LOOKING out over the vast port of Kaohsiung in Taiwan leaves you in absolutely no doubt about the economic might and potential of the Asia-Pacific.

The sheer scale of trade in this region should be heartening for Scottish companies with a keen eye on export opportunities. Even more so given that some eurozone markets are weak - a fact highlighted this week by Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive Liz Cameron.

You hear a lot about the scale of things going on in Asia, but seeing them really brings it home.

Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan is now about the 12th-busiest container port in the world, having in the past been number three. While "only" 12th these days, it is absolutely huge.

The Kao Ming terminal, currently the second-largest container facility at the southern Taiwanese port, handles about 1.5 million, 20-foot-equivalent containers per year.

Executives at the facility, which has Taiwanese container shipping line Yang Ming as its biggest shareholder with 47.5 per cent and also has American and Chinese investors, expect this to double to about three million containers per annum in two years' time to make Kao Ming the biggest terminal at Kaohsiung.

Containers from the likes of Europe and the US, as well as Asia, are stacked up at the giant terminal, which, in keeping with Taiwan's image, is ultra-high-tech and shifts containers using joysticks rather than manned cranes.

The top team at the Kao Ming terminal notes that it is the rise of ports in mainland China which has pushed Kaohsiung down the league of busiest container ports, something which underlines the huge amount of goods being moved in the region.

The papers in Taiwan are dominated every day by stories about free trade negotiations and agreements, and who is in and who is out of these.

A visit to Kao Ming gives some idea of the scale of Kaohsiung port, which, through its designation as a Free Economic Pilot Zone, is a key part of the Taiwanese government's moves to further liberalise the economy and gain entry to trade pacts. The pilot zones, still dependent on enabling legislation, will offer freer movement of goods, people and capital, as well as tax advantages. However, the full scale of the port only becomes truly clear when viewed from the 40th floor of the 85 Sky Tower Hotel in Kaohsiung.

And remember it is only the 12th-busiest nowadays, with even more traffic going through the Chinese ports dominating the top slots.

Scottish companies have for decades seized opportunities to export to Asia. The Scotch whisky sector has enjoyed notable success in a raft of Asian markets, including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and China.

Food producers have enjoyed great success in Asia, in countries such as Japan. Scottish seafood has been in strong demand in many Asian markets, which are often characterised by consumers' willingness to pay high prices for top quality.

Scottish companies have outsourced manufacturing to lower-cost economies in Asia, such as China. And, in everything from industrial sectors to financial services, they have forged alliances with Asian partners.

But there is much more to be done in Asia-Pacific, across a raft of sectors. This region, in contrast to some developed western economies such as the UK which are enduring tougher times, has a really exciting feel.

However, while seizing the undoubted opportunities, we should also be alive to the need to keep up in today's global marketplace with the huge things which are happening across the Asia-Pacific region.

Entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl, who has made his name in computer gaming, recently highlighted the increasingly competitive global environment faced by Scotland. He noted, for example, "amazing" digital entrepreneurs coming out of China.

But it is the massive infrastructure investment across the Asia-Pacific region which is really eye-catching.

Investment of more than $16 billion is planned in the giant Taoyuan Aerotropolis project at Taiwan's main international airport. Assuming it goes ahead, this will be the biggest infrastructure project in Taiwan since the late-1970s. A 23-square-kilometre urban development, featuring smart city technology, is part of this plan, which is viewed as crucial to keeping Taiwan ahead of the game at a time when its giant neighbour across the strait is looming ever larger in economic terms.

Taoyuan International Airport is one of the stops on the high-speed rail line on Taiwan's west coast, which has been in place for years.

Contrast this with the continuing lack of a rail link from Glasgow Airport to the city centre. Glasgow Chamber of Commerce is right to have been annoyed by the axing some years ago of plans for such a link. More recently, a feasibility study for a tram-train hybrid link has been undertaken. It is to be hoped that this much-needed transport link materialises before too many more years pass.

In this modern age of globalisation, it is important to get the basics right.

It was a joy in Taiwan to find widespread availability of free wi-fi, which worked at high speed and could support the likes of Apple's FaceTime video link. What a difference from the wi-fi experience on train services between Scotland's two main cities.