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…
A sharp decline in the number of cross-Strait flights and foreign visitors has left Taiwan’s tourism industry scrambling to figure out ways to cope with the sudden drop in business. The recent COVID-19 outbreak is causing unprecedented economic disruptions throughout East Asia and beyond. While some Taiwanese and international companies with production bases in China are…
Most of the funding for this portion of Taiwan’s energy development is coming from international banks, with much of it guaranteed by foreign export credit agencies. Taiwan’s ambitious program to promote offshore wind power as a major energy source – installing over 700 turbines in the Taiwan Strait by 2025 – will require an estimated…
Permanent storage in deep geological repositories is the current international standard for final disposal of nuclear waste, but in practice this solution has so far proven extremely difficult to accomplish. The U.S. government has de-funded its deep geological repository at Yucca Mountain, and most nations have yet to begin development of similar facilities. Finland is…
