After he took office, President Chen Shui-bian (
Policy questions aside, the economic ministry and its chiefs have failed to perform well, even in the policymaking process itself. For example, each December the ministry holds a meeting on water resources, compiles a report and then makes its forecasts and plans for water resources for the coming year. Last December, however, then minister Lin Hsin-yi (
The ministry has yet to come up with any contingency measures, or show that it is taking steps to prevent similar mishaps. It appears to be hoping that Mother Nature will intervene to solve the current shortage. But the ministry's negligence and slow decision-making left farmers in the lurch. They had already begun cultivating new crops before the ministry awoke to the extent of the drought, and naturally they want the water to bring those crops to fruition. If they are finally ordered to leave their land fallow, the water they have accumulated will be wasted and the cost for the fallow-land plans will rise.
So farmers are angry and so is the industrial sector. Big business is unhappy with the ministry's failure to ensure priority is given to industrial-use water -- thereby threatening the manufacturers that are the foundation of the nation's economy. While the anger builds, the ministry dithers.
The question of whether or not to allow Taiwanese businesses to invest in eight-inch wafer fabs in China is a very technical issue. Even though the principles of "active opening, effective management" cover the lifting of investment restrictions, a special task force has been commissioned to study the issue. It's report is due by the end of the month. However, Lin, as Vice Premier and chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, has hinted that there may be an early announcement. Tsung has also told the legislature that, in terms of allowing investment in China, "the quicker the better." Such comments indicate that the government decided long ago to allow such investments. So the special task force is simply window-dressing.
Timing and correctness are equally important in decision-making. The government's economics team has failed to grasp the gravity of the problems facing it and has little control over the timing of decision-making. Lin and Tsung have demonstrated a lack of professionalism, a lack of judgement and administrative ineptness. Lin especially appears to have been somewhat negligent. They have done much to damage the image of the DPP's political appointees.
The economics ministry doesn't need public relations talent that can paper over criticism from the legislature and media. What it needs are experts that can understand, handle and resolve the problems they are tasked with.
The first Donald Trump term was a boon for Taiwan. The administration regularized the arms sales process and enhanced bilateral ties. Taipei will not be so fortunate the second time around. Given recent events, Taiwan must proceed with the assumption that it cannot count on the United States to defend it — diplomatically or militarily — during the next four years. Early indications suggested otherwise. The nomination of Marco Rubio as US Secretary of State and the appointment of Mike Waltz as the national security advisor, both of whom have expressed full-throated support for Taiwan in the past, raised hopes that
Whether in terms of market commonality or resource similarity, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co is the biggest competitor of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). The two companies have agreed to set up factories in the US and are also recipients of subsidies from the US CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by former US president Joe Biden. However, changes in the market competitiveness of the two companies clearly reveal the context behind TSMC’s investments in the US. As US semiconductor giant Intel Corp has faced continuous delays developing its advanced processes, the world’s two major wafer foundries, TSMC and
Authorities last week revoked the residency permit of a Chinese social media influencer surnamed Liu (劉), better known by her online channel name Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣), who has more than 440,000 followers online and is living in Taiwan with a marriage-based residency permit, for her “reunification by force” comments. She was asked to leave the country in 10 days. The National Immigration Agency (NIA) on Tuesday last week announced the decision, citing the influencer’s several controversial public comments, including saying that “China does not need any other reason to reunify Taiwan with force” and “why is it [China] hesitant
We are witnessing a sea change in the government’s approach to China, from one of reasonable, low-key reluctance at rocking the boat to a collapse of pretense over and patience in Beijing’s willful intransigence. Finally, we are seeing a more common sense approach in the face of active shows of hostility from a foreign power. According to Article 2 of the 2020 Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), a “foreign hostile force” is defined as “countries, political entities or groups that are at war with or are engaged in a military standoff with the Republic of China [ROC]. The same stipulation applies to
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