Wow. Sorry…most are just good people looking for better opportunities…will not really fit your description.
Most, sure. Some of them took their money out of Taiwan , got subsidised education privileged positions and pensions from the ROC and then as soon as they could moved to the US.
Another group wrecked the environment with their factories. Spend millions on setting their kids up overseas with houses and education and treat and pay their staff like shit in Taiwan . They make sure to hold onto their run down properties in Taiwan though to get the rent.
They try their best to not pay any tax anywhere and have no loyalty complaining about Americans and Taiwanese.
They’ll come back for subsidised healthcare too.
Source - I know a few people like this who emigrated to Canada and the US. So it pisses me off.
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Part of the problem (at least in Canada’s case) was the Mulroney government in Canada opening the door (wide open) to such carpet baggers. The timing of this shift in immigration policy lined up with the transition from martial to post-martial law in Taiwan, when finally folks could move more freely. Interestingly, the Harper government (with which I rarely agreed) closed the door on rich folks buying their way in, after conducting an economic study that indicated these folks contributed little to the Canadian economy. All round, a bad scene.
Guy
I was talking to my brother-in-law about this very issue. Most of those who have money have left Taiwan. The fact that the government is so anti-business is one of the reasons why there’s a brain drain plus wages are low. My wife is trying to set up my niece with a job in Beijing or Hong Kong because the opportunities are limited on the island. It’s really a sad situation because Taiwan has so much potential but the government, like any other country, screws it up.
You think the Taiwanese businessmen are bad, let’s talk about all of those Chinese who are driving up real estate costs around the world squeezing out the locals. They basically get free money for being part of the Communist party and then launder that money in real estate or having their kids buy hundred thousand dollar sports cars.
“Closed”? 
I thought it was more like “tightened”.
Since local businesses and tech companies will not do it, or appear that they will not do it, then why doesn’t the national government take the initiative and invest in research in technologies that span the spectrum from aeronautics to zoology? Keep some of that talent here. Manufacturing is dead. Becoming a regional bank is risky. So, just invest in R&D.
Isn’t that more or less what Grandpa Chiang did to kick off Taiwan’s industrialization? Sent off the sons and daughters of Taiwan out in the world and bring back what they learned? Taiwan eschewed the dependency theory (to a point) where Taiwan’s success is even a case study in foreign affairs.
Hmmm…while I think a small percentage of Taiwanese overseas have damaged this country…seems you almost all of them have. I cannot think of one person in the last 25 years I met that had anything to do with factory pollution. Sounds like you wish impose limits on who can move abroad…but if anyone who was educated in Taiwan (per your subsidized system as you put it) cannot move abroad then most people must stay here.
I was referring to this change in Canadian federal policy:
I believe some provincial schemes (in Quebec I think) remained open, with dubious success as the would-be Quebec residents would apparently move to Ontario or BC at the first available opportunity!
Guy
Exactly! 
Total BS that the government is anti business. The Taiwan government practically bends over for most local business people.
Many business people in China have actually brought a lot of money back to Taiwan the problem is they invested it almost exclusively in property. A lot of them aren’t even able to get their money out of China!
What a joke, ask your brother in law how he will get his money out if China if he invests in China?
Taiwanese have the most offshore accounts of any business community worldwide.
People make excuses for their own investment decisions.
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As you well know until the 1980s or 1990s people without KMT connections found it very difficult to get an overseas education and even couldn’t get a good behaviour permit to leave the island!
Then there is a huge community of of retired ROC officials and soldiers in places like San Francisco, LA etc. They are still getting their pensions from Taiwan many only worked 20 or 25 years in Taiwan. Sucking the money from this island but doing nothing for it.
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Lol, classic Taiwanese mentality. With all the government subsidies, protectionism, low taxes, lobbies, complete disregard for the environment, and poor protection for the labourers, yet still have the face to complain about “anti-business”.
No wonder this place is such a shithole.
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Who said my brother in law had money in China? He is a recently retired teacher in Taiwan who just had his pension, which is supposed to be guaranteed, reduced by the government for no reason.
Anyway, you know why the Taiwan is anti-business? Bayer was looking at moving its Asia operations to Taiwan, but the government told them to fuck off. Disney was looking at building a theme park in Taiwan, but the government told them to fuck off. You get the point now don’t you?
Taiwan isn’t the only place that practices protectionism. I think the US is the only, ONLY nation that does not overtly practice “America First” in terms of labor or manufacturing. I think Taiwan would be more “pro-Asia” than explicitly “Taiwan First.” Europe is the same way. Canada as well. The rest of Asia for sure.
Lobbies? What lobbies? You mean the corruption that is the bread and butter of the functions of this island? That happens everywhere. In Asia, the difference is it is more transparent and out in the open. Over all the government is very lassez faire to a great degree. Make the proper payments, don’t make the wrong enemies, and you will be fine. Just like anywhere else.
I thinks that over here is there is no gray area. It is either this or that. There is either a clean environment, or there are jobs. They haven’t found that middle ground yet. I do not think they have been looking, either.
I’m sure the government didn’t tell them to “fuck off”.
Your retired brother in law teacher is obviously an expert on business. 
Did he tell you how tough he had over the years not paying any income tax, the benefits and job security, the great holidays, the discounts for public officials , the cheap teacher hotels they get to stay in, the retirements in their 50s, being able to put their kids in public kindergarten while tax payers eke out a living and get nothing. My kids can’t get any place in the local kindergarten but all the teachers kids get a place. Did he tell you that many of them were making MORE than their final salaries per month when they retire?
And yes let me repeat…they didn’t pay any income tax until a couple of years ago.
Now they are being asked to cut their cloth and bloody right too!
What problem did the government have with Bayer and Disney?
I remember hearing about this, but I can find nothing on it.
Apparently Disney wanted to open a theme park in Taiwan, however the KMT government said “No” or placed a lot of hurdles in getting permissions, and the Disney folk said “Screw it” and went to Japan instead.
In another version I heard it was Universal Studios and the same thing happened except they went to Singapore instead. Or HK.
It doesn’t hold water, though. Given TW’s limited international foot print, why would a name like either of them want to open a park here?
Yeah commercially the market wasn’t really right here.
There were plenty of big amusement parks already and land costs are massive and population wasn’t enough locally to justify. Numbers didn’t work.
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Yeah. The same could be argued for Singapore. But…they attract an international audience. They have tourists. They advertise themselves to the world. In fact, ALL Asian nations do except…Taiwan.
For as long as I can remember, in the states I never saw a “visit Taiwan” ad or an “invest in Taiwan” ad. Nothing. I would always see Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Korea. Never Taiwan, and this is sad. A great opportunity awaits, but no one here wants to do it. They would rather hold out for the Chinese to come back and cater to them. “They are our saviour. We will be rich because of them.” And some sure did, but most did not.
The Chinese spent money to come here in China. When they got here, what money they did spend was used to recoup the money spent to lure them here. All the damn discounts and free-bees they were given had to be paid by someone. That is not making money. That is a failed business plan.
I never saw any of those in Australia for the longest time, until this popped up in Melbourne maybe 6-7 years ago, if I have to guess.