The Taiwan economy has undergone a sea change over the past four decades. From the first seed team sent to the United States to learn integrated circuit (IC) technology in 1976, to the dense network of small personal computer (PC) component suppliers developed in the 1980s, to companies that accounted for 70% of global PC…
The organization provides a platform for interaction with others in the region. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, is an economic forum comprising 21 economies on both sides of the Pacific. Its members are home to around to 2.8 billion people and account for nearly 60% of global GDP and half of world trade. But…
The changing regulatory environment has raised a number of issues for consideration. At its January meeting, AmCham Taipei’s Board of Governors approved the formation of a new Chamber committee to cover the cosmetics sector. The stated goals of the new committee are to promote a positive and stable business environment to foster smooth operations for…
Previously home to light, assembly-type industries, the zones now mainly serve tech-oriented electronics operations. Free trade zones of one kind or another have been around since at least the 1930s, but when the Taiwan government created an export-processing zone (EPZ) in Kaohsiung in December 1966 – half a century ago this month – it…
In both technological capabilities and local implementation, Taiwan is taking the lead in “smart city” development. On October 19, the think tank Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) announced that five communities in Taiwan were among the 21 recipients of the ICF Smart21 2017 awards. The prize recognizes communities that apply “information and communications technology (ICT) to create…
Many consider Taiwan to be East Asia’s friendliest country for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders. Many people know Taiwan for its rapid economic growth. As one of the Four Asian Dragons, Taiwan – along with Singapore, South Korea, and Hong Kong – quickly industrialized from the 1960s to the 1990s. Much of Taiwan’s identity has…
As this year’s “World Design Capital,” Taipei aims to forge a new, forward-looking image. Designated the “2016 World Design Capital” by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID),Taipei has embarked on a comprehensive initiative to mark this year by instilling design elements into numerous aspects of urban life. “The WDC project aims…
In the face of persistent pressure from Beijing, foreign aid has helped Taipei bolster formal relations with countries in need. Can that strategy endure? Taiwan has long provided technical and financial assistance to other countries as a means of boosting its limited international profile. Given the relentless efforts of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)…
Cooperation with the United States will be a cornerstone of the island’s increasingly ambitious forays into space. Taiwan is stepping up cooperation with the United States in satellite technology in a bid to broaden the scope of its little known 25-year-old space program. Washington and Taipei will jointly fund the US$400 million FORMOSAT-7 mission (known…
More than a year after horrific gas pipeline blasts claimed over 30 lives, Kaohsiung City is mending its wounds, seeking answers, and assigning blame. First the ground shook. Milliseconds later came fireballs shooting as high as 50 meters into the sky. Roads split in half, swallowing cars and motorcycles. Vehicles were tossed onto four-story rooftops….
