Chen: PRC spurs Taiwan identity

China's attitude toward Taiwan had led to the island's people adopting a more Taiwan-centric consciousness, President Chen Shui-bian said in an interview in Taipei this month.

In response to Taiwan's hopes for peaceful dialogue, China had deployed more missiles and passed its Anti-Secession Law, Chen said, adding that China did not recognise Taiwan as an independent, sovereign country but treated it as a local government.  He said that China's military buildup, refusal to recognise Taiwan's legitimacy and blockage of Taiwan's efforts to join the United Nations and establish diplomatic ties with other nations "have made Taiwan's people increasingly aware of their own identity."

"In the foreseeable future, I don't think the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will opt for unification," Chen said.  "We believe that Taiwan's democracy is a success story and Taiwan's democracy serves as the best missile defence for Taiwan."  He continued, saying that Taiwan's democratic transition was "a lighthouse to the 1.3 billion people of China."

Chen thanked the United States and Japan for helping boost the island's defences but stressed that Taiwan must depend on itself for its defence.  "If you only rely on others to defend your side or your country, you are bound to be defeated."  He said Taiwan had no intention of engaging in any kind of arms race with China but had to enhance its national defence capabilities.

Chen acknowledged that Taiwan's economy was tilting toward China and was gradually becoming reliant on the Chinese market, and expressed his fears that this might undermine Taiwan's ability to maintain its de facto independence.  "China wants to use its business influence to play more roles in terms of maneuvering and influencing our politics," the president said, "but Taiwanese businesspeople are also becoming more influential in China."  Chen said he hoped that, while normalising trade ties with China, Taiwan could avoid becoming an appendix to the Chinese economy and thus marginalised.  He stressed that China was only one of several important markets.

"We are actively promoting reinvestment in Taiwan by China-based Taiwanese businesspeople and are encouraging them to bring their money back to Taiwan," Chen said.  "We have seen some positive results in the last two years in this regard." 

 

Asked what he thought would be the biggest legacy he would leave to the people of Taiwan after his second term ends in 2008, Chen answered that, in 2000, Taiwan had witnessed its first-ever change of ruling political party, and that the transfer of power had been made without the shedding of blood.

 

Moreover, looking at the events of the last year, Chen said the fact that Taiwan's judiciary was able to issue subpoenas to members of the president's family and even detain a family member as a suspect signified that Taiwan was a country that truly abided by the rule of law.  Finally, Chen urged China to learn from Taiwan's democracy and its electoral system. He invited the chairman of the National People's Congress, China's parliament that had just convened in Beijing, to visit Taiwan and to send a delegation to observe Taiwan's year-end legislative elections, as well as the presidential election in March 2008.

12-year national education plan ambitious, but faces challenges

Premier Su Tseng-chang announced that the government would initiate 12-year national education, adding an extra three years to the present nine, with the ultimate goal of all students being able to receive low-cost secondary schooling.  Su made the announcement in his policy report to the Legislative Yuan last month.

According to a proposal submitted by the Ministry of Education, the plan was to reduce pressures that students faced to get higher education and to minimise the disparity of opportunities for receiving better education in urban vs. rural areas through improving school quality and narrowing the gap of tuition fees between the public and private sectors.  The plan contained several supplementary programs and would be implemented in three stages, beginning this year.

Although the public praised the good intentions behind the long-overdue plan, concerns about the budget for planned subsidies, the enrollment scheme and the existing standardised test immediately drew criticism from several lawmakers, with parents and students baffled by the new plan.

Education Minister Tu Cheng-sheng also held a press conference Feb. 27 to present the supplementary programs the ministry had drawn in preparation for the extension of the national education period.  At present, students received nine years of compulsory education from age six to 15, whereas the new plan would offer students an extra three years of optional, low-fee education at senior or vocational high schools, according to the MOE.  In Taiwan, students who finish junior high school either attend senior high school, which prepares them for college, or senior vocational school, which trains them for a particular trade.

Tu did not give a timetable, however he pointed out that the preparatory period would last from the present to 2009, and that 12-year basic education would not be achieved until 2009.  Tu noted that public hearings would be held in the near future and a proposal would be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval in June before a new testing and admission scheme would be put into practice.

Vice Minister of Education Wu Tsai-shun explained that the plan was to be implemented over a period of 12 years, and was divided into three stages.  The first three years would be a preparatory stage.  The goal  was to provide low-cost secondary education that did not require entrance exams.

Though officials still had to flesh out details about the channels through which students would be accepted into high schools, a few points were certain.  The government would extend the subsidies for students from low-income families who were studying in private senior or vocational high schools, beginning this August.  The program, which would tentatively last three years, was expected to provide subsidies for private high-school students from families whose incomes were lower than US$10,000 a year and have them pay the same tuition as in public high schools, where fees were about US$1,000 a year.  Students from other families with incomes between US$10,000 and US$20,000 would also be subsidised.  The total number of students who benefited from this program would account for 42.4 percent of all private high-school students.

Funding was also allocated to improve the quality of up to 75 percent of public senior and vocational high schools around the country within the next three years, a measure aiming to encourage students to attend schools in their home districts, rather than going to renowned high schools located further away.

Another important measure was to allow students who wanted to study specialised subjects to enter senior vocational schools without having to take entrance exams.   These subjects included marine engineering, navigation management, fowl and livestock health, fishery, boat construction and design, and agriculture-related subjects. 

 

This would be further enhanced by cooperation with companies in those industries.   Senior high schools in remote areas or with a focus on sports could also recruit students who do not need to pass an entrance examination.  The MOE estimated that about 7,730 students could benefit from this measure in the first year.

Wu said the agency hoped that this program would help students enter the job market once they graduated.  At present, the enrollment ratio of junior-high-school students is 95 percent, with about 2.4 percent of junior-high students not entering higher education or gaining employment after graduation.  The MOE hoped the new program would reduce the percentage of the latter.

Business in brief

Taiwan's tourism competitiveness ranked 4th in Asia and 30th out of 124 countries in the world, according to a report released by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum in March.  The report assessed each country's travel and tourism environment in terms of regulatory framework, business environment and infrastructure, and human, cultural and natural resources.  Switzerland topped the list, followed by Austria and Germany.  Although ranked behind Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan in Asia, Taiwan was deemed No. 1 globally in terms of its low risk of pandemics such as HIV, malaria and yellow fever, No. 8 in terms of policy rules and regulations, and No. 14 for its information and communication technology.  Other Asian countries included South Korea ranked at 42nd globally, Thailand at 43rd, Indonesia at 60th, and China at 71st.

The Taiwan High Speed Railway began full operation of its Taipei Station March 2, before which travelers heading south had to board at the nearby Banciao Station in Taipei County, although they had been able to alight from northbound bullet trains at the capital's terminal station.  Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. CEO Ou Chin-der said that the company planned to launch a telephone-booking system at the end of March and increase provision of trains during rush hours in April or May, although this still required approval by the Bureau of High Speed Rail under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.  Furthermore, trains would be staffed by Taiwanese drivers from the end of April, with 12 to 14 drivers being appointed each month among the 62 being trained, Ou said.

Taiwanese women's advancement ranked third out of the 13 markets in the Asia-Pacific region while the regional index of women's socio-economic position dropped slightly in 2007, according to the 2007 MasterIndex of Women's Advancement report conducted by MasterCard Worldwide.  The four indicators adopted in the report--women's education, income, participation in the labor force and managerial positions achieved--showed that Taiwanese women's advancement ranked lower than that of New Zealand and the Philippines but preceded that of Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and China.  The indices further showed that the ratio of Taiwanese women who received higher education is equivalent to that of men, and that the index of Taiwanese women with above average income grew from 73.53 in 2006 to 113.16 in 2007, which was the main reason for Taiwan's rising composite score this year.

Forum should do what UN cannot

The conference "Toward a Global Forum on New Democracies," held quietly at the end of January in Taipei, could herald the beginning of something truly remarkable.   A number of pioneers in building democracies--Lech Walesa of Poland, Kim Young Sam of South Korea, F.W. de Klerk of South Africa, Francisco Flores of El Salvador and Punsalmaagiyn Ochirbat of Mongolia--came together with President Chen Shui-bian to begin work on building a platform for dialogue and cooperation among their nations, all new democracies.

Creation of the forum, scheduled to begin meeting in 2008, offers Taiwan the chance to be on the ground floor of something significant, not just another talk shop or organisation with a limited focus, but the coming together of states built on democratic principles and dedicated to making a change in the world.

The focus of the Global Forum will be on the development of democracy in member states.  But what ensures the survival of democracy is a populace that believes in its success.  People only believe in that success because they see tangible results and progress without having to endure unbearable costs for unbearable periods.  

In the 21st century, not solely for democracies but for all nations the key issues will be the environment and sustainable development, economic growth and renewable energy.  Also of concern must be human security, meaning not only physical safety but also access to nutritious food and clean water, health care and disease control, and even education and work.

Control of resources has been a major cause of conflict throughout human history, and represents an even more dangerous threat today as weapons technologies now allow for the complete annihilation of peoples.  Conflicts in which water is an issue, for example, have begun to invade the pages of newspapers worldwide even before the first decade of the new century is over.  The International Water Management Institute has warned that, if current trends continue, by 2025 nearly one-third of the world's population will lack access to water.

Similarly, the AIDS crisis, with nearly 40 million people infected worldwide, has moved from being simply a human tragedy to become an economic one as well. Although treatment is expensive, this disease could be controlled if there were the political will to do so.

Finding solutions to these and other problems before they become self-sustaining crises will be infinitely less costly than sorting through the wreckage afterwards.  Although the United Nations has already begun work on many of these issues through its Millennium Goals project, it seems likely that many participating countries will not reach their goals.

A partnership of democracies may be better equipped to develop solutions to these problems, because people in such nations have access to information that lets them understand the critical nature of these problems, and because their elected representatives will be judged at the ballot box for their action or inaction on these issues.

The governments of Taiwan and the other founding nations of this forum must engage in serious discussions and find real solutions to these issues.  The forum should be in continual session and, in the spirit of democracy, conclusions reached should be pushed strongly in the nations' respective legislatures.

Given its strategic location, democratic experience and technical expertise, Taiwan is poised to be a leader in the forum.  Despite its mere 1.9 million acres of arable land--compared to the United States' 400 million acres, for example--Taiwan has long been able to feed its people.  Taiwan has also long been an exporter of many products needed by others, from clothes in the 1950s and 1960s to electronic goods today.  In seeking to assist others, Taiwan could also help its own people by creating jobs in R&D, manufacturing and service industries, such as in irrigation, food storage, disease prevention, water purification and renewable energy.

By taking a dynamic role in the forum, Taiwan will be able to utilise its strengths as a leader in science and technology and the home to one of the best health-care systems in the world.  Through helping others, Taiwan will help itself.

What else could the forum do for Taiwan?  It would gain the nation some breathing room in the international arena, which is an issue of great concern for the present administration and presumably also for its successors.  Perhaps more importantly, Taiwan's actions within the forum would gain for the nation genuine good press around the globe as a "do-er" democracy.

Taiwan's strength, and some would say its saving grace, is its democratic achievement.   Taiwan's fourth free and direct presidential election is just one year away and, barring some unforeseen development, democracy is here to stay.  Now it is time for the nation to work with and help other nations as they seek to solidify their own fledgling democracies.

Companies work the night shift to serve insomniac customers

Taiwan residents can now enjoy cheeseburgers and french fries at 2 a.m.  McDonald's Restaurants Taiwan Co. Ltd., the nation's largest fast-food chain, announced Feb. 8 the launch of 24-hour service in 150 of its outlets.  McDonald's was the first fast-food restaurant to provide service at night to Taiwanese people, said Viya Chen, the company's assistant vice president of marketing and communications.  "This strategy is not new in other countries, but it is a bold decision in Taiwan, particularly in the restaurant sector," Chen claimed.

McDonald's new service was based on changes in Taiwanese lifestyles in recent years.   People tended to go to bed later and stay out more often compared to ten years ago, according to a survey from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics under the Executive Yuan.

In the survey, 83 percent of Taiwanese went to bed before midnight on weekdays, while the number dropped to 80 percent on weekends.  People often stayed up later from working overtime, with many not leaving the office until 7 p.m.  The increasingly competitive global economy required employees to work longer hours.   With less time to run errands during the day, people turned to handling their affairs at night.  Various stores extended their hours to meet the demand, making more shopping possible in the evening, the EDN article continued.

Convenience stores were the first to launch all-day operating hours.  7-Eleven, the nation's largest convenience store chain, was established by President Chain Store Corp. in 1978.  The company lost money for years, until 1983, when it changed its strategy by offering 24-hour service.  Two years after implementing the new schedule, 7-Eleven finally made profits.

Although local people started to become accustomed to extended hours of service, Eslite Books, Taiwan's biggest bookstore chain, surprised many by opening its Dunhua South Road outlet in Taipei 24 hours a day.  "In fact, we began to provide all-night service by accident," said Huang Hui-lin, Eslite's deputy head of marketing.  She explained that the bookstore opened in 1989 in Jiancheng Circle.  When it moved to its Dunhua location in 1995, the company held a grand opening.  She said the new bookstore opened all night long as a promotion.  That move generated approximately US$90,000 in revenues in one day and drew 50,000 people, with more lining up till 4 a.m.

"We were surprised to see how positively Taipei residents responded to the idea of lingering in a bookstore at midnight," said Huang, adding that the unusual experience prompted the company to consider extending service hours.  Starting in 1997, two Eslite bookstore outlets, the one on Dunhua and the other close to National Taiwan University, stayed open till midnight.  Due to enthusiastic reaction from book lovers, the company decided to provide 24-hour service in its Dunhua outlet starting on the company's 10th anniversary in 1999.  "We're glad to provide a space for people to enjoy a different kind of nightlife by reading books, rather than going to bars and clubs," said Huang.

Before long, domestic hypermarkets offered similar services.  This popular trend eventually spread to the restaurant sector. To serve local people who worked late, more hot pot restaurants and barbecue restaurants--which typically stay open later--sprang up.  McDonald's started its service in a more limited way.  "Last summer, we tested the market by offering 24-hour service at our 100 drive-through lanes, which our customers found convenient," said Chen.  Currently, 150 of its 350 branches are open at all hours, allowing people to sit down and have a meal anytime.

In response to McDonald's efforts, Mos Burger Taiwan, a joint venture between Japan-based Mos Food Services Inc. and Taiwan's Teco Electric and Machinery Co., was reported to be considering creating a similar service.  "The cost of labor and other expenses for night operations is estimated to increase by 3 percent, but that is negligible in comparison to soaring rents and other variable costs," said Janus Chen, the company's executive vice president.  With 120 outlets around the nation, Mos Burger would soon choose 20 locations near night markets as a trial run for its 24-hour service.  Yum Restaurants Taiwan Co., which operates Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut restaurants, claimed that it would focus on expanding existing outlets and designing drive-through lanes exclusively for motorcycles, thus postponing plans for a 24-hour operation.

With restaurants, hypermarkets and bookstores open all the time, Taiwan has become a 24-hour country, where shopping is not limited by the hands of the clock.