Taiwan is home to a broad variety of species, some of them unique to the island. But development puts many at constant risk. Since the go-go era of the 1980s and 1990s when environmental protection was ignored in favor of economic development, Taiwan has improved its performance in protecting its environment and biodiversity. Waste disposal…
The boom of the last eight years is coming to an end as Chinese tourists decline and hotel oversupply grows more severe. Former President Ma Ying-jeou sought closer relations with China as a way to expand Taiwan’s economy. While the results of the various initiatives undertaken by the Ma administration remain open to debate, in…
This is Part 1 of the cover story on Pharmaceuticals: Links to Part 2, Part 3 Several Taiwan biopharma companies have developed promising new drugs, and the new government taking office this month is expected to place even more emphasis on this sector. For the industry to become a major driver of economic growth, however, Taiwan…
This is Part 5 of the Special Report on Public Safety: Links to Part 1, Part2, Part 3,Part 4, Part 5 Taiwan society has changed, and the gangsters have either disappeared or become more sophisticated, depending on who you ask. Over the decades, media reports in Taiwan have depicted highly efficient and ruthless underworld organizations with exotic…
Taiwan is redoubling efforts to halt the spread of dengue fever, which has hit the southern part of the island hard over the past two years. Growing global concern about the Zika virus has led to intensified efforts to combat the white-speckled Aedes aegypti mosquito that also transmits dengue fever, a disease that has ravaged…
Taiwan is now a mecca not just for bicycle importers but for enthusiasts as well. “Ni Fengle!” (You’re crazy!) I remember fondly those words, spoken by my Taiwanese landlady Ms. Yeh on hearing my plan to cycle to Taipei from our shared home in Shuangshi, a small town on the outskirts of the Hsinchu Science…
Major advances have taken place in the sector in just the past few decades. The opening of the National Palace Museum Southern Branch in December last year brought President Ma Ying-jeou and a host of other dignitaries to Taiwan’s southwestern city of Chiayi, in a celebration of Asian culture. Aboriginal singers and a dragon dance…
Even more than in many parts of the world, the climate in Taiwan is changing, bringing greater chances of extreme weather conditions. Will Taiwan be ready? Taiwan has been experiencing a steady trend of warmer winters, hotter summers, fewer but more torrential rains, and more frequent droughts, according to a 2011 government report. The Taiwan…
The flat-panel display sector is reeling from the effects of oversupply and anemic demand for consumer electronics. Taiwanese manufacturers of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels had a rough year in 2015 as their profits were pinched by a supply glut and falling consumer electronics sales. The net profit of AU Optronics (AUO), the world’s No….
Huang San-Kuei, Director-General of the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare since 2013, is both a medical doctor (from Chung Shan Medical University) and holder of a Master’s degree in Hospital and Health Care Administration from National Yang-Ming University, where he continues to be an adjunct professor. He was…
