It is not all bad news, however. Generally, the White Paper says that the government deserves applause for the measures it has taken to liberalize and deregulate the economy. Special praise is reserved for efforts to boost cross-strait trade by opening up Kaoh-siung and Keelung to some companies conducting cross-strait shipping services. But the paper reminds readers that the government's "no haste, be patient" restrictions on mainland investment and its ban on direct cross-strait links continue to thwart its plan to become an Asia-Pacific Regional Operations Center (APROC).
Not only the Taiwan government's shortcomings are brought into focus. The US government is held to account, although somewhat obliquely, for the inconsistency of its policy toward Taiwan and China. Pointing out that the US role in maintaining Taiwan's military preparedness has "guaranteed a degree of confidence for Taiwan and overseas investors alike," it goes on to say that "too much confidence might encourage a stronger leaning toward enhancing Taiwan's separation from mainland China." And, it adds, "President Lee's `state-to-state' comment may already be an example of this trend."
On the political side, AmCham has gone nearly out on a ledge by almost predicting that Vice President Lien Chan (
Overall, the White Paper's most pressing point is summed up in its introduction. It is that the chamber is merely sharing the concerns of the government over how to make best use of Taiwan's greatest asset, its small and medium enterprises. And for that to happen, AmCham says, a business environment needs to be fostered that is "open, efficient, modern and transparent."
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