Taiwan was listed as the number-one country in Asia in terms of overall competitiveness in the 2003-2004 Global Competitiveness Report released this week by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Globally, Taiwan ranks fifth. The main reason for Taiwan's high ranking among the 102 countries listed is that it performed very well in the technological arena, ranking third in the world behind the US and Finland. Taiwan's high ranking in the report has swept away the gloom caused by several years of economic downturn and concern about long-term economic sluggishness and higher unemployment. It has also discredited those singing the demise of Taiwan's economy.
In 2000, Taiwan's overall competitiveness ranked 11th globally. The country then leapt to seventh place in 2001, and then to fifth last year and this year. There has been continual progress. Beating Japan and Singapore in particular is no small achievement. Feelings of satisfaction and vindication aside, the results of the WEF evaluation need to be carefully studied, defects found in Taiwan's performance and the government and political parties called upon to rectify them.
Although Taiwan has been strong on the technological front, there is still much room for improvement. After several years of joint efforts by both ruling and opposition parties, Taiwan has achieved impressive results in IT and high-tech industries.
Taiwan commands a niche in the global market for high-tech products such as notebook and desktop computers, computer accessories, display panels, liquid crystal display monitors, disk drives, wireless products and mobile phones. Particularly noteworthy is the domination of the global chip foundry industry by Taiwan Semi-conductor Manufacturing Co and United Microelectronics Corp.
However, Taiwan's industries are still relying on other people's production systems, components and technologies. Even though original equipment manufacturing chip production has reached high standards, Taiwanese firms cannot participate in the setting of specifications. Their influence in global technology industries is limited, and they lack brand names of their own -- a problem that has been debated for a long time.
Even though Taiwan is viewed internationally as Asia's leader in terms of research and development capabilities, China pumped almost US$60 billion into research and development in 2001 -- the third-largest amount in the world after the US and Japan, according to a study by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. The large Chinese investment was sourced not only from local Chinese firms but also from foreign enterprises as well. This is an indicator of China's research and development potential in the technology sector. Neither the government nor the private sector should underestimate the possible threat posed by the other side of the Taiwan Strait in respect to technology industries.
The brilliant performance of Taiwan's private enterprises -- including in technology indices and the subtlety of business operations and strategies -- has garnered a positive evaluation from the WEF. However, despite some improvement, Taiwan's standing remains relatively slack in government efficiency, its economic and business environments and its credit rating.
While the administration has some soul-searching to do, all in all, Taiwan's high ranking in the WEF report has been a welcome shot in the arm for Taiwan's economy. Rather than engaging in a war of words, the government and opposition parties should work at fortifying the economy so that Taiwan's competitiveness can grow further and that standards of living may improve.
The muting of the line “I’m from Taiwan” (我台灣來欸), sung in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), during a performance at the closing ceremony of the World Masters Games in New Taipei City on May 31 has sparked a public outcry. The lyric from the well-known song All Eyes on Me (世界都看見) — originally written and performed by Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One (玖壹壹) — was muted twice, while the subtitles on the screen showed an alternate line, “we come here together” (阮作伙來欸), which was not sung. The song, performed at the ceremony by a cheerleading group, was the theme
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows recently when he declared the era of American unipolarity over. He described America’s unrivaled dominance of the international system as an anomaly that was created by the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Now, he observed, the United States was returning to a more multipolar world where there are great powers in different parts of the planet. He pointed to China and Russia, as well as “rogue states like Iran and North Korea” as examples of countries the United States must contend with. This all begs the question:
When US budget carrier Southwest Airlines last week announced a new partnership with China Airlines, Southwest’s social media were filled with comments from travelers excited by the new opportunity to visit China. Of course, China Airlines is not based in China, but in Taiwan, and the new partnership connects Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport with 30 cities across the US. At a time when China is increasing efforts on all fronts to falsely label Taiwan as “China” in all arenas, Taiwan does itself no favors by having its flagship carrier named China Airlines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is eager to jump at
Liberals have wasted no time in pointing to Karol Nawrocki’s lack of qualifications for his new job as president of Poland. He has never previously held political office. He won by the narrowest of margins, with 50.9 percent of the vote. However, Nawrocki possesses the one qualification that many national populists value above all other: a taste for physical strength laced with violence. Nawrocki is a former boxer who still likes to go a few rounds. He is also such an enthusiastic soccer supporter that he reportedly got the logos of his two favorite teams — Chelsea and Lechia Gdansk —
RSS