TOPICS magazine remains an indispensable publication for those who wish to navigate and engage Taiwan. Its in-depth analysis of business and cultural developments equip business people as well as tourists with the benefits and challenges of working, visiting, and even living on the island. Its crowning annual production is the White Paper produced each spring;…
For decades, Taiwan Business TOPICS has inspired the Taiwan government with its policy suggestions and insightful reports. As a faithful reader of this magazine, I congratulate TOPICS for having completed 50 successful years through the efforts of its team of editors, writers, and journalists. 2020 is a critical year. As the world is fighting together…
Describe the moment when you realized you were in love with Taiwan. That was the discussion prompt a few months ago that someone posted in the community of Taiwan watchers on Twitter. It inspired a wonderful conversation, with many people describing travel adventures or culinary discoveries. Some shared stories about friendships and acts of kindness….
For 50 years, Taiwan Business TOPICS has consistently provided informative and insightful reporting on the Taiwan economy and U.S.- Taiwan relations. During that time, Taiwan has become both an economic powerhouse and a democratic success story. As AIT Director, I have personally relied on Taiwan Business TOPICS and the AmCham White Paper to help me understand…
Publishing a White Paper during normal times is a massive task. It’s extremely challenging to get scores of busy business leaders working for competing companies in 25 different industries to find the time to meet and agree on what their top issues are. Then they need to work with the AmCham Taipei staff to draft…
I recently posted a photo on Instagram of my family celebrating my youngest daughter’s birthday at one of her favorite restaurants, Saffron 46, enjoying crispy samosas and scallops in curry while the Taipei 101 skyscraper was twinkling in the background. A friend in New York commented: “Wow, you get to go out to eat in…
It is not easy for anything to continue for 50 years, especially a magazine. TOPICS is valuable not only to AmCham members, but to outside readers as well, because it provides a very special angle to look into the Taiwan economy. The views of TOPICS are neither American nor Taiwanese, but they are always objective…
While the COVID-19 menace continues to present a threat to global health on a scale not seen in generations, President Donald Trump has suspended U.S. funding for the World Health Organization and even mused about establishing a rival body. The U.S. is the largest contributor to the WHO, normally providing nearly half a billion dollars…
One of Taiwan’s biggest struggles is getting its voice heard in a noisy world. That’s partly because so few global news companies have offices here staffed with full-time, seasoned correspondents. Many of the big-named media brands – AP, Dow Jones, Reuters – slashed their budgets and started closing or drastically downsizing their bureaus in Taiwan…
For all its horrendous implications, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought Taiwan the rare opportunity to gain widespread acknowledgment and respect around the globe for its accomplishments. Few major news organizations maintain full-scale bureaus on the island, and Taiwan normally receives only occasional attention from the international media. But the scourge of COVID-19 thrust Taiwan into…
