While Taiwanese people are still purchasing masks in limited quantities under real names, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities, following their recent "generous" statement that they would provide 100,000 masks to the United States every week, were recently exposed to exporting 10 million masks to Japan, causing controversy on the island.
Taiwanese people queuing up to buy masks
Some analysts said that the spread of the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic has had a major impact on the global economy, and Taiwan will naturally not be immune. During the epidemic prevention and control period, everyone was still able to endure temporary economic difficulties and living inconveniences, but Taiwan's economy may be even more severe after the epidemic. Nowadays, mainland China, where the epidemic has been quickly and better controlled, will have a faster economic recovery and development. Taiwan's economic dependence on the mainland may continue unabated. Only when cross-strait relations improve can the internal and external environment for Taiwan's economic development be better improved.
Send it to the United States and Japan, but not to the mainland
"Taiwan will also provide 100,000 masks to the United States every week in the future." Recently, Wu Zhaoxie, the head of the Taiwan authorities' foreign affairs department, made such a statement, which quickly triggered public outrage. Some netizens on the island sarcastically asked, "What if we agreed not to export?" "Isn't there a shortage of masks in Taiwan now?"
Unexpectedly, Taiwan has just announced that it will send masks to the United States, and it was revealed that it exported 10 million masks to Japan. In this regard, Taiwan's foreign affairs department stated on March 22 that Taiwan's economic department had clarified on March 6 that Taiwan had not donated masks to Japan for epidemic prevention. The masks previously approved by the economic department for export to Japan were hay fever prevention masks, not medical masks for epidemic prevention. Hay fever masks were not within the scope of the authorities' requisition. Taiwan’s foreign affairs department also stated that publishing false information on the Internet will not only be of no help to epidemic prevention, but may also create unnecessary trouble and confrontation in society.
Netizens on the island are skeptical about such "official refutation of rumors". Some people said that this means just give it away. Some people asked, how to prove that the exported masks are not anti-epidemic masks? With one mouth?
After the outbreak of the new coronavirus pneumonia, the measures taken by the Democratic Progressive Party authorities regarding masks have frequently caused controversy on the island. When the epidemic was raging in the mainland, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities announced the implementation of the so-called "mask export ban", strictly prohibiting the export of masks to the mainland, and even carrying them privately would be investigated and punished, saying that "there are not enough on the island." But now, it is sending to the United States and Japan again. This comparison makes the Taiwan authorities look very ugly.
No matter how tense cross-strait political relations are, the mainland has never made trouble when Taiwan suffers disasters. When Taiwan encounters natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, the mainland will always provide Taiwan with humanitarian assistance as soon as possible. The previous Taiwan authorities would basically reciprocate the situation. Whenever there was a disaster on the mainland, they would at least allow Taiwan compatriots to express their love and concern. Facts have proved that even without Taiwan’s masks, the mainland would still be able to survive. However, the performance of the Tsai Ing-wen authorities this time broke the long-standing tacit understanding between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait regarding the bottom line of exchanges, and was widely questioned among the Taiwanese people.
only wants to beg for mercy from the United States, and is even willing to renounce Taiwan compatriots and national justice. In this way, the Tsai administration is more like a puppet of the United States than a public servant of Taiwan compatriots. You must know that Taiwan is just one card in a pack of cards to the United States, while Taiwan is a sacred and indivisible territory to the mainland. It goes without saying which one is more important or less important.
After the epidemic, Taiwan's development faces difficulties
Some analysts pointed out that the COVID-19 epidemic will have a profound impact on the global economy in 2020. As a foreign trade economy, Taiwan obviously cannot stay out of the matter, especially at a time when cross-strait economic and trade are highly integrated. However, the DPP authorities are still engaged in "rebellion on land" and "cross-strait confrontation" during the epidemic. Who knows that Taiwan's development difficulties are about to come after the epidemic.
Taiwan’s demographic dividend has long been lost. The island is facing a serious crisis of low birthrate and super-aging. In the first half of 2019, the number of deaths was higher than the number of births. With the rapid decline of population and the rapid arrival of super-aging, Taiwan will face problems such as a reduction in the employed population and overloaded social welfare. Subsequently, many industries will face transformation and exit. Even if the Democratic Progressive Party authorities and the counties and cities on the island continue to increase various childcare subsidies to stimulate childbearing, they are still treating the symptoms rather than the root cause. This is a real problem that Taiwan must face at present.
Taiwan has a serious declining birthrate and aging population
In addition, wages on the island have not increased for 17 consecutive years, and the lives of Taiwanese people are still miserable haha. According to reports, the regular monthly salary of ordinary people in Taiwan in 2019 was NT$40,773, which was only NT$3 more than in 2002. This shows that the real wages of the salaried workers have not increased for 17 years. If you add in the fluctuations in price increases in the past few years, it seems that the wallets of Taiwanese people have shrunk.
What is even more serious is that with frequent elections occurring on average every two years, and with the help of new online media, Taiwanese politicians use various tricks to obtain votes. This also requires politicians to implement their political opinions immediately after coming to power. Even a responsible and capable politician is often constantly attacked and smeared because he fails to do one or two things well, and then suffers a misfortune in the next election. Such a vicious cycle continues in Taiwan's political elections, directly leading to the rise of fast-food populism and posing severe challenges to the governance capabilities of the Democratic Progressive Party authorities.
Taiwan's economy depends on the mainland, and the one who should be nervous is Xiao Jingtian, chairman of the Taiwan Tourist Hotel Business Association and the Taiwan Farmers' Association. In a recent interview, the tourism industry and agriculture were severely damaged as early as 2016 after Tsai Ing-wen came to power.
Xiao Jingtian
Xiao Jingtian said that the outbreak and spread of the epidemic have had a huge impact on the entire tourist hotel and hotel industry. If we look at the average occupancy rate, it has dropped by more than 70%. The lost output value is difficult to calculate because the epidemic has not yet ended. From the perspective of Taiwan itself, the level of people's panic is far more serious than the development of the epidemic. This has caused people to not go out, eat out, or consume, minimize interactions between people, and significantly reduce social activities. This has caused a very large decline in economic activities and the consumer economy.
He said that although the Tsai administration has proposed bailout, subsidies, relief, incentives and other measures, these are far less tragic losses than tourist hotels and general hotels. The Taiwan authorities' bailout package has good intentions, but it lacks complete supporting facilities and integration. Xiao Jingtian pointed out that the entire tourism industry chain suffered a major blow when Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016 and cross-strait relations deteriorated.
Xie Zhengyi, president of the China Cross-Strait Affairs Exchange Association, also said in a previous interview that regarding how the cross-strait situation will develop after the epidemic is over, Taiwan’s economy needs to rely on the mainland, and Taiwan should be the one who is nervous. Xie Zhengyi pointed out that it is the DPP authorities who are really destroying cross-strait relations. If they continue to undermine the status quo, the trust between the two sides will become less and less. Taiwan earns more than 80 billion U.S. dollars from the mainland in its annual trade deficit. It is Taiwan that relies on the mainland for its economy, and it is also Taiwan that is under great pressure. Therefore, it is Taiwan that should be more nervous. Make no mistake.
