On July 28, Chinese financial supervisory agencies made a surprise raid on Taiwanese bank branch offices in China for "illegally attracting business without the necessary licenses." The banks must be condemned for also breaking Taiwanese law by engaging in financial business in China. They are just like rats that, in their greed, bite through a food bag and spill all its contents out on the floor. They have increased the nation's capital outflow. Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) should take action and punish them severely.
Ever since Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
In fact, Taiwan's economy has smoothly been transformed from a handicraft, mechanical and automated industry to the digital age. Taiwan has developed into a leading player in the electronics industry, and is rapidly developing in areas of precision technologies. Taiwan has already won a leading international role as a manufacturer of computers, digital cameras and other advanced products, a clear indication that it has already developed an excellent knowledge-based environment that is ideal for research and development. In addition, development within traditional industries, brand creation and developing sales channels has proved very successful in consolidating traditional industries in Taiwan. Giant, Taiwan's bicycle manufacturer, and La New, a shoe manufacturer, are outstanding examples of this process. It is clear from this that if only the director of the enterprise operates effectively, there is no reason why Taiwanese products cannot be sold all over the world.
Taiwan Thinktank chairman Chen Po-chih (陳博志) said in a recent publication that Taiwan's experience of economic development is similar to that of Switzerland and Finland. Many of the problems those two countries faced were the result of having vastly more powerful neighbors. But as long as they could navigate international trends, and worked hard at upgrading their industries and developing a "knowledge economy," they could still become highly competitive commercial nations with a high standard of living. Taiwan's economic development has never relied on China, and there is no reason why it should start now.
China bedazzled Taiwanese businesses with its cheap land and labor, as well as its vast domestic market. These advantages, however, are disappearing as it moves into a new stage of development. Taiwanese businesspeople cannot safely and steadily promote their business in China due to slack law enforcement and various political factors. Beijing's recent moves to put down "green" businesses provide such an example. Thus, the unexpected management costs are getting higher when investing in China.
The successful stories of many traditional businesses in Taiwan show that restructuring and innovation are key to maintaining a successful business. Since Taiwan has developed a sound investment environment, Taiwanese businesses should follow such a trend, returning to Taiwan like mature salmon returning to their spawning grounds. Placing their priority in upgrading their businesses, they should beware of being misled by malicious banks and digging a hole from which they can not escape.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
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