President Tsai’s Pandemic Diplomacy In early April, President Tsai Ing-wen announced a new diplomatic initiative in an attempt to turn Taiwan’s success in battling the coronavirus into a geopolitical win, despite China’s efforts to isolate Taiwan politically. Noting that Taiwan had transformed from being an importer of facemasks to the world’s second largest producer, she…
Is the IMF being too negative? In the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook for April, Taiwan’s GDP forecast for 2020 was set at a horrendous -4%, a figure that government officials are doing their best to refute. The National Development Council is arguing that the IMF did not have full knowledge of Taiwan’s economy…
In Taiwan, the emergence of smaller parties has been part of the island’s democratic development. The unexpected victory of political newcomer Chen Po-wei for a seat in the Legislative Yuan in this January’s elections has drawn fresh attention to the position of minor parties in Taiwan’s political arena. Chen ran on the ticket of the…
Two industrial sectors appear particularly promising for Taiwan to develop as a regional center for the Asia Pacific. The best opportunities for Taiwan to play a strong regional role may lie with its fast-developing capability in offshore wind power and its already well-established foundation as a high-tech R&D center. Taiwan has big expectations for wind…
Bechtel is the U.S.’s largest private construction firm. In its more than 120 years of operation, the company’s projects have included the Hoover Dam, the Channel Tunnel, and construction of over 30% of global Liquified Natural Gas capacity. While Bechtel has had a presence in China for many years, the company closed its Shanghai regional…
As a center of operations for local and foreign businesses across numerous industries, Taiwan has a lot to offer. However, some lingering issues require creative solutions if it is to compete on the same level as some of its neighbors. Back in the 1990s, the idea of Taiwan becoming a regional operations hub for a…
The Taiwanese have learned the value of “Reduce” and “Reuse” in dealing with the trash households produce. Each night at a designated time in Taipei neighborhoods, a bright yellow garbage truck makes an appearance, its arrival signaled by a sound system playing a familiar tune such as Beethoven’s Für Elise. Trailing close behind are one…
Taiwan is seeking to fight back against fake news with stricter new legislation, media-literacy education, and fact-checking mechanisms. When President Tsai Ing-wen last year was in an armored car visiting areas in southern Taiwan affected by flooding, a Facebook fan page devoted to news accused Tsai of feeling contempt for the victims. The evidence offered was…
Several of the candidates for the Democratic nomination for U.S. president are advocating a government-run plan to provide health-insurance coverage to all Americans, sometimes referred to “Medicare for All.” As a single-payer healthcare system, this type of plan is similar to Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI). Could the Taiwan experience serve as a practical reference…
U.S., Taiwan Observe 40 Years of the TRA To participate in celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act and establishment of the American Institute in Taiwan, the U.S. sent a delegation to Taiwan led by former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan. The delegation also included Eddie Bernice Johnson,…
