This country, this society has an extreme dependency. We're in conflict. We're saying to the government `keep your hands out of our business, don't tell us whether or not to go to China,' but when we're in trouble we say `please ask the bank not to tighten up on my credit line.' Something is very wrong with that mentality.
I look forward to a government that will say `no' -- to say `this is my long term policy, this is for the good of the country' and to face up to some of the issues that we're going to have, such as higher unemployment.
TT: Will easing restrictions on direct business and transport ties with China help stimulate the economy and aid Taiwan companies like many people claim?
Ing: It may, but I think it's short term. The three links, the issue of transportation and communication, sooner or later that's going to come into being. Sure it's more convenient and it lowers the cost of doing business. The `no haste, be patient' policy was really a non-doing policy. That's not very proactive when all your businesses have to go for commercial reasons. It's not practical.
The government needs to be much more proactive in knowing exactly what are some of the things it can do to give support to companies who go -- especially the major ones -- to really understand why they need to go and to really support them from home base.
I don't believe that once a company has shifted all its manufacturing facilities to China that it is longer a Taiwanese company. If companies have to move in order to thrive and survive the government needs to open windows for them so they will not be frustrated and they will limit their risk. To throw that whole policy away is the right thing.
But for the business community to go there and to be pampered like they use to be pampered here and then to come back and say China is better than Taiwan -- I condemn that type of mentality, because it's not an economic issue it's a political issue.
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