Hoping to increase competitiveness and improve patient outcomes, Taiwan’s hospitals are investing in high-value medical devices and artificial intelligence. But finding a balance between state-of-the-art equipment and affordable services remains a challenge. Despite continuous increases in the National Health Insurance (NHI) budget and raised premiums, Taiwan’s hospitals face progressively strained finances and stiff competition. To…
Industrial Production and Manufacturing Reach Monthly Highs in August The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reported in late September that Taiwan’s industrial production index rose 13.69% year-on-year in August to 136.76, the highest ever. The sub-index for Taiwan’s manufacturing sector rose 14.62% from last year to 138.34, a monthly increase of 2.53% and also a…
Recently revised policies have introduced incentives to raise the local birthrate. Meanwhile, the Taiwan government has issued clarifications regarding the treatment of migrant workers during the pandemic. Taiwan’s low birthrate has been attracting attention for several years as the island moves ever closer to becoming a super-aged society, in which at least 20% of the…
MOF Reports NT$2 trillion in Tax Revenue for First Eight Months The Ministry of Finance (MOF) on September 9 reported that net tax revenue for August totaled NT$132.4 billion (US$4.8 billion), 3.8% greater than the same month last year. Net tax revenue for the first eight months of 2021 was NT$1.9 trillion (US$68.7 billion), an…
A weekly snapshot of Taiwan business news stories brought to you by CommonWealth and AmCham Taiwan’s TOPICS Manufacturing Activity Continues to Flourish The Chung-Hwa Institution for Economic Research (CIER) announced on September 1 that its Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) had fallen 3.1 points in August to 62.1. Although the PMI has maintained a score of…
Taiwan Mobile Goes South, Chunghwa Underseas Local telecommunications carrier Taiwan Mobile announced on August 9 that it would invest NT$20 million (US$717,000) in the Series E round of funding for Tiki Corp., Vietnam’s largest e-commerce retailer. The strategic investment will be Taiwan Mobile’s first in Vietnam, according to the company’s president, Jamie Lin. The move…
Local English Content Platform Launched The launch party for TaiwanPlus, a new government-funded English-language streaming platform, was held on August 30. The event was attended by Vice President Lai Ching-te, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun, and Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te. In a video address, President Tsai remarked that TaiwanPlus would be “a window through which…
A weekly snapshot of Taiwan business news stories brought to you by CommonWealth and AmCham Taiwan’s TOPICS Technology Parks Report Record Gains According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Export Processing Zone Administration (EPZA), the acceleration of emerging technology applications and strong demand for chips brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has raised the revenue…
A weekly snapshot of Taiwan business news stories brought to you by CommonWealth and AmCham Taiwan’s TOPICS Macquarie and Kaison Sign MOU for EVs Macquarie Capital, an Australian-listed institutional investor that has been operating in Taiwan for 17 years, announced on August 18 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan electric bus…
If Taiwan needed any indication of who its real friends are, it has been handed plenty of evidence over the past two months. As the island grappled with a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines and the human and economic costs of a local outbreak that began in mid-May, several like-minded countries have stepped in to help…
