to Solve Unemployment," "Technologization of Traditional Industries and Intelligentization of High-Tech Industries," "Working from Home to Earn Global Income," and "Jobs for Everyone, Food for Every Household." Looking back after 40 years, these once-distant dreams of social responsibility investment have truly come to fruition.

During the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, severely affected countries included Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan— all member economies of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation). As these countries faced the devastation of the crisis and were at a loss for recovery solutions, Linda Din, a Taiwanese female social entrepreneur, appeared like an angel bringing good news to the Vancouver APEC meeting. She introduced her groundbreaking, cross-century invention— “The eStore System” (TES)—which sparked keen interest among political and business leaders from various economies in the potential of the e-commerce industry.

At the Vancouver APEC meeting, representatives from various economies unanimously recognized that:

"TES, invented by Linda Din, initiated Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce), marking a major technological breakthrough in human history."

The ministers also agreed that E-Commerce would become “a vital tool for economic and social growth,” offering opportunities for recovery and revival. They called for the formulation of action plans and the broad study of e-commerce-related issues to create a predictable and consistent environment that would allow all APEC economies to benefit from electronic commerce and foster economic development. Among these initiatives, the private sector was identified as the key innovator and developer to take the lead in this transformative movement.

Fig 1: Linda Din visiting the U.S. SBA after APEC 1997

To survive, everyone needed to work together!

After spreading the message of economic revival at the Vancouver APEC meeting, Linda Din traveled to Washington, D.C., where she met with Mr. Richard Ginsburg of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In conversations with SBA officials, she informed that how TES— “An Innovative E-Commerce Commercial Mechanism”—will enable SMEs to seamlessly access global markets in the future.

And she mentioned that Mr. John Manley, then Canada's Minister of Industry, had said after seeing TES:

"Ms. Linda Din has opened a door to the global market for small and medium-sized enterprises."

He also expressed hope that Taiwan’s private sector would actively engage with other APEC members to foster various strategic alliances, thereby advancing the development of this new technological and economic system for the benefit of all.

As a result, Linda Din was invited to serve as a speaker at APEC 1998 and officially proposed the "E-Commerce Bill" at the Kuala Lumpur conference.

On September 1, 1998, the APEC organizer (ASLI) sent a fax of appreciation to Linda Din, summarized as follows:

1 September, 1998

Ms Linda Din

President

K-Horn Science Inc.
Chinese Taipei

Dear Ms Din

APEC SME Business Forum

We thank for your support shown towards this forum. It gives us great pleasure to invite you to join us for the “Business Task Force Meeting,” scheduled for 2.30 pm onwards on “4^th September” at Business Centre 4, Level 15 of the hotel. This meeting which will consist of 8 representatives form the various APEC economies will draft recommendations arising from the forum to be presented by Datuk Paul Low, Chairman of the Business Forum to the Ministers on 8th September.

We would also like to invite you to be an observer at the dialogue with the Ministers on 8^th September as well as to a formal dinner hosted by The Hon. Dato' Seri Rafidah Aziz, Minister of Trade and Industry, Malaysia on 7th September. The agenda items as follows:

We would also like to invite you to be an observer in the following events: the formal dinner hosted by Malaysia’s Minister of International Trade and Industry, Dato' Seri Rafidah Aziz, on 7^th September; the dialogue with Ministers on 8^th September for the SME Business Forum / Task Force Report, where the Joint Ministerial Statement will be reviewed and adopted. We sincerely hope that you will be able to join us for the three events. Please feel free to contact us if you require more information. Thank you.

Yours Sincerely

ASIAN STRATEGY &LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

Jeannie Ng/ Senior Manager — Programme Development

Fig 2: APEC 1998 (ALSI/organizer) expressing thank to Linda Din for accepting the invitation as a speaker

This letter (fax) of appreciation, inviting Linda Din to serve as a speaker, has become a significant historical document in the establishment of e-commerce history.

In order to maximize the impact of the Task Force proposal, Linda Din specifically collaborated with Mr. Josh Knights, the U.S. representative, and successfully promoted the "E-Commerce Bill" based on the TES proposal, establishing the "Steering the Global E-Commerce" initiative.

Fig 3: Linda Din proposing at the APEC 1998

In the Joint Ministerial Statement, Ministers endorsed the work of the APEC Electronic Commerce Task Force in promoting greater understanding of electronic commerce issues through exchanging and sharing of information and developing substantive recommendations to ensure that APEC as a region benefits from this new technology. This work program covers “Y2K, Paperless Trading,” authentication issues such as “cross certification, collection of case studies, survey of impediments, ‘Virtual’ Electronic Commerce/Multimedia Resource Network and ECOTECH activities” and etc.

In order to increase the uptake of electronic commerce in APEC, Ministers endorsed the “APEC Blueprint for Action on Electronic Commerce” setting out the broad themes relating to cooperation on electronic commerce within APEC and specific future activities for the APEC-wide electronic commerce work program and agreed that it be transmitted to APEC Economic Leaders for endorsement.

They recognized that “technical cooperation” would enhance the capacity of member economies for the uptake of electronic commerce within APEC. To ensure continued coordination in pursuit of the “Blueprint for Action,” Ministers agreed that a “Steering Group,” comprising representatives from member economies would be established involving relevant working groups and sub-fora as well as business sector experts, in accordance with APEC guidelines on business/private sector participation.

The Origin of the Invention of TES

In fact, due to Taiwan’s failed industrial transformation between 1981 and 1985, many foreign companies withdrew their investments, triggering a wave of unemployment. Many unemployed individuals turned to driving taxis, only to be robbed. In the midst of this, Linda Din, an ordinary housewife who seemed to have no capacity to tackle such a grand issue, she declared that "I’ll start a business to solve unemployment." After solving 100 unemployment cases, she realized that there were still 4,900 people in need of jobs, and she came to understand that "unemployment was a structural social problem."

Determined to solve these societal issues, she dedicated herself to deep contemplation day and night to finding solutions to social problems. One day in 1986, she was struck by a sudden inspiration from heaven and invented the "TES" (The eStore System) — which she called "Electronic Commerce." After 13 years of relentless effort, by 1998 at APEC, her invention had already achieved concrete results.

In addition, in the 1980s, "Nigerian fraudsters" exploited formal foreign trade channels to scam businesses in Taiwan, causing some small and medium-sized enterprises to go bankrupt.

In business, the most critical issue is: “Selling the goods and collecting the payment.”

Linda Din studied existing payment methods, which were contact-based, and proposed within TES a "universal cashless system"—a contactless payment system.

She defined it as "contactless" and called it "Social Responsibility Investment" (SRI)—an investment dedicated to creating job opportunities and solving social problems. Her vision was simply that everyone could have a job, every family could have food on the table, and business owners could earn global profits from home—no more tragedies of being defrauded or robbed.

After 11 years of research and development and more than NTD 2.1 billion in investment for the universal concern, she successfully created the smart transaction and digital economy platform (eStore).

At APEC, she advocated the initiative: "One eStore, One Business, One Job"—a model covering cashless transactions, contactless technologies, smart supply chains (TSCM), smart cities, and AI-driven business frameworks.

Because public awareness at the time was still lacking, she integrated vending machines and ATMs to create the smart "VAM" (Vending Automation Manager) to physically demonstrate the "Cashless System." She promoted TES extensively through education across Taichung, Taipei, Silicon Valley, Japan, and Mainland China, organized lectures and forums, sent out newsletters, published books, and most importantly, informed the world through the detailed contents of her invention patents.

Following another 13 years (1997–2009) of sustained efforts within APEC, along with the rise of the "Contactless Economy" during the pandemic, the TES system has delivered immense social and economic benefits—its annual non-cash transaction volume has reached USD 36 trillion, benefiting billions of people.

Even today, people continue to send videos from Mainland China claiming to showcase so-called "black technology" that propose to create "unmanned store."

A Book Recording the History of E-Commerce

When you turn to page 195 of “Daughter of the Defense Employee” (Linda Din, 2001), the author, Linda Din, uses a Q&A format to describe the "eStore" within TES:

The most common question people ask is:

"What does an eStore actually look like?"

"My 'electronic commerce' is a highly complex and sophisticated system. I designed the 'eStore' as the entry point to simplify electronic commerce."

As to an eStore actually look like?

An eStore essentially eliminates the inefficient parts of a traditional store, streamlining it into a modular, micro-sized, automated store. It applies my invention, the "VAM" (Vending Automation Manager) to handle sales, data storage, communication, value-added services, and receipt printing.

We can understand the eStore by comparing its before-and-after transformation:

1. Before Transformation – Traditional Store

In a traditional store, the store manager must be physically present to handle all transaction-related tasks. A Russian delegate once mentioned the "limitations of traditional stores in polar regions" at an APEC meeting.

2. After Transformation – eStore

An eStore, after eliminating the ineffective floor space of traditional stores, only requires 10 square meters to operate. The basic facilities needed are just a 110V AC power outlet and a telephone line.

The key feature is that the store manager no longer needs to be tied to the store, effectively solving the "polar region problem" raised by the Russian delegate.

Based on these specifications, it is clear that an eStore is fundamentally different from a traditional store. The 10 square meters of space is primarily for housing the VAM and stocking products.

The appearance of the eStore must be extremely clean and neat—this is why a store keeper is still needed for maintenance and restocking, providing one job opportunity.

The power outlet provides the energy source for the VAM to operate, while the telephone line is used to transmit daily eStore transaction records to the company’s control center or to allow the control center to access the VAM's microcomputer to retrieve data.

This telephone line is typically used for transaction data transmission. Additionally, the VAM is equipped with a telephone that offers “free communication services” for eStore customers, i.e., holders of the contactless TranSmart Chip Card. It also provides data download services and distributes product information booklets, among other features. (PS: The cellular phones were not common in the day of inventing TES.)

The most frequently asked question is:

"What does an eStore actually sell?"

In fact, an eStore can sell anything.

It is essentially a new channel for new products, as shown in the illustration: "Offer New Channels to the New Products." It facilitates the free flow of goods, promotes a culture of innovation, and enriches life by offering variety and change.

Fig 4: eStore – Anything can be sold!

In summary, products sold in eStores should meet these three basic criteria: "1) Visible, 2) Affordable, 3) Useful."

Another common question is:

"What is the profit source of an eStore?"

An eStore primarily provides a job opportunity.

Its transaction tool is called the "TranSmart Chip Card." Revenue is generated upon the issuance of these cards. Therefore, as long as the circulation speed of TranSmart Chip Cards exceeds the flow of physical goods, profit is already achieved.

The TranSmart Chip Card is a "contactless transmission smart chip card" that can be installed anywhere. Since the conference in Santa Clara, Silicon Valley in 2007, the TranSmart Chip Card has been applied to smart mobile communication devices and has become an essential part of daily life. When a product's smart tag interacts with its paired device, it performs a "read-erase-write" operation, causing the mobile phone closest to the product to be deducted. This technology, which we introduced to the public in seminars as early as 1989, is not some so-called "black technology."

At the 2000 APEC in Brunei, Linda Din initiated adding a "C" for Communication to "IT" (Information Technology), creating ICT (Information and Communication Technology). This initiative is documented on pages 356-369 of "A Lady of Rich Taiwan" (Din, L. 2001). ICT has since produced many billionaires.

After the book was presented to President Jiang Zemin at the Shanghai APEC in 2001, China subsequently opened access to "email" (伊媚兒) during the Spring Festival of 2002, gradually becoming a global internet superpower.

Fig 5: President Jiang Zemin invited participation in the Shanghai APEC 2001

The "Cashless System" of the contactless TranSmart Chip Card sparked a powerful global trend after Linda Din’s proposal of the “Global Channel-TES” won the Best Practice at APEC 2003 in Thailand. The momentum continued unabated till now, with annual transaction volumes soaring to as high as USD 36 trillion.

Fig 6: Linda Din proposed the Best Practice “Global Channel-TES” at APEC 2003

The "Cashless System" requires the "Transmission Supply Chain Management Software System" (TSCM) combined with VAM to establish a “Virtual Asset Management” mechanism. This system expresses asset value in digital form and will become increasingly important in the future digital era.

In 2009, when we were invited by U.S. President Barack Obama to attend the Singapore APEC Summit to contribute the way of "Rebuilding the Global Economy," we proposed "IIA-TES"—where "IIA" stands for Invest in America, which has now become a major trend. "TES" (The eStore System) carries humanitarian values that surpass its technological worth and has gained widespread recognition and acceptance, especially under the rising wave of "Social Responsibility Investment" (SRI).

References:

Din, L. (2001). A Lady of Rich Taiwan (A Daughter of the Defense Employee). Taichung: Panhornic.

Din, L. (1998, August 24). Fax message: Invitation by APEC/ASLI to serve as Market Access speaker. (One of the most important documents in the history of E-Commerce)

Peter Li-Chang Kuo, the author created Taiwan's Precision Industry in his early years. Peter was a representative of the APEC CEO Summit and an expert in the third sector. He advocated "anti-corruption (AC)/cashless/e-commerce (E-Com)/ICT/IPR/IIA-TES / Micro-Business (MB)…and etc." to win the international bills and regulations.

【Copyrights reserved by Li-Chang Kuo & K-Horn Science Inc.】

External Links:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US6304796 (VAM)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20030197061 (Shopping System)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20030107468 (Entry Security Device)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20040054595A1 (ETC)

https://ldinventions.blogspot.com/2022/01/127.html  (A Universal Cashless System)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2023/10/1011.html (K-Horn Science Inc.)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2023/11/1110.html (K-Horn & APEC)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2023/12/1208.html (K-Horn’s SRI)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2024/01/105.html (K-Horn’s PCM)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2024/03/326.html (Tree's Whiskers)

https://klcapec.blogspot.com/2024/05/515.html (The Best Practice)

https://klcapec.blogspot.com/2024/06/609.html (Edison’s Inspiration)

https://lckstory.blogspot.com/2024/07/704.html (Apollo)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2024/07/721.html (Paving the Way for AI)

https://lckstory.blogspot.com/2024/08/818.html (Disney Intelligent System)

https://ksibusiness.blogspot.com/2024/10/1028.html (SRI & Global Channel-TES)

https://plckai.blogspot.com/2024/11/1103.html (On Ethics & Morality of the AI Era)

https://plckai.blogspot.com/2024/11/1110.html (On the Use and Abuse of Technology)

https://klcapec.blogspot.com/2024/11/1112.html (Peru APEC)

https://pkproposal.blogspot.com/2024/11/1127.html (A Proposal to President Trump)

https://pkproposal.blogspot.com/2024/12/1208.html (2ND Proposal “IIA-TES”)

https://pkproposal.blogspot.com/2024/12/1220.html (TES & MAGA)

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https://pkproposal.blogspot.com/2025/04/409.html (A Letter to President Trump)

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https://pklctrips.blogspot.com/2025/04/416.html (Singapore’s Strategy in a Changing World)

https://pkproclaims.blogspot.com/2025/04/422.html (How the American Elite Think)

https://pkproclaims.blogspot.com/2025/04/425.html (My Grandfather & the Tainan Canal)

https://lckstory.blogspot.com/2025/04/428.html (The Inventions of Linda Din)

https://pklctrips.blogspot.com/2025/05/502.html (Theological Practice in Precision Industry)

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https://lckstory.blogspot.com/2025/05/514.html (Li-Chang Kuo’s Caring Technology)

https://lckstory.blogspot.com/2025/05/519.html (520 Presidential Inauguration Day)

https://tesoperation.blogspot.com/2025/05/522.html (Investing in America’s Health)

https://tesoperation.blogspot.com/2025/05/527.html (Lind Din’s Rice Dumpling in TES)

https://tesoperation.blogspot.com/2025/06/605.html (Greatest Business Opportunity)

https://pklctrips.blogspot.com/2025/06/612.html (Grand Maritime Initiative)

https://ko-fi.com/ndart2025 (Donate the NDART)