On July 28, Chinese financial supervisory agencies made a surprise raid on Taiwanese bank branch offices in China for "illegally attracting business without the necessary licenses." The banks must be condemned for also breaking Taiwanese law by engaging in financial business in China. They are just like rats that, in their greed, bite through a food bag and spill all its contents out on the floor. They have increased the nation's capital outflow. Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) should take action and punish them severely.
Ever since Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
In fact, Taiwan's economy has smoothly been transformed from a handicraft, mechanical and automated industry to the digital age. Taiwan has developed into a leading player in the electronics industry, and is rapidly developing in areas of precision technologies. Taiwan has already won a leading international role as a manufacturer of computers, digital cameras and other advanced products, a clear indication that it has already developed an excellent knowledge-based environment that is ideal for research and development. In addition, development within traditional industries, brand creation and developing sales channels has proved very successful in consolidating traditional industries in Taiwan. Giant, Taiwan's bicycle manufacturer, and La New, a shoe manufacturer, are outstanding examples of this process. It is clear from this that if only the director of the enterprise operates effectively, there is no reason why Taiwanese products cannot be sold all over the world.
Taiwan Thinktank chairman Chen Po-chih (陳博志) said in a recent publication that Taiwan's experience of economic development is similar to that of Switzerland and Finland. Many of the problems those two countries faced were the result of having vastly more powerful neighbors. But as long as they could navigate international trends, and worked hard at upgrading their industries and developing a "knowledge economy," they could still become highly competitive commercial nations with a high standard of living. Taiwan's economic development has never relied on China, and there is no reason why it should start now.
China bedazzled Taiwanese businesses with its cheap land and labor, as well as its vast domestic market. These advantages, however, are disappearing as it moves into a new stage of development. Taiwanese businesspeople cannot safely and steadily promote their business in China due to slack law enforcement and various political factors. Beijing's recent moves to put down "green" businesses provide such an example. Thus, the unexpected management costs are getting higher when investing in China.
The successful stories of many traditional businesses in Taiwan show that restructuring and innovation are key to maintaining a successful business. Since Taiwan has developed a sound investment environment, Taiwanese businesses should follow such a trend, returning to Taiwan like mature salmon returning to their spawning grounds. Placing their priority in upgrading their businesses, they should beware of being misled by malicious banks and digging a hole from which they can not escape.
Labubu, an elf-like plush toy with pointy ears and nine serrated teeth, has become a global sensation, worn by celebrities including Rihanna and Dua Lipa. These dolls are sold out in stores from Singapore to London; a human-sized version recently fetched a whopping US$150,000 at an auction in Beijing. With all the social media buzz, it is worth asking if we are witnessing the rise of a new-age collectible, or whether Labubu is a mere fad destined to fade. Investors certainly want to know. Pop Mart International Group Ltd, the Chinese manufacturer behind this trendy toy, has rallied 178 percent
Life as we know it will probably not come to an end in Japan this weekend, but what if it does? That is the question consuming a disaster-prone country ahead of a widely spread prediction of disaster that one comic book suggests would occur tomorrow. The Future I Saw, a manga by Ryo Tatsuki about her purported ability to see the future in dreams, was first published in 1999. It would have faded into obscurity, but for the mention of a tsunami and the cover that read “Major disaster in March 2011.” Years later, when the most powerful earthquake ever
My youngest son attends a university in Taipei. Throughout the past two years, whenever I have brought him his luggage or picked him up for the end of a semester or the start of a break, I have stayed at a hotel near his campus. In doing so, I have noticed a strange phenomenon: The hotel’s TV contained an unusual number of Chinese channels, filled with accents that would make a person feel as if they are in China. It is quite exhausting. A few days ago, while staying in the hotel, I found that of the 50 available TV channels,
Chinese intimidation of Taiwan has entered a chilling new phase: bolder, more multifaceted and unconstrained by diplomatic norms. For years, Taiwan has weathered economic coercion, military threats, diplomatic isolation, political interference, espionage and disinformation, but the direct targeting of elected leaders abroad signals an alarming escalation in Beijing’s campaign of hostility. Czech military intelligence recently uncovered a plot that reads like fiction, but is all too real. Chinese diplomats and civil secret service in Prague had planned to ram the motorcade of then-vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and physically assault her during her visit to the Czech Republic in March last
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