Taiwan Weekly is a newsletter released every week by Fair Winds Foundation, Association of Foreign Relations and Taipei Forum that provides coverage and perspectives into the latest developments in Taiwan.
Semiconductor Industry Under the Shadow of Cross-Strait Conflict
The semiconductor industry has become Taiwan's "protective sacred mountain" over the last 20 years.
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Percent Exports Increase by 1.2％ Thanks to New Southbound Policy？
The Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN), Executive Yuan, recently pointed out that the proportion of exports to the New Southbound countries has increased by 1.2 percent in the past six years.
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"A Taiwan Emergency is a Japanese Emergency"：Will Okinawa Bear the Brunt？
People often refer to former Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s famous saying: "A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency."
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This Week in Taiwan 0709-0715
July 10: For the first time in seven years, real wages in Taiwan have declined. According to statistics released by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), Executive Yuan, from January to May, the average recurring salary was NT$43,341 (about US$1,397), an annual increase of 2.46 percent, and the total salary increased by 1.61 percent. The annual growth rate of the consumer price index (CPI) was 2.44 percent during the same period. The DGBAS indicated that considering the price factor, real total salary is NT$58,348 (about US$1,881), an annual decrease of 0.81 percent. The figures show that salary growth cannot keep up with commodity prices.
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Hou's Comments on Shortening Military Service May Affect His U.S. Visit in September
In an interview, Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih expressed that after stability and peace are ensured in the Taiwan Strait, he will reduce the length of compulsory military service back to four months.
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National Security Bureau Official's Contradicting Views on PLA Capabilities
Director-General Tsai Ming-yen of the National Security Bureau (NSB) stated that the current atmosphere of war in the Taiwan Strait is all "manipulation" and not based on reality and that Communist China is not capable of attacking Taiwan by force at this juncture.
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Housing Justice and Lai's Empty Promises
The Executive Yuan passed a new plan for differential house tax rates on July 6.
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This Week in Taiwan 0702-0708
July 1: General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, delivered a speech at the National Press Club luncheon in Washington, pointing out there is no sign that mainland China has decided to attack Taiwan in 2027, and the United States and other countries still have time to make it clear to China that the use of force is a bad idea. He emphasized that the U.S. military must be ready at any time and advance military modernization as soon as possible to ensure its superiority over China and increase the likelihood of deterring war.
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Tsai Administration's "Backing Hong Kong" Gone Awry？HK Immigration to Taiwan Declines Sharply
In 2019, the protests in Hong Kong broke out, and the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan loudly proclaimed its support for Hong Kong.
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Discuss Restarting ECFA Calmly
With the 2024 presidential and legislative elections approaching, campaigns have shifted their focus back to significant economic and financial issues—whether to restart negotiations on the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), including cross-strait agreements on trade in services and trade in goods.
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