The American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (AmCham) has published a special report on Taiwan's future titled Vision 2020 to communicate its recommendations to the Democratic Progressive Party and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidates.
AmCham said in a news release on Friday that Taiwan has the potential to enjoy immense business opportunities over the coming decade or more, especially in the high-tech and financial services sectors.
Nevertheless, it said that achieving such success would depend on numerous factors, particularly how well Taiwan overcomes its reluctance to fully tap into the tremendous economic growth taking place in China.
STRATEGIES
"It will also be necessary to boost competitiveness through such steps as revamping tax policies, restructuring the financial system, carrying out educational reform, creating a more transparent, consistent and even-handed regulatory regime, and liberalizing rules on work permits for foreign and mainland Chinese professionals," the release said.
Even more fundamentally, it said, Taiwan will need to maintain stable cross-Strait relations, adopt a more outward-looking and internationalist mindset, strengthen its democratic institutions and build a more collaborative domestic political environment.
These were the major conclusions in the report, a special issue of Taiwan Business TOPICS published last week, the release said.
TOPICS is a monthly magazine published by AmCham.
AUTHORS
The AmCham news release said that Vision 2020 contains 14 articles by prominent Taiwanese and international commentators, attempting to look beyond short-term issues to identify what Taiwan should wish to be like in the year 2020 and what will be required to attain this.
In an accompanying editorial, AmCham Taipei said that the necessary progress can only be attained through vigorous, clear-minded and enlightened leadership.
"It is therefore particularly timely that Vision 2020 is being published in the midst of the campaign for the presidential election of next March," the editorial said.
DEFINING
The editorial recommends that the presidential and vice presidential nominees and their aides regard the special section as a reference as they put together the policy objectives that will define their candidacies.
"After the election, the winning team might well give these papers a rereading as a reminder of what needs to be tackled during their term in office to help set the stage for a politically stable, economically flourishing and socially just Taiwan in 2020," it said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as