As for relocating to China from Taiwan, Underwood herself is familiar with the all-too-common shift among businesspeople: In her last two years of reporting in Taiwan (2000-2001), all her beats were in some way connected to China, she said. Her move from Taipei to Shanghai was thus part of a “natural progression” in her career.
Apparently, she's not alone.
Underwood said that she was reunited with “so many people”who she had first met in Taipei. She also described China's economic rise as a “huge opportunity” for Taiwan since “no other place is as connected to China.”
For example, the most formidable problem for multinationals in China — as discussed in China CEO — represents a tremendous opportunity for Taiwanese, Underwood said. The biggest problem in China isn't intellectual property rights violations or an immature legal system, according to the book; surprisingly, it's a lack of white-collar workers. That is, foreign companies are experiencing difficulties in running their businesses in China for lack of Chinese managerial talent.
“Taiwanese managers are quite highly valued in China — and rightly so. They can act as bridges between East and West, and their salaries in China are rising to the level of Western managers,” said Underwood. She added that the lack of middle to upper-level managers in China was a great opportunity for more Taiwanese to “come over and fill those roles.”
“I think this book can be useful for anybody who's heading over [to China], and I think an awful lot of people in Taiwan are. So, we hope that [the book] can give them a head-start and help them to avoid some common problems,” Underwood said.
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