Left with just 15 diplomatic allies, Taiwan now looks to safeguard its most vital remaining relationships while strengthening unofficial ties with key democracies. Since the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, China has stepped up efforts to curtail Taiwan’s international space. Luring away Taiwan’s diplomatic allies has been integral to this campaign. In September,…
Next year, Taiwan’s economy will benefit from a steady flow of capital repatriation as local manufacturers move capacity home from China. Momentum from Taiwanese businesses returning from China should help Taiwan reach a GDP growth rate of 2.3% to 2.6% in 2020, compared to about 2.4% this year, economists say. In addition, growth in trade…
Beijing’s latest weaponization of tourism illustrates the risk of relying on the mercurial China market Taiwan’s hospitality sector could contract this year following Beijing’s decision to sharply curtail the flow of visitors from China, reversing many years of steady inbound tourism growth. Over the past decade or so, Chinese tourism has benefited Taiwan considerably. Before…
Trade War Sends Q2 to Sluggish Start Normally June is a peak season for exports of electronics items, the bulwark of the Taiwan economy. But the value of export orders received in June fell by 4.5% from the level of the same month last year to come to US$38.5 billion, the eighth straight month to…
U.S., Taiwan Observe 40 Years of the TRA To participate in celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act and establishment of the American Institute in Taiwan, the U.S. sent a delegation to Taiwan led by former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan. The delegation also included Eddie Bernice Johnson,…
Momentum Slows Two key institutions in April trimmed their forecasts for Taiwan’s GDP growth in 2019, citing falling exports as global demand for consumer electronics slumped amid a prolonged U.S.-China trade war. Standard Chartered Bank cut an earlier GDP forecast of 2.5% to 2.1%, with its chief Taiwan-based economist saying that the first quarter’s 4.2%…
Taiwan Wants to Buy F-16 Viper Aircraft Taiwan reportedly submitted formal requests to the U.S. at the end of March to purchase M1 Abrams tanks and 66 F-16V fighter jets. Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration has given tacit approval to the proposed purchase and that President Donald Trump’s advisers had encouraged Taiwan to make…
U.S. Senators Invite Tsai to Address Congress A group of U.S. senators has called for President Tsai Ing-wen to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress — a proposal that drew a characteristically cautious, non-committal response from the Taiwanese leader. The senators said having the Taiwanese leader speak to Congress would be consistent with…
Forecasts for Taiwan’s economic growth next year currently range between 2.18% and 2.5%. The Taiwan economy is expected to undergo a moderate slowdown next year as overseas demand falters for its information technology and other high-tech products. But if that prospect is somewhat disappointing, the consolation is that Taiwan is likely to escape suffering harsh…
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…
