By Courtney Donovan Smith April Marks End to Zero-COVID Policy Locally transmitted cases in Taiwan have been rising exponentially since early April, as the Omicron variant began spreading across the island. Recognizing the variant’s infectiousness, the economic costs of the zero-COVID approach, and that almost all reported cases have been mild or asymptomatic, the government…

Demand for both conventional and electric bicycles has soared during the pandemic, drastically increasing the export orders of Taiwan’s bike manufacturers. However, severe shortages of raw materials and other disruptions to the supply chain have prevented these companies from fully benefiting from the current global cycling renaissance. Josh Chang had just started a new job…

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many organizations to consider virtual means of upholding entity governance standards to minimize infection risk. While  Taiwan’s regulations do allow for most organizations to conduct relevant meetings virtually, there are a few things leadership should be aware of in using this option. As most TOPICS readers are now aware, the…

As Taiwan’s authorities rush to handle a growing number of imported COVID-19 cases and local cluster infections, speculation is increasing among individuals and businesses about the possible return of a Level 3 “soft lockdown” and what reviving such restrictions might mean for the island’s economy. Some businesses are beginning to prepare for another potentially long…

By Julia Bergström All Questions Rejected in December Referendum Taiwan voters on December 18 narrowly rejected all four referendum questions posed to them, issues regarding restarting a nuclear power plant project, banning U.S. pork imports containing a certain feed additive, conserving algal reefs near a proposed natural gas receiving terminal, and holding future referendums in conjunction…

Year 2021 Ends with Record Exports Taiwan’s export value for December reached US$40.72 billion, a year-on-year increase of 23.4%, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). December’s robust export performance concluded a year that also saw GDP growth of over 6%. The cumulative export value for 2021 reached US$445.45 billion, representing annual growth of 29.4%….