Closer economic and trade ties with China have not helped improve Taiwan’s economy or Taiwanese people’s lives, but have instead created inequitable distribution of wealth, a former chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said.
Taiwan and China last week held a fourth round of cross-strait talks in Taichung. A total of 12 agreements, including three from the latest Taichung talks, have been forged between the two sides since the first round of talks in June last year to increase economic cooperation.
Hung Chi-chang (洪奇昌), who chaired the SEF when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was in power, said the lack of apparent benefits from closer ties has led many people to feel that cross-strait development has progressed too quickly, and he urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government to address public misgivings.
Hung said many people thought ties with China proceeded too slowly before President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration in May last year and too fast afterward.
“The reason for such a perception is that the public does not think society has felt economic growth or a substantive improvement in their lives through closer cross-strait ties,” Hung said.
People also feel relations between Taiwan and China have grown too close because their expectations have not been met, he said.
That, coupled with the perception that the benefits accrued by large enterprises from closer cross-strait ties have not filtered down to other layers of society, have resulted in a concern over the unequal distribution of the economic gains made through closer cross-strait ties, he said.
He also said that Taiwan’s international trade was already greater than GDP, and that Taiwan’s original equipment manufacturing-oriented industries should transform or upgrade.
Taiwan’s financial structure is not sound, with tax revenues accounting for only 13 percent of GDP, compared with 18 percent in the past, he said. In contrast, the figure is about 35 percent in Scandinavian countries, which often place high in international competitiveness rankings.
Taiwan’s outstanding government debt ratio is also approaching its legal ceiling, which he said would be a potential threat to Taiwan’s national competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) on Friday countered criticism that the talks have put a dent in Taiwanese sovereignty and could endanger some local industrial sectors.
Taiwan has held several rounds of talks with China without undermining the country’s sovereignty, Lai said.
“All the talks have been conducted with the aim of safeguarding national sovereignty, promoting industrial development and taking care of people’s lives,” she said.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS