Tech firms are repatriating from tariff-hit China, boosting the local economy. But can Taiwan secure a long-term position in global supply chains? For years, it was a foregone conclusion that Taiwan’s tech hardware sector would concentrate production in China. Starting in the 1990s, local contract electronics manufacturers began moving capacity across the Taiwan Strait. They…
Su Tseng-chang Takes Office as New Premier Following Premier Lai Ching-te’s resignation due to the poor showing of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the November 2018 municipal elections, President Tsai tapped a senior DPP leader, Su Tseng-chang, to succeed him. The President told the media that she selected Su because he possesses three…
KMT Stages Comeback in Local Elections The opposition Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT) won mayoral seats in three closely watched major constituencies – Kaohsiung, Taichung, and New Taipei City – in local elections held November 24. In Taipei City, incumbent independent Mayor Ko Wen-Je was reelected by a narrow 3,000-vote margin, prompting the runner-up…
Given the tepid economy and tensions in relations with Beijing, the island is no longer a magnet for cross-Strait marriages. When Lisa Li arrived in Taiwan in 2001, the island was more advanced than anywhere on the Chinese mainland. The capital city of Taipei had a brand-new MRT system, five-star international hotels, and 24-hour convenience…
Taiwan’s population is projected to peak at 23.61 million in 2021 and then begin to decrease. The fertility rate of an average of 1.17 children born to each woman is insufficient to maintain the present population level, never mind expand it. Government efforts to boost the fertility rate – primarily in the form of childcare…
Former KMT Chairman Lien Chan Visits China Former Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan led a party delegation to Beijing in mid-July for a meeting with General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping commemorated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Lien, who served as Vice President during the Lee Teng-hui administration,…
The conviction of a Chinese student for spying and allegations of self-censorship by universities are provoking heated debate about cross-Strait educational exchanges. In September, a former Chinese student in Taiwan was convicted of spying for the People’s Republic of China and sentenced to 14 months in prison. Zhou Hongxu, a native of Liaoning Province, allegedly…
Sing! China Event Ends in Violence A singing event staged at National Taiwan University (NTU) in cooperation with the Taipei City and Shanghai governments and the popular Chinese talent show Sing! China was abruptly cut short as protests degenerated into violence on September 25. The protests were sparked by anger over damage to NTU’s track and…
William Lai Succeeds Lin Chuan As Premier Two-term Tainan Mayor William Lai (Lai Ching-te), considered one of the rising stars in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was appointed to the premiership in early September. Lai, who turns 58 next month, holds a master’s in public health from Harvard and previously served as a member of…
Where business has slowed, the main reason appears to be economic factors. Ever since Beijing angrily terminated official communications with Taiwan’s then newly installed Tsai Ing-wen government in June last year, political relations with China have plunged to their coolest point in nearly a decade. But the cross-Strait political chill over Taiwan’s unwillingness to accept a…
