Tsai Ing-wen’s Legacy

Politics Taiwan Politics
1

Some answers to interview questions:

Low salaries
TSAI: This phenomenon is in the midst of improving. Many people believe incomes can still be a little higher. Income structure is tied to industrial structure. When we allow industry on a path towards higher value-added, profits will return to this… As far as economic growth is concerned, this government’s record is triple that of the previous government. But that’s a comparison to the past, not a look to the future.

MODERATOR: Why are salaries so low? If you go all in to invest in China, and don’t invest in Taiwan itself, of course you can’t find work, and salaries will be depressed.

TSAI: Furthermore, the Taishang that come back [from China] for investments are all in higher value-added production.

MODERATOR: There are 1478 Taishang returning, over two trillion. This will be a powerful force in pulling up Taiwan’s salaries in the future.

TSAI: I’ve seen that the trend is up. But not fast enough. We’ve already laid the foundation. The next government will expedite the high value-added that will lead to income growth. But there’s still a transition period. So during this period, we’ve enacted a lot of policies to lessen the burden on young people, for example, raising the tax-exemption threshold…currently, 47% of people don’t pay income tax. Young people are living in the sandwich generation–they need to take care of both parents and children…we will subsidize private university salaries if possible, so they won’t bear heavy student debt.

TSAI: Nowadays, young people are financially savvy. A lot of young people are investing in the stock market, in ETFs as you mentioned.

MODERATOR: Over 52 percent.

TSAI: There’s a benefit to this. When they invest, they gain a deeper understanding of national industries and the national economy. After buying stock, they will focus their attention on the state of industry and of the macroeconomy, which is good for young people, which is good for our nation’s economic knowlegde.

2

Notice her solutions are all market-driven, in contrast to Roy Ngerng’s raising the minimum wage. The government can ease the burden while we transition, but it can’t raise salaries without the private sector.

3

Need to fix toxic foods problem. people die going out to eat or the legacy will be food problems not fixed. tried people saying be careful of where you eat, with all the problems this year.

3 Likes
4

R&D Hubs
MODERATOR: Whether Google or ASML, virtually all built their R&D base in Taiwan. Many people are saying, TSMC will leave Taiwan empty. But C.C. Wei said, not even the door. Towards green energy, environmental demands, water usage, we will overcome…In the middle of this development, there’s a prohibition on ASML EUV machines for China. Raimondo also said, China is America’s biggest threat, not a friend. In the middle of geopolitics, we will possibly face different trials…Taiwan became king of semiconductors.

TSAI: In this whole process, TSMC group is the most important. Their technology is formidable, and they are also well-managed. They are an internationalized company, with sensitivity to changes in foreign markets. So they can adapt very fast. When the market requires fast R&D, they have R&D talent to cope. Because of market demands, they keep expanding. The has produced something that is irreplicable. That’s why other places cannot be as successful as Taiwan. Our semiconductor cluster is huge. So most of the effective production are in Taiwan. Morris Chang often says, Taiwan is the best place to produce. Its traffic is the most convenient. Labor flows are speedy. R&D has a lot of institutional support from academia. TSMC has also brought Taiwan its entire process. That Taiwan can create this cluster effect so fast isn’t easy. Some of it is TSMC, some of it is government. Every time TSMC faces market demands, the government helps it meet that demand.

TSAI: The problem is that TSMC takes away so much talent, not leaving much for other industries. When we have a talent shortage, we look for it from abroad. So we have a unit in the National Development Council dedicated to continuously attract foreign talent. Whenever we have someone with mid-skills who’s stayed in Taiwan for a certain period of time, and can prove they have the experience we want, we keep him here. This is a concept we learned form the Defense Ministry, 長流久用．What the whole world needs right now is skilled labor. We won’t train someone just for him to get poached by Japan or Korea. Many businesses are keen on keeping it’s more experienced workers, having them stay in Taiwan and become part of Taiwan. Our biggest homework right now is to develop and attract talent. Spearheaded by the NDC, developing and attracting talent to meet market demand.

5

Zero questions about immigration status of long-term foreigner residents and foreign spouses to help spike population by easing citizenship rules as well as population trend following that of Japan.

1 Like
6

Her legacy is great. Actually I would call her legacy iconic. She navigated under a very difficult situation very successfully.

Her only major faux pas was not nominating someone from DPP to run for Taipei mayor in 2014, which allowed one of the most disgusting pieces of shit in Taiwan’s political history to achieve some relevance (though nobody seems to gaf about him now after the election in January so that’s great). She wasn’t president then though.

7

She served her country faithfully. Maintained stability with a rabid Xi on the Taiwan issue while gaining strength in Taiwans status in the world with a losing hand.

She left her country in a better position than when she became president.

12 Likes
8
  • Economic growth rate under her was triple that of Ma’s
  • The amount of foreign investment was double
  • The stock market value increased by 170 percent.
1 Like
9

Don’t disagree on most of her foreign policy and definitely better than A-bian by a light year. On trade, mixed. She when working as a bureaucrat, managed Taiwan’s WTO accession. The reforms needed for admission were comprehensive and liberalizing. Decades later, that they didn’t finalize the services one with China was petty as services arrangement are far less comprehensive than wider accession or goods agreements. As someone who did her thesis at LSE on trade safeguards, she knows this. It was political and appeals to nativist DPP wings and their Turtonite foreign cheerleaders. :clown_face: :laughing:Even for those of us that are pro Taiwan, pro DPP but more corporate than uni protestors, it was mob rule. The DPP is supposed to be the capitalist and freedom party and the KMT the statist Leninist party.

The Sunflowers and then the non-ratification was a victory of emotion over logic.

2 Likes
10

Turtonite foreign cheerleaders, lmao

2 Likes
11

It says in the DPP charter they’re socialist.

12

I don’t know…my two kids had their diapers changed at the hospital for a few weeks after being born under the NHI plan.

13

Oh ok I deleted it.

1 Like
14

They declared themselves socialist to differentiate themselves from the KMT, which had abandoned any allegiance to “Three Principles” because they had a fat chance of getting aid from the US if they called themselves socialist.

1 Like
15

Fun part of Baseball games, from story over Taiwanese cheer

16

Legacy of same sex marriage, one of the first in Asia

[‘I feel lucky’: Taiwan holds first gay marriages in historic day for Asia | Taiwan | The Guardian](

[Same-sex couples will now have full adoption rights in Taiwan : NPR]

[How Taiwan is using same-sex marriage to assert its national identity - The Washington Post]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/06/26/how-taiwan-is-using-same-sex-marriage-assert-its-national-identity

3 Likes
17

I think anyone with an understanding of State-Owned Enterprises and dirigiste planning would rightly classify the KMT as being socialist. CCK was a Russophile until daddy told him not to be.

What I find interesting is the worship of the DPP, the right wing economic party in Taiwan by Western leftists. The KMT got rich off the tit of the state, the DPP rank and file worked for their wealth. That’s not socialist.

18

Well I agree the DPP isn’t really socialist in spite of what it says on their charter. But that’s due to Taiwanese culture more than anything else. Your family is supposed to take care of you, not the government.

It’s all Western fantasies and pigeonholing parties into categories.

What social benefits did the KMT dole out? Universal health care? Nope. Social security? Nope.

Economic planning in Taiwan (both parties) is done the same way it was before democracy. The whole “Asian Silicon Valley” thing is the epitome of state planning.

The state still picks winners like there’s no tomorrow.

1 Like
19

^^^this

20

As well as building numerous bridges abroad. Both economical and political.

Aside from CKMT hardliners that ignorantly try to ignore her many successes, she is without question the best preside t of our country in recent history. Arguably ever.

1 Like