Alternatives to babies
Last Saturday, the health minister told the United Daily News that Taiwan has the world’s lowest birthrate, at 1.07 per woman. This is even lower than Japan’s. A birthrate of more than 2.0 is needed for a population to replenish itself, but from the experience of Taiwan and other countries it is clear that Taiwan will not be able to raise its birthrate above that in the medium or even the long term. Therefore, Taiwan must adjust its immigration policies to sustain its population.
To attract qualified immigrants with skills and capital, more incentives will have to be introduced. For example, the government should consider exempting first-generation male immigrants who are naturalized as Taiwanese citizens from military service. Singapore grants a similar exemption to its first-generation permanent residents. As the government has already announced plans to end military conscription, such an exemption would not significantly detract from Taiwan’s defense needs.
SEAN KWAN
Kaohsiung
A new car for Ma?
In response to your headline piece on Tuesday (“DPP slams Ma’s campaigning expenses,” page 1), I have a suggestion: Why doesn’t President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) set a green example and demand that he be driven around in a cute little Toyota Prius? Or is it that only the lives of everyday people must be turned upside down to save the planet?
MICHAEL FAGAN
Tainan
Taiwanese pragmatism has long been praised when it comes to addressing Chinese attempts to erase Taiwan from the international stage. “Taipei” and the even more inaccurate and degrading “Chinese Taipei,” imposed titles required to participate in international events, are loathed by Taiwanese. That is why there was huge applause in Taiwan when Japanese public broadcaster NHK referred to the Taiwanese Olympic team as “Taiwan,” instead of “Chinese Taipei” during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. What is standard protocol for most nations — calling a national team by the name their country is commonly known by — is impossible for
India is not China, and many of its residents fear it never will be. It is hard to imagine a future in which the subcontinent’s manufacturing dominates the world, its foreign investment shapes nations’ destinies, and the challenge of its economic system forces the West to reshape its own policies and principles. However, that is, apparently, what the US administration fears. Speaking in New Delhi last week, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau warned that “we will not make the same mistakes with India that we did with China 20 years ago.” Although he claimed the recently agreed framework
The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) on Wednesday last week announced it is launching investigations into 16 US trading partners, including Taiwan, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to determine whether they have engaged in unfair trade practices, such as overproduction. A day later, the agency announced a separate Section 301 investigation into 60 economies based on the implementation of measures to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labor. Several of Taiwan’s main trading rivals — including China, Japan, South Korea and the EU — also made the US’ investigation list. The announcements come
Taiwan is not invited to the table. It never has been, but this year, with the Philippines holding the ASEAN chair, the question that matters is no longer who gets formally named, it is who becomes structurally indispensable. The “one China” formula continues to do its job. It sets the outer boundary of official diplomatic speech, and no one in the region has a serious interest in openly challenging it. However, beneath the surface, something is thickening. Trade corridors, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation, supply chains, cross-border investment: The connective tissue between Taiwan and ASEAN is quietly and methodically growing
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