During tough economic times like the present, with Taiwan struggling to achieve even a 1% growth rate, this country is always at a marked disadvantage. Taiwan’s heavy reliance on international trade inevitably means that the state of the world economy has a massive impact on domestic economic health. Given that situation, however, it is crucial…
The goal has wide political support, but the challenges are immense, especially when abandoning nuclear energy is coupled with stringent targets for reduced greenhouse-gas emissions. With the two major political parties seemingly in agreement to allow nuclear energy facilities to wind down and be replaced with renewable energy, the near term is likely see a…
The annual talks under the U.S.-Taiwan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) provide an invaluable platform for high-level dialogue on relevant issues in the interest of further strengthening the bilateral economic relationship. The Taiwan delegation to these TIFA Council meetings is headed by a Vice Minister of Economic Affairs and the American side by a…
Proposed legislation would require religious foundations to establish internal financial auditing systems. Earlier this year, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, Taiwan’s largest and arguably most revered charity organization due to its efficient response at times of natural disasters, quite unexpectedly found itself under heavy attack by the domestic media and netizens over the…
GDP Growth Plummets on Falling Exports Economics is surely an inexact science, as indicated by the massive recalculation currently going on for Taiwan’s GDP growth forecasts for 2015. On August 14, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) slashed growth forecasts for the year from the 3.75% announced at year’s start to just 1.56%….
Tainan (the place name simply means “south Taiwan”) is already well known to tourists because of its fabulous temples, fascinating fortresses, and delicious street food. When the summer rains cease and daytime temperatures sink from the 30-plus degrees Celsius (86-plus degrees Fahrenheit) that characterize its hot season, Taiwan enters what many consider to be the…
The key question is how long can Taiwan’s IC industry hold off its Chinese competitors? Taiwan’s semiconductor sector faces a formidable challenge from China as Beijing moves aggressively to build homegrown chip-making giants. The Chinese government announced a US$20 billion fund last year for that task, and says it will invest a total of US$161…
Now that Taiwan is on the map for more visitors, its hotel sector is enjoying an unprecedented boom. Taiwan’s hotel sector is thriving, buoyed by the island’s transformation into an up-and-coming destination for Asian travelers. Since 2008, when the Taiwanese government eased restrictions on Chinese visitors, foreign tourist numbers have jumped from 3.8 million to…
Outwardly, the Hakka people are indistinguishable from other Han Chinese. Yet, Hakka culture differs significantly from that of the dominant Hoklo population. The origins of the Hakka are somewhat in dispute among scholars but are believed to be traceable to 33 purely Hakka villages in northern China. The group migrated southward over the centuries, settling…
A guided tour off-the-beaten-path in old Tamsui. The historic town of Tamsui (sometimes spelled Danshui), which stretches along the northeastern shore of the Tamsui River, is taking on a new on life from efforts to preserve its past while creating new opportunities for tourism and cultural development. With a little planning, a visitor can escape…
