Brookings Institution senior fellow Richard C. Bush’s comprehensive new book on Taiwan describes in great detail the delicate balancing act Taiwan must play regarding not only its international status and the tenuous cross-Strait relationship, but also a host of thorny domestic issues impacting the island’s future. When it comes to explaining Taiwan, Richard C. Bush…
The Biden administration’s announcement that it would resume trade and investment negotiations with Taiwan after a five-year hiatus is a more significant development than some may realize. Since the mid-1990s, the “TIFA talks,” typically held each year, have proven to be a useful vehicle for ironing out policy differences between the two sides and setting the stage…
A weekly snapshot of Taiwan business news stories brought to you by CommonWealth and AmCham Taiwan’s TOPICS Taiwan COVID-19 Update: The Bright and the Bleak The COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan is slowly being brought under control as the island enters its fourth week of Level 3 restrictions. Daily confirmed cases remain in the triple digits…
By Austin Babb and Jason Wu Guidelines, Visit Show Improving U.S. Ties U.S.-Taiwan relations are showing further signs of strengthening as Washington continues to make overt gestures of support for Taiwan. The U.S. Department of State recently released an update to guidelines regarding interactions between American diplomats and their Taiwan counterparts. In a short press…
Last month, Central Bank of the Republic of China (CBC) Governor Yang Chin-long spoke to lawmakers regarding the U.S. possibly labeling Taiwan a currency manipulator, one of the criteria for which is a trade surplus with the U.S. of more than US$20 billion. Yang noted that the U.S. market has become increasingly reliant on Taiwan…
Palau President Visits Taiwan Surangel Whipps Jr., President of the Micronesian country of Palau, one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies, made a five-day official visit to Taiwan in late March to celebrate the opening of a special travel bubble between the two partners. Accompanying Whipps on his visit was U.S. Ambassador to Palau John…
By Austin Babb and Jason Wu Taiwan Secures COVID Vaccines As of February 21, Taiwan has secured around 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from three different sources. It is expected to begin a rollout of the vaccine by early March, according to Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung. Taiwan will obtain 10 million doses…
Reliance on China has never been riskier for Taiwan’s semiconductor sector. Industry giants like TSMC are now investing to increase production capacity in the U.S. as means of threading the needle on the American tech dispute with China. China has long exerted a gravitational pull on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. The China market’s size, proximity, and…
A more hostile environment for journalists and NGOs in China and Hong Kong could make Taiwan an ideal location to open regional bureaus and offices. Taiwan is arguably one of the world’s most misunderstood places. Even major media corporations often get it wrong. For example, last December U.S.-based ABC News mistakenly referred to Tsai Ing-wen…
By Austin Babb and Jason Wu Hsiao Attends Biden Inauguration Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s representative to the U.S., was formally invited to attend the inauguration of U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on January 20, the first such invitation extended to a Taiwanese diplomat in four decades. In previous years, envoys from Taiwan were granted entry…
