Taiwan’s trade competitiveness has fallen for four consecutive years, according to the Importers and Exporters Association of Taipei 2017 Survey on Global Trade Environments and Growth Potential in Key and Emerging Markets, published today.
Out of the 54 countries surveyed, Taiwan is still in the “A list” of “highly recommended” countries in which to trade, although this year Taiwan has fallen to the bottom of the grouping. According to a report by the association, there are three key reasons for the decline: the competitiveness of emerging markets, Taiwan’s low salary environment — which has lead to a talent gap — and an over reliance on the Chinese market.
Taiwan has slipped in all of the survey’s rankings. It is now ranked 13th for competitiveness, while the US pushed Singapore out of last year’s position at the top. Singapore and Germany took second and third place, respectively. On trade liberalization, Taiwan was ranked 18th, with the US, Singapore and the Netherlands taking the top three spots. Taiwan is now ranked 20th for trade convenience and speed, with Singapore, the US and Germany taking first, second and third place.
Graphic: TT
According to the report, the UK’s Oxford Economics forecasts that by 2021 Taiwan will have the most acute brain drain headache of any country in the world.
This article was first published on Feb. 22.
(CNA, translated by Edward Jones)
Photo: CNA
照片:中央社
台灣貿易競爭力連四年下滑。台北進出口公會今發布二0一七年全球重要暨新興市場貿易環境與發展潛力調查報告。
報告指出,台灣雖然位居五十四個貿易地區的A級「極力推薦」區,不過已經是這個等級的最後一名,而導致衰退的三大主因分別為:新興市場競爭力、長期低薪環境人才斷層以及貿易高度依賴中國。
台灣排名全數下滑:國家競爭力排名第十三,美國擠下去年第一名新加坡奪冠,新加坡及德國分居二、三名;貿易自由度台灣排名第十八,前三名為美國、新加坡及荷蘭;貿易便捷度,台灣排名第二十名,前三名為新加坡、美國及德國。
報告指出,根據英國牛津經濟研院發表國際人才報告指出,二0二一年台灣將是全球人才流失最嚴重的國家。(中央社/本文已於二月二十二日刊登)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too