Best and worst of Taiwan
A few days ago, I received a questionnaire from a Madrid TV station that is sending a team to Taipei to shoot a cultural program called Madrid Citizens Around the World. The team goes around the world looking for people from Madrid so it can show Spaniards back home how different their lives are in other countries.
Among the many questions they asked — Why did you move to Taipei? What are you doing here? What do you miss from Madrid? — was the inevitable query as to what was the best and the worst experience I’ve had in Taiwan.
I have to say, without a doubt, the best thing about Taiwan is the people. I have never met such a friendly, kind and generous people in my life. They are always ready to help, far beyond what one would expect; always smiling at you, even if you are making a mess; always willing to listen to what you are trying to say even if your command of Mandarin is as lousy as mine.
After so highly praising the Taiwanese people, I imagine that it would be difficult for anybody to guess that, for me, the worst thing about Taiwan is the lack of respect that drivers show to pedestrians.
It is still very difficult for me to understand how such beautiful, nice people, once they are behind the steering wheels of their cars or the handlebars of their motorcycles, suddenly transform into such aggressive, rude and reckless drivers.
Taiwanese drivers will run you down if you don’t jump out of the way when you are crossing the road, or even walking on the sidewalk, as sidewalks are often used by motorcycles and bicycles, and sometimes even cars.
I could write a book about all the incidents I have suffered or heard about in just one-and-a-half years of living in Taiwan.
One funny example was when a police car failed to stop at a crosswalk, cutting us off as we were crossing the road, and the policeman inside just waved at us as we pointed at him in shock.
Unfortunately, the other stories are not so funny, like when a friend of mine was hit by a motorcycle while crossing the road at a crosswalk intersection; the young driver even yelled at him — no bu hao yi si (不好意思) this time.
So yes, you guessed right, not only Singaporean media, but also Spanish media will cover this phenomenon.
I really hope that the Ministry of Transportation will take this issue seriously.
Not only does the law have to be enforced (which it currently is not), but a driver education program must also be created to teach better traffic behavior.
I wish that the next time I am asked about my worst experience in Taiwan, I could answer with a big smile: chou doufu (臭豆腐).
ALBERTO MUNOZ
Taipei
Why first sign an ECFA?
If the article (“Export orders reach all-time high,” April 21, page 12) in your newspaper is correct and Taiwan has done so well in ASEAN countries, why does it need to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China?
It would seem that export orders in the billions of dollars would be good enough reason to state that Taiwan doesn’t need any particular free-trade agreement (FTA).
If, however, China is planning to coerce its new ASEAN partners to refrain from signing FTAs with Taiwan, then I fret at how ironic it is for the current Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government to say it is necessary to sign an ECFA with China now.
If you know that a country might impose conditions on your trade partners, you should not sign an agreement with them before signing agreements with the other trade partners.
Taipei should tell Beijing that it will sign an ECFA after it signs FTAs with ASEAN countries.
Wishful thinking, I know, thanks to “gutless” President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
HARRY ADAMOPOULOS
Taipei
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