The COVID-19 pandemic is taking an unprecedented toll on the global economy and human lives. Yet it is also inspiring the innovative application of new technologies to research the disease’s origins, treat it, and manage its spread. Nowhere has this been seen done more effectively than in Taiwan, where the government has used AI and…
TOPICS’ first editorial, published in March 2002 – The situation has improved, but some of the content remains relevant 18 years later. The recent formation of Taiwan’s new Cabinet provides a good opportunity to review the difficulties faced by international companies attempting to implement a globalized business model in Taiwan. Much has been done to…
Going through the magazine archives is a reminder of what has changed – and what hasn’t – over the past half-century in the Taiwanese economy and environment for multinational business. This is the 434th issue of TOPICS magazine published by AmCham Taipei. Launched as a bimonthly publication in November 1970 – half a century ago this year – the magazine was then known…
If not for TOPICS, much of AmCham Taipei’s past – including the story of the Chamber’s founding – would likely be unknown to us. In fact, aside from what was later written about in the magazine, very little information survives about the organization’s activities and leadership from the period before TOPICS began publication in late 1970. Fortunately, details of…
In the first half of 1979, two separate articles in TOPICS – covering a total of 12 pages in the magazine – provided advice from medical professionals on how to cope with job stress. No doubt influencing the editor’s choice of subject matter was that this period – immediately following the break in diplomatic relations…
In recent weeks, Western media outlets have given considerable attention to speculation about the impact the COVID-19 crisis might have on Chinese governance once the situation has been brought under control. Few, if any, however, have looked at the consequences for Taiwan. With its isolation from much of the international community, including such crucial organizations…
The virulent contagion illustrates the need for the sector to be regulated, but pressure from industry incumbents could delay the process indefinitely. Home-sharing giant Airbnb has been operating in Taiwan for more than seven years without a physical presence in the country. Business has grown steadily during that period as both Taiwan and Airbnb’s style…
When Taiwan’s Vice President Chen Chien-jen began hearing initial whispers in late 2019 about a new respiratory illness spreading in Central China, the Johns Hopkins University-trained epidemiologist had a déjà vu moment. “I thought, oh wow, SARS has returned!” he told Taiwan Business TOPICS in an interview. But he said he felt confident that if…
The novel coronavirus outbreak is set to do damage to Taiwan’s tech hardware exports, but the severity of the blow will depend on the length of the crisis. Taiwan has undeniably reaped some benefits from the U.S.-China trade dispute as local manufacturers repatriate supply chains from across the Taiwan Strait. Exports to the U.S. have…
As China’s industrial centers remain in a state of uncertainty due to coronavirus fears, Taiwanese and international companies that have come to rely on the PRC as a production base are now seeking alternative solutions while trying to maintain continuity of operations back home. When discussing the business and economic implications for Taiwan of the…
