Government officials have been making overseas trips to attract foreign investment. Many overseas businessmen have expressed doubts about Taiwan's superiority over China in the high-tech arena, but representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs stressed that Taiwan will work hard to strengthen its research, development and innovation efforts. I agree and I would like to suggest that the government should make use of the existing favorable assets of technology, capital and so on to mould Taiwan into a steady and safe "investment paradise for innovative technology busi-nesses." The software industry will undoubtedly play a key role in this development.
We can look at examples of other Asian countries that have become leaders in the high-tech field. More than a decade ago under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi, India started to develop its software industry. Now India is a widely admired center of software design, comparable to Taiwan's semiconductor industry.
During the past few years, Korea has devoted itself to broadband network construction and online software games development. Now the country has successfully established a distinguished image and position.
In Malaysia, despite a serious lack of talent, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has supervised the promotion of the "Multi-media Super Corridor" project, which was launched not long after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The scheme has attracted many foreign investors.
In my experience as an executive of a software industry guidance program at the Industrial Development Bureau over the past six years, it would be hard for Taiwan to emulate India's high-quality and low-cost software technology, due to Taiwan's small market as well as linguistic and cultural impediments. It is also difficult for Taiwan to just focus on one field, as South Korea has done, and developed its game software into a world industry.
One relatively feasible alternative is to follow the example of Silicon Valley. The government only needs to offer a safe, free and healthy environment for good industries to develop, allowing businesses to bloom in the software industry. A few successful businesses could occupy most of the output of Taiwan's software industry. Among those businesses, I think the one with the biggest potential internationally is the so-called "Internet multimedia industry," which combines Taiwan's IT international competitiveness with the ability to design innovative
software.
Taiwan has better infrastructure than India and South Korea, but unless there are special incentives, establishing software parks doesn't do much to help the software industry.
When Nankang software park in Taipei was in the planning stages, low land costs were a major incen-tive. But not any more. Traffic and living conditions near the park are not convenient, so not many businesses have moved there. Many busi-nesses have moved to the nearby Neihu Light Industrial Zone,which together with the Nankang park have gradually become large bastions of Taipei's IT industry. If we look at the nature of the busi-nesses in those areas, we can tell that they belong to the "Internet multimedia industry," which combines IT and software design.
I think that the government should put its limited budget resources into linking the Nankang software park and the Neihu Light Industrial Zone, through the Taipei MRT and a shuttle bus system -- which are now under construction -- and developing them into a "Taipei Cyber Multimedia Technological Corridor."
Inside the corridor, we can set up a big exhibition center, small showrooms, shared facility cen-ters, incubation centers, investment services centers, on-the-job learning and training centers, business cooperation services centers and human resources service centers. They can either be sponsored by the government and operated by the private sec-tor, or wholly subcontracted to the private sector.
I believe that the concentration of software businesses there will create an incentive, attracting capital and talent from both home and abroad and boost economic prosperity in Nankang, Neihu, and the entire Taipei area.
Furthermore, with the high-speed railway system connecting the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park, the Tainan Science-based Industrial Park and the other industrial parks helping us form a technological silicon island, we can extend its influence to the ethnic Chinese market worldwide or even the global market.
Jessy Cheng is deputy secretary general of the Information Service Industry Association.
Translated by Chen Ya-hui
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath