Taiwan’s proposed US$40 billion defense budget reflects a shift away from a single invasion scenario toward broader resilience and sustained readiness. The challenge now is less about spending alone, and more about aligning strategy, systems, and political consensus to make that preparedness viable.
Taiwan’s sovereign wealth fund proposal remains in limbo as policymakers diverge on its purpose, structure, and funding. Despite its strategic potential, political and institutional hurdles continue to stall progress.
Taiwan’s National Development Council plans a “Global Elite” card to attract top international talent, offering permanent residency and social benefits after one year. Aimed at addressing a talent shortage, the initiative targets 200,000 skilled workers by 2028, though salary levels and work culture pose challenges for some professionals.
In recent years, Taiwan has transformed its energy landscape, culminating in the elevation of the Bureau of Energy to the Energy Administration in 2023. A discussion with Deputy Director General Lee Chun-li highlighted the nation’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions, with a focus on diversifying renewable energy sources and enhancing energy security amid global geopolitical tensions.
AmCham Taiwan’s latest evaluation of the 2023 White Paper reclassified two Transportation and Logistics issues from “Solved” to “In Good Progress.” While the Ministry of Transportation made strides in promoting vehicular automation, not all proposed regulations were enacted. Similarly, though progress was noted in warehouse regulations, more work is needed for smart logistics standards. AmCham President Patrick P. Lin remains optimistic that discussions with government authorities will lead to further improvements in the business climate.
Taiwan’s government has taken immediate steps to implement export controls and other measures to limit economic activity between Taiwan and Russia following the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. Within a day of Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would join the U.S., EU countries, and other nations in…
Despite rising fuel costs and increased power demand, Taiwan’s electricity prices have remained unchanged for the past four years. With the budgets of state-run gas company CPC and electricity provider Taipower stretched thin, is it time to rethink subsidized power? Taiwan has some of the world’s lowest electricity prices. The question is why? With no…
For multinational pharmaceutical companies, Taiwan has proven itself to be a very attractive investment destination in the Asia Pacific. The island’s sizeable pool of high-quality STEM talent, its extensive expertise in and productive environment for conducting clinical trials, active government-industry-academia cooperation in medical research, and advanced bio-ICT capacity are just a few of the qualities…
More than two million doses of Medigen’s MVC-COV1901 have been administered domestically, but it has yet to gain traction internationally. Meanwhile UBI Pharma’s UB-612 is pending emergency-use authorization in Taiwan. Early in the coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan made a fateful decision: It would develop its own COVID-19 vaccines and make them a key part of its…
After three island-wide blackouts in less than a year, concerns about Taiwan’s power generation capacity and grid resilience continue to grow. Last September, an article in Taiwan Business TOPICS posed the question of whether Taiwan is facing a looming power crunch. Just half a year later, the question has changed to “is Taiwan’s power crunch…
