Last month, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) announced the establishment of the "Chuan Lyu Endowed Chair in Taiwan Studies," with Professor Liao Ping-hui as its inaugural holder of the chair. The endowment was the gift of philanthropist Lee Hwalin, who funded US$500,000 through his foundation, Chuan Lyu. With a full time professor at the helm the endowment will substantially boost the Taiwan Studies program.
During a celebration at UCSD on October 5th, Lee said, “I feel especially honored to have this opportunity since I myself am a beneficiary of the University of California system - having completed my graduate work at the San Francisco campus.”
Lee founded the Chuan Lyu Foundation in 1986 to foster an appreciation for and to preserve Taiwanese culture worldwide. Its mission is very similar to that of the UCSD Taiwan Studies endowment fund, which is “to promote understanding and appreciation of Taiwan’s culture, history, arts, science, technology, medicine… to both the UCSD and San Diego communities…”
Throughout the foundation’s 23-year history, it has sponsored writers, filmmakers and a wide spectrum of Taiwanese cultural events. For the last three years, Chuan Lyu was the main sponsor of the Taiwan Film Festival at Stanford University, the University of San Francisco, the University of California at Berkeley and Davis, the University of Washington (Seattle), Brigham Young University, University of Oregon (Eugene) and Salt Lake City, Utah.
Overseas, the foundation established the Chuan Lyu Lectures in Taiwan Studies at Cambridge University, United Kingdom, in 1991. In April 2007, Lee also contributed to the renovation of the History Building at National Taiwan University, his alma mater. The exhibition hall in the building was renamed Chuan Lyu Hall in recognition of the foundation’s generosity.
The Taiwan Studies program in UCSD started in 2006 with a lecture series funded by the local Taiwanese community and alumnus of San Diego. Liao’s appointment will definitely strengthen the Taiwan Studies program. Liao is a UCSD alumnus and also a Taiwan cultural expert. As a distinguished professor who has primarily worked in the field of comparative literature, post-colonial theory and cultural studies, he will be teaching mainly in the department of literature.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
New print of A City of Sadness showing at the Yerba Buena Center
A new print of A City of Sadness will be screened at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on November 5th and 8th. Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, the movie is a historical film set in Taiwan soon after Japan's withdrawal from the island. It follows the tumultuous lives of the Lin family in the aftermath of the violence surrounding the 228 Incident in 1947 and the cultural conflicts between the newly-arrived mainland Chinese and the native Taiwanese.
The film was the first to deal directly with the sensitive topic of “White Terror” which was imposed on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang (KMT) government in the post-war period. This new 157-minute film is considered one of director Hou’s masterpieces. It won the Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival.
Shown in 35mm print, the film is subtitled in English. For more information, please visit http://www.ybca.org/tickets/production/view.aspx?id=10373.
Show times are:
Thursday, November 5th at 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 8th at 4:30 pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is located at 701 Mission Street, San Francisco.
Tickets are $8 each.
The film was the first to deal directly with the sensitive topic of “White Terror” which was imposed on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang (KMT) government in the post-war period. This new 157-minute film is considered one of director Hou’s masterpieces. It won the Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival.
Shown in 35mm print, the film is subtitled in English. For more information, please visit http://www.ybca.org/tickets/production/view.aspx?id=10373.
Show times are:
Thursday, November 5th at 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 8th at 4:30 pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is located at 701 Mission Street, San Francisco.
Tickets are $8 each.
Children’s Film Festival hopes to raise standards
Taiwan’s Public Television Service (PTS) is currently accepting submissions for the 4th Taiwan International Children’s Film Festival (TICFF) that will take place in Taipei from April 1 -5, 2010. First held in 2004, the festival was initiated by the island’s public television station as a way of promoting quality children’s programs. Held every two years, submissions for the next festival must be received by October 31, 2009. Cash prizes, totally US$28,000, will be awarded to winners in seven categories
In Taiwan, elementary school students attend school for about 1,200 hours a year and spend almost as many hours watching television. With television programs playing a big role in shaping young minds, TICFF wants to encourage quality filmmaking targeting children aged 12 and younger.
Those interested in submitting films should visit the festival’s website (http://activity.pts.org.tw/pts/TICFF/competition.aspx?language=en) for the rules and regulations. Application forms can be found online and submitted to the festival office at:
Taiwan International Children’s Film Festival
Public Television Service Foundation
100, Lane 75, Section 3, Kang-Ning Road
Taipei, TAIWAN 114
Besides showing selected films at the festival, PTS and the festival organizers are offering cash prizes totaling US$28,000. The competitive categories each offering US$4,000 in prize money include Best Dramatic Feature, Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Television Program, Best Taiwanese Film, Best Taiwanese TV Program, and a Special Jury Prize. Winners in two further categories (Best Joint Production by Taiwanese Kids & Adults, and an Audience Award) will be eligible to receive a trophy. Nominees for the various categories will be announced on December 25th 2009.
If you have any questions, please contact the organizers at:
Tel: +886-2-2630-1021
Fax: +886-2-2630-1895
E-mail: ticff@mail.ptc.org.tw
Website: www.ticff.org.tw/e-news.html
In Taiwan, elementary school students attend school for about 1,200 hours a year and spend almost as many hours watching television. With television programs playing a big role in shaping young minds, TICFF wants to encourage quality filmmaking targeting children aged 12 and younger.
Those interested in submitting films should visit the festival’s website (http://activity.pts.org.tw/pts/TICFF/competition.aspx?language=en) for the rules and regulations. Application forms can be found online and submitted to the festival office at:
Taiwan International Children’s Film Festival
Public Television Service Foundation
100, Lane 75, Section 3, Kang-Ning Road
Taipei, TAIWAN 114
Besides showing selected films at the festival, PTS and the festival organizers are offering cash prizes totaling US$28,000. The competitive categories each offering US$4,000 in prize money include Best Dramatic Feature, Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Television Program, Best Taiwanese Film, Best Taiwanese TV Program, and a Special Jury Prize. Winners in two further categories (Best Joint Production by Taiwanese Kids & Adults, and an Audience Award) will be eligible to receive a trophy. Nominees for the various categories will be announced on December 25th 2009.
If you have any questions, please contact the organizers at:
Tel: +886-2-2630-1021
Fax: +886-2-2630-1895
E-mail: ticff@mail.ptc.org.tw
Website: www.ticff.org.tw/e-news.html
Taiwan and China swing between conflict and conciliation
Over the last few months, relations between Taiwan and China have hit some bumps. Since President Ma Ying-jeou assumed office in May 2008, increased tourism and cross-strait talks has been the order of the day between the two sides. However, recent events have indicated a slight cooling in this love affair.
China retaliates against Dalai Lama’s Taiwan visit
After Typhoon Morakot devastated southern Taiwan, seven magistrate and city mayors from the Democratic Progressive Party in the Kaohsiung area invited the Dalai Lama to visit. Under strong protest from Beijing, President Ma immediately approved the visit on humanitarian grounds. The Tibetan spiritual leader arrived in Taiwan on August 30th and stayed for six days comforting the victims of the disaster.
In response, the Chinese authority retaliated by canceling the bookings of over 3,000 hotel rooms in Kaohsiung made by Chinese tourist groups. According to the Taipei-based China Times, this caused a loss of NT$6 million (US$185,000), inflicting further damage to the Kaohsiung tourism industry after Typhoon Morakot. Additional reports from the Apple Daily said that added cancellations by Chinese businesses, trade missions, exchanges and study groups scheduled for September upped the loss to billions of Taiwan dollars.
Relations strained by Kadeer’s documentary
China’s displeasure with Taiwan was compounded with the recent screening of 10 Conditions of Love, the controversial documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. Considered a terrorist by Beijing, her documentary was originally scheduled to show at the Kaohsiung Film Festival this month. Instead, the film was shown earlier on September 22nd and 23rd in order to minimize the controversy. This film has caused rifts not just in Taiwan but elsewhere as well. When the Melbourne International Film Festival chose to premiere 10 Conditions in August, six Chinese-language films withdrew from the festival in protest.
Regardless of the documentary’s screening dates, Kadeer was not granted a visa to travel to Taiwan. The government denied her a visa on the grounds of national security since the World Uighur Congress led by Kadeer has maintained contact with two terrorist organizations.
While improving relations with China, Ma has been accused of being too cozy with Beijing. Allowing the Dalai Lama’s visit to Taiwan was the first action by the Ma Administration which has displeased Beijing. However, it is also a starting point for the two sides to adjust to its new relationship. Li Yong-der, deputy mayor of Kaohsiung City, said it is a rare opportunity for the two sides to learn how to react to something that does not please either side.
Dependent on China’s “uncertain goodwill”
Whereas most Taiwanese see the Kadeer situation as a step towards re-asserting itself, most agree that stable relations with China is necessary for Taiwan’s economic health, especially given that China is Taiwan’s largest trading partner as of four years ago. Currently, Hong Kong accounts for 41 percent of Taiwan’s total exports. In the last decade, Taiwan enjoyed a favorable trade balance with China and the trade surplus has increased 126 percent to US$40 billion to US$50 billion a year. This relationship saved Taiwan economically when the global financial crisis hit. Without it, Taiwan would have suffered a trade deficit of US$27 billion if it had not had a trade surplus of US$42.5 billion with China.
Furthermore, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan in the first half of 2009 alone was three times the number of Chinese tourists visiting the island in all of 2008. At this pace, China will soon overtake Japan as the leading source of tourists visiting Taiwan. Also, Taiwan’s investment is very much tied with China. According to Tung Cheng-yuan, an associate professor at National Chengchi University, commenting in Commonwealth magazine, three-quarters of Taiwan’s foreign investments go to China, including Taiwanese business investment in British Caribbean colonies which is transferred to China indirectly. This leaves Taiwan and its estimated investments of US$340 billion (accumulated from 2002-2008) dependent on the “uncertain goodwill” of China, said Tung.
Shift from confrontation to détente too hurried
According to Lai Shin-yuan, minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, President Ma has done more to improve cross-strait relations in the past year, than was done in the whole of the last 60 years. Professor Chen Fang-ming of the National Chengchi University believes relations between the two sides have swung too fast - from confrontation to détente. There was no transitional period to adjust. Most Taiwanese have found it hard to adapt to this new situation. A survey by Commonwealth magazine showed that 48 percent of the respondents believe that opening up to China is beneficial to the island while 43 percent believe this would be harmful for Taiwan.
In a recent interview with Japan’s largest newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, President Ma said, “We know there are some people worrying about the pace of improving ties across the Taiwan Strait being too fast. Actually, being fast or slow is a relative term, not an absolute one. In the past eight years of Democratic Progressive Party government, cross-strait relations were in a stagnant situation, losing Taiwan many opportunities it was entitled to enjoy. This was not favorable for the Taiwanese people,” and “I think the current pace of improving relations across the Taiwan Strait is just right in maintaining our dignity on the one hand while promoting bilateral relations across the strait on the other.”
If Taiwan’s people are uncomfortable with the pace of improving relations across the Taiwan Strait, countries elsewhere have no such reservations. At the 2009 U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Virginia, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Wallace Gregson said a strong Taiwan will be less susceptible to coercion or intimidation from China, and better able to engage China with confidence. He emphasized that Ma’s initiatives to reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait and improve US-Taiwan dialogues are beneficial to the security and stabilization of Northeastern Asia.
China retaliates against Dalai Lama’s Taiwan visit
After Typhoon Morakot devastated southern Taiwan, seven magistrate and city mayors from the Democratic Progressive Party in the Kaohsiung area invited the Dalai Lama to visit. Under strong protest from Beijing, President Ma immediately approved the visit on humanitarian grounds. The Tibetan spiritual leader arrived in Taiwan on August 30th and stayed for six days comforting the victims of the disaster.
In response, the Chinese authority retaliated by canceling the bookings of over 3,000 hotel rooms in Kaohsiung made by Chinese tourist groups. According to the Taipei-based China Times, this caused a loss of NT$6 million (US$185,000), inflicting further damage to the Kaohsiung tourism industry after Typhoon Morakot. Additional reports from the Apple Daily said that added cancellations by Chinese businesses, trade missions, exchanges and study groups scheduled for September upped the loss to billions of Taiwan dollars.
Relations strained by Kadeer’s documentary
China’s displeasure with Taiwan was compounded with the recent screening of 10 Conditions of Love, the controversial documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. Considered a terrorist by Beijing, her documentary was originally scheduled to show at the Kaohsiung Film Festival this month. Instead, the film was shown earlier on September 22nd and 23rd in order to minimize the controversy. This film has caused rifts not just in Taiwan but elsewhere as well. When the Melbourne International Film Festival chose to premiere 10 Conditions in August, six Chinese-language films withdrew from the festival in protest.
Regardless of the documentary’s screening dates, Kadeer was not granted a visa to travel to Taiwan. The government denied her a visa on the grounds of national security since the World Uighur Congress led by Kadeer has maintained contact with two terrorist organizations.
While improving relations with China, Ma has been accused of being too cozy with Beijing. Allowing the Dalai Lama’s visit to Taiwan was the first action by the Ma Administration which has displeased Beijing. However, it is also a starting point for the two sides to adjust to its new relationship. Li Yong-der, deputy mayor of Kaohsiung City, said it is a rare opportunity for the two sides to learn how to react to something that does not please either side.
Dependent on China’s “uncertain goodwill”
Whereas most Taiwanese see the Kadeer situation as a step towards re-asserting itself, most agree that stable relations with China is necessary for Taiwan’s economic health, especially given that China is Taiwan’s largest trading partner as of four years ago. Currently, Hong Kong accounts for 41 percent of Taiwan’s total exports. In the last decade, Taiwan enjoyed a favorable trade balance with China and the trade surplus has increased 126 percent to US$40 billion to US$50 billion a year. This relationship saved Taiwan economically when the global financial crisis hit. Without it, Taiwan would have suffered a trade deficit of US$27 billion if it had not had a trade surplus of US$42.5 billion with China.
Furthermore, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan in the first half of 2009 alone was three times the number of Chinese tourists visiting the island in all of 2008. At this pace, China will soon overtake Japan as the leading source of tourists visiting Taiwan. Also, Taiwan’s investment is very much tied with China. According to Tung Cheng-yuan, an associate professor at National Chengchi University, commenting in Commonwealth magazine, three-quarters of Taiwan’s foreign investments go to China, including Taiwanese business investment in British Caribbean colonies which is transferred to China indirectly. This leaves Taiwan and its estimated investments of US$340 billion (accumulated from 2002-2008) dependent on the “uncertain goodwill” of China, said Tung.
Shift from confrontation to détente too hurried
According to Lai Shin-yuan, minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, President Ma has done more to improve cross-strait relations in the past year, than was done in the whole of the last 60 years. Professor Chen Fang-ming of the National Chengchi University believes relations between the two sides have swung too fast - from confrontation to détente. There was no transitional period to adjust. Most Taiwanese have found it hard to adapt to this new situation. A survey by Commonwealth magazine showed that 48 percent of the respondents believe that opening up to China is beneficial to the island while 43 percent believe this would be harmful for Taiwan.
In a recent interview with Japan’s largest newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, President Ma said, “We know there are some people worrying about the pace of improving ties across the Taiwan Strait being too fast. Actually, being fast or slow is a relative term, not an absolute one. In the past eight years of Democratic Progressive Party government, cross-strait relations were in a stagnant situation, losing Taiwan many opportunities it was entitled to enjoy. This was not favorable for the Taiwanese people,” and “I think the current pace of improving relations across the Taiwan Strait is just right in maintaining our dignity on the one hand while promoting bilateral relations across the strait on the other.”
If Taiwan’s people are uncomfortable with the pace of improving relations across the Taiwan Strait, countries elsewhere have no such reservations. At the 2009 U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Virginia, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Wallace Gregson said a strong Taiwan will be less susceptible to coercion or intimidation from China, and better able to engage China with confidence. He emphasized that Ma’s initiatives to reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait and improve US-Taiwan dialogues are beneficial to the security and stabilization of Northeastern Asia.
Taiwan striving for more UN participation
This year - unlike the last 16 years - Taiwan’s allies did not submit a proposal to the General Assembly on September 15th to let Taiwan join the United Nations (UN). Although the island has not given up the idea of being a part of the UN, the friendlier atmosphere across the Taiwan Strait has enabled Taiwan to take a different approach.
Since 1993, Taipei has tried hard to regain its seat at the UN, a seat taken by Beijing in 1971. Although the previous administration pushed hard to enter the UN under the name “Taiwan,” China’s strong opposition blocked off any possibility of success. However, when President Ma Ying-jeou assumed office back in May 2008, he declared a “diplomatic truce” with China. With a friendlier atmosphere across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s health minister was allowed to take part in the World Health Assembly (WHA) held in Geneva this past May.
Despite participating in the WHA, there are still many UN-affiliated organizations that are closed to Taiwan. This is something Taiwan hopes to change. Last month, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Timothy Chin-tien Yang announced that Taiwan would seek to join the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The administration focused on these two organizations feeling they could best bring benefits for Taiwan’s people.
Last year, over 35 million passengers flew in and out of Taiwan, making it one of the busiest airspaces in Asia. The Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) regulates 1.35 million flights and 12 international flight routes. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is the 15th largest airport in the world. Given this large volume, being a member or observer of the ICAO would potentially improve Taiwan’s air safety.
In 2007, Taiwan was ranked as the 22nd largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world. Even as a non-member of the “Kyoto Protocol,” Taiwan seeks to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions, promising to reduce emissions to the 2008 level by 2016-2020, and lower still to the 2000 level by 2025. Despite these pledges, Taiwan is at a significant disadvantage to similarly developed states such as South Korea and Singapore as the island is excluded from direct negotiations with “Kyoto Protocol” signatories. As a World Trade Organization member, Taiwan will be forced by other member states to pay higher environmental protection taxes on its exports.
By joining the UNFCCC, Taiwan would be able to participate in talks, allowing it to seek reasonable carbon dioxide emission conditions. Taiwan’s participation would also allow the island to fight global climate changes under the framework of the UNFCCC.
Since 1993, Taipei has tried hard to regain its seat at the UN, a seat taken by Beijing in 1971. Although the previous administration pushed hard to enter the UN under the name “Taiwan,” China’s strong opposition blocked off any possibility of success. However, when President Ma Ying-jeou assumed office back in May 2008, he declared a “diplomatic truce” with China. With a friendlier atmosphere across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s health minister was allowed to take part in the World Health Assembly (WHA) held in Geneva this past May.
Despite participating in the WHA, there are still many UN-affiliated organizations that are closed to Taiwan. This is something Taiwan hopes to change. Last month, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Timothy Chin-tien Yang announced that Taiwan would seek to join the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The administration focused on these two organizations feeling they could best bring benefits for Taiwan’s people.
Last year, over 35 million passengers flew in and out of Taiwan, making it one of the busiest airspaces in Asia. The Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) regulates 1.35 million flights and 12 international flight routes. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is the 15th largest airport in the world. Given this large volume, being a member or observer of the ICAO would potentially improve Taiwan’s air safety.
In 2007, Taiwan was ranked as the 22nd largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world. Even as a non-member of the “Kyoto Protocol,” Taiwan seeks to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions, promising to reduce emissions to the 2008 level by 2016-2020, and lower still to the 2000 level by 2025. Despite these pledges, Taiwan is at a significant disadvantage to similarly developed states such as South Korea and Singapore as the island is excluded from direct negotiations with “Kyoto Protocol” signatories. As a World Trade Organization member, Taiwan will be forced by other member states to pay higher environmental protection taxes on its exports.
By joining the UNFCCC, Taiwan would be able to participate in talks, allowing it to seek reasonable carbon dioxide emission conditions. Taiwan’s participation would also allow the island to fight global climate changes under the framework of the UNFCCC.
President Ma: MOU and ECFA to be priority cross-strait tasks
At a ceremony celebrating the 98th National Day of the Republic of China, President Ma Ying-jeou said that relations between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland have improved greatly over the past year, and that a turning point for cross-strait peace has appeared.
He went on to say that over the past year, on the pragmatic basis of the “1992 Consensus,” Taipei and Beijing have signed nine agreements enabling larger numbers of visits to Taiwan by mainland tourists, direct air, sea, and postal links, food safety inspections, and mutual cross-strait judicial assistance. Cross-strait cooperation continues to expand daily, leading to the gradual accumulation of mutual trust and good will. Nevertheless, Ma added, “We believe that much remains for us to tackle on behalf of the well-being of our peoples, including negotiation of memorandums of understanding (MOU) on financial supervisory cooperation and an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).”
The president also emphasized that cross-strait differences and concerns are rooted in historical factors that cannot be overcome all at once. To achieve further peaceful development of relations, both sides must remain patient, face up to practical realities, and move forward in a gradual, orderly manner, so as to build mutual trust and find common ground amid differences. In addition, the government’s foremost guiding principle in dealing with cross-strait issues is to safeguard national sovereignty and advance the people’s welfare.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taipei and Beijing will hold the first formal talks regarding an ECFA at the end of October. A fourth informal negotiation meeting is scheduled for next week at which the two sides will first exchange views on the general items to be included on an “early harvest” list. At present, less than 700 priority items are slated for inclusion on the list, spanning mid- and up-stream petrochemical products, mechanical equipment and components, and mid- and up-stream textile products. In the service industry sector, the financial services industry will seek access to the Chinese mainland’s banking, securities, and insurance markets on more favorable terms than WTO preferential treatment. The commercial services sector will also strive for access to the mainland’s wholesale, retail, distribution and logistics market, while the transportation services sector will endeavor to gain access to the mainland’s cargo delivery and freight forwarding markets.
He went on to say that over the past year, on the pragmatic basis of the “1992 Consensus,” Taipei and Beijing have signed nine agreements enabling larger numbers of visits to Taiwan by mainland tourists, direct air, sea, and postal links, food safety inspections, and mutual cross-strait judicial assistance. Cross-strait cooperation continues to expand daily, leading to the gradual accumulation of mutual trust and good will. Nevertheless, Ma added, “We believe that much remains for us to tackle on behalf of the well-being of our peoples, including negotiation of memorandums of understanding (MOU) on financial supervisory cooperation and an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).”
The president also emphasized that cross-strait differences and concerns are rooted in historical factors that cannot be overcome all at once. To achieve further peaceful development of relations, both sides must remain patient, face up to practical realities, and move forward in a gradual, orderly manner, so as to build mutual trust and find common ground amid differences. In addition, the government’s foremost guiding principle in dealing with cross-strait issues is to safeguard national sovereignty and advance the people’s welfare.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taipei and Beijing will hold the first formal talks regarding an ECFA at the end of October. A fourth informal negotiation meeting is scheduled for next week at which the two sides will first exchange views on the general items to be included on an “early harvest” list. At present, less than 700 priority items are slated for inclusion on the list, spanning mid- and up-stream petrochemical products, mechanical equipment and components, and mid- and up-stream textile products. In the service industry sector, the financial services industry will seek access to the Chinese mainland’s banking, securities, and insurance markets on more favorable terms than WTO preferential treatment. The commercial services sector will also strive for access to the mainland’s wholesale, retail, distribution and logistics market, while the transportation services sector will endeavor to gain access to the mainland’s cargo delivery and freight forwarding markets.
Taiwan’s economy recovering on first anniversary of financial crisis
As a consequence of the U.S. financial crisis, the global economy has become mired in recession and rising unemployment. To boost Taiwan’s economic growth and lessen the impact of international factors on its economy, the government last year implemented a series of measures aimed at fueling economic revitalization, including a program to boost investment in local infrastructure and expand domestic demand, and an economic stimulus plan.
This year, measures were adopted to distribute consumer vouchers, cut taxes, expand investment in public infrastructure projects and boost employment. At the end of March, consumption expenditures resulting from consumption revitalization measures amounted to NT$7.93 billion (about US$247 million). As of October 5, NT$54.56 billion (around US$1.7 billion) had been spent implementing the program to boost investment in local infrastructure and expand domestic demand.
According to a September 28th report by the cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) for August, both leading and coincident indices posted steady gains over the preceding seven months. The leading index for August stood at 100, up 1.9 percent from July, while the coincident index rose 0.6 percent to reach 92.5. All the seven components – real customs-cleared exports, business electricity power consumption, real manufacturing sales, the industrial production index, as well as wholesale, retail and food and beverage industry revenues – showed an increase. The CEPD concludes that these developments indicate steady economic recovery and greater consumer confidence in Taiwan.
CEPD Minister Tsai Hsung-hsiung asserted that economic growth in Taiwan during the fourth quarter of this year will return to 5.49 percent. Next year, as the global economy recovers and the government accelerates implementation of its special public infrastructure construction budget, economic growth is expected to reach 3.92 percent, making Taiwan’s economic outlook cautiously optimistic.
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) recent World Economic Outlook report forecasted Taiwan’s gross domestic product to grow by 3.7 percent in 2010, ranking it second among the four Asian Tiger economies.
On September 29th, Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) Director-General Huang Chih-peng also announced that Taiwan’s external trade totaled US$230 billion between January and August this year, accumulating a surplus of US$19.5 billion. This could result in a trade surplus of US$30 billion for the entire year and setting a new record.
This year, measures were adopted to distribute consumer vouchers, cut taxes, expand investment in public infrastructure projects and boost employment. At the end of March, consumption expenditures resulting from consumption revitalization measures amounted to NT$7.93 billion (about US$247 million). As of October 5, NT$54.56 billion (around US$1.7 billion) had been spent implementing the program to boost investment in local infrastructure and expand domestic demand.
According to a September 28th report by the cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) for August, both leading and coincident indices posted steady gains over the preceding seven months. The leading index for August stood at 100, up 1.9 percent from July, while the coincident index rose 0.6 percent to reach 92.5. All the seven components – real customs-cleared exports, business electricity power consumption, real manufacturing sales, the industrial production index, as well as wholesale, retail and food and beverage industry revenues – showed an increase. The CEPD concludes that these developments indicate steady economic recovery and greater consumer confidence in Taiwan.
CEPD Minister Tsai Hsung-hsiung asserted that economic growth in Taiwan during the fourth quarter of this year will return to 5.49 percent. Next year, as the global economy recovers and the government accelerates implementation of its special public infrastructure construction budget, economic growth is expected to reach 3.92 percent, making Taiwan’s economic outlook cautiously optimistic.
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) recent World Economic Outlook report forecasted Taiwan’s gross domestic product to grow by 3.7 percent in 2010, ranking it second among the four Asian Tiger economies.
On September 29th, Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) Director-General Huang Chih-peng also announced that Taiwan’s external trade totaled US$230 billion between January and August this year, accumulating a surplus of US$19.5 billion. This could result in a trade surplus of US$30 billion for the entire year and setting a new record.
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