Lee Yian 李易安
@YianLee6
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Taiwan-based author & journalist reporting for @tw_reporter_org on geopolitics & int’l trade; previously at @initiumnews ; @earthjournalism & @gijn fellow
Taipei City, Taiwan
Joined September 2020
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Our latest investigation: how Taiwanese manufacturers are exploiting the sanction loopholes, keeping Russia supplied with machine tools crucial for military industry. Some of the machine tools were even acquired by nuclear research institutes and missile developers in Russia. 🧵
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Just went to cast my vote. Looking at the people queuing at the poll station, I can’t help but feel democracy is one of the biggest weapons Taiwan has against China. It reasserts how different we are and how difficult it is for China to legitimize its claim to Taiwan.
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Taiwan just launched TPASS, a monthly pass scheme allowing users to ride public transport in several metropolitan areas, in an effort to reduce private car use. With TPASS, you have unlimited access to metro, light rail, suburban train, bus, ferry and even bike sharing systems.
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Just talked to a Swedish who was astonished hearing that my income tax rate is around 3 percent, including Health Insurance and pension fund. ‘How can TW maintain its infrastructure and healthcare system, which is public funded and of excellent quality?’ she asked. 🧵
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Went to the newly built public library yesterday in Taoyuan, a satellite city 40 km away from Taipei. Interestingly enough, the state-of art libraries like this one popping up across Taiwan is the product of the most important administrative reform in Taiwan’s modern history. 🧵
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What I like the most about living in Taipei is that, you can get to places like these within an hour hopping on a bus from the city, then have a dip in the public hotspring bath. This is one the best capital cities in terms of living quality and access to leisure activities.
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This building in Taipei was carved to make room for a tree preceding it.
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According to IMF’s forecast, Taiwan’s GDP per capita this year is set to surpass Japan for the first time ever, becoming the largest in East Asia. This is said to be resulted from the continuing robust development of TW’s semiconductor industry, and the vast depreciation of yen.
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Reportedly the only ONE Ukrainian restaurant in Taiwan. Authentic meatball (котлети) and Chicken Kyiv with homemade kvas, all set in a traditional Taiwanese rural house. Amazing mélange.
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Just found a fantastic substitute for cafes or libraries for digital nomads in Taipei. This little ‘library’ is hidden in the former Tobacco Factory as part of the Design Museum. You can get access to it for the whole day for just NTD50. Plenty of sockets and usually not crowded.
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The only Taiwanese restaurant in Rwanda! The owner, a lovely lady raising two kids alone here, misses home so badly that she decided to open a Taiwanese eatery, which is now very popular among expats and especially Japanese & Korean embassy staffs.
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Despite the rain, thousands participate in the Taiwan Pride parade in the only Asian country where same sex marriage is legalized.
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Due to its colonial past, Taiwan is probably the best place outside Japan to look for Japanese food, with abundant options and wide price range. A tempura lunch set like this costs just 10 dollars in central Taipei, a real bargain if you always crave for Japanese cuisine.
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I love traveling by train, especially when the view you get is like this. Taiwan’s eastern line should be a must for every railway enthusiast.
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I’ve traveled to more than 90 countries, but eastern Taiwan still never fails to amaze me. Fortunately it’s still out of most tourists radars and mostly unspoiled. Come visit before it gets too dangerous if you can 😉
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I love how Taiwan is usually regarded as a tropical island, but still has a lot of places that are miraculously alpine, thanks to the high mountains that constitute 70% of Taiwan’s territorial area.
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Possibly the strongest earthquake I’ve ever felt in my life.
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The book I coauthored on Taiwan’s frontline islands, Kinmen & Matsu is now available in bookstores. We traced how ppl living on these islands, just a few km away from Fujian coast and totally surrounded by Chinese waters, are gradually identifying themselves as Taiwanese.
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Humidity is the first thing most people flying into Taiwan will notice when stepping out from airplane. And today’s downpour in Taiwan tells you why: more than 700mm of rainfall in just ONE DAY. For comparison purposes: 700mm is the YEARLY rainfall in most EU countries
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Taiwan’s NOMINAL GPD per capita is estimated by IMF to surpass Japan this year, but people rarely know Taiwan’s GDP per capita in terms of ‘PURCHASING POWER PARITY’ exchange rate has been higher than Japan for a long time, and is now on par with most European countries – 🧵
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My first contribution for the Reporter (報導者): an investigative report on the Australian lobsters being smuggled into China via Taiwan’s two frontline islands just off the Chinese coast.
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What I hate the most about working in Taiwan is the ‘special leave’ (特休假) regime, which is sometimes mistakenly understood as ‘annual leave’ when translated into English. But you realise they are two different things when you take a closer look.🧵1/10
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People in Taiwan are living their life as usual when China conducts military drills at our doorstep. Some call it resilience, some call it complacency. But instead of these judgements, I would rather put it this way: a Chinese threat has always been part of our everyday life.
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Then we had a look at the breakdown of Taiwan’s tax revenue, finding that in 2021 individual income tax only accounts for 20.2% of Taiwan’s total tax revenue, while the largest part comes from corporate tax (31.6%).
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This is my favorite building in Taipei: one with a tree growing through it. It’s very good example showing you how unsterile, provoking, and eclectic this city is.
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This is the best Iranian/Middle Eastern restaurant I’ve found in Taipei. And it’s very reasonably priced—only NTD 599 per person. The chef is from Iran, and they switched from à la carte to all-you-can-eat buffet last year. The kebab and baba ganoush they serve are heavenly.
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Glad to see the reframing of reporting on Taiwan’s earthquake from foreign media. Hopefully the world would gradually realize how Taiwan has been underrated, sometimes misrepresented, and excessively overshadowed by China for decades.
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On the train from Taiwan’s capital to the east coast, one of the frontlines facing China’s ongoing drills taking place near TW’s territorial water. The train is packed with holiday goers, seemingly not terrified by the threat at all.
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Beautiful take-off from Matsu, Taiwan’s frontline island facing China.
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This military outpost in Matsu, controlled by Taiwan, was converted into a bookstore embedded in tunnels and howitzer bunkers. It’s of course the result of TW’s gradual withdrawal from the frontline, but still a beautiful incarceration in the face of growing threats from China.
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Crowds are flocking to the headquarter of DPP in Taipei. Flags of Israel and Ukraine can be seen at the venue.
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It almost feels miraculous that you can find turquoise sea water, forest reserves, alpine mountains, and wild hot springs all in the tiny island of Taiwan, usually within a couple of hours drive from the urban centers.
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As a Taiwanese being raised in the 90s, then seeing the catch-up of Chinese economy in the 00s and the brain drain of Taiwanese to CN in the 10s, I can’t express how surreal it feels to see TW’s economic boom and CN’s slowdown recently.
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Hi there! Taiwan is going to lift the quarantine restrictions for arriving travelers from October 13th. Can’t wait to welcome you all to explore the beauty of this island!
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Still my favorite bar for cocktails in Taipei. It’s hidden behind a secret door next to a coffee shop (which is also very good), yet still so popular that you need to book a table for weekend visits. Especially love their coriander cocktail and Manhattan.
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Went to check the newly built light rail in Ankeng, New Taipei yesterday. Almost like a twin brother of the Tamsui LRT that opened 4 years ago. Trains were made by Taiwan Rolling Stock Co., and were said to have 42% of the components made by Taiwan.
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I love how bus drivers in Taiwan are given some degree of authority to decorate/personalize their buses. Today I was on a bus with flags of Taiwan and Japan, indicating the driver’s gratitude for Japan’s donation of COVID vaccines to Taiwan.
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A common myth about Taiwan: the island’s economy is highly dependent on exports to China, and CN can easily suffocate TW should it wish. The myth seems to be true if you look at the trade data: China (incl. HK) was the biggest export market for Taiwan in 2023.🧵
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Was at the June 4 commemoration in Taipei today. A participant told me it feels like ‘this year we are commemorating the time when we still could commemorate.’ I thought she was referring to HK. But I just realized what she said also applies to TW.
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Turkey’s de facto embassy in Taiwan, the Turkish Trade Office in Taipei, had to make an announcement on Saturday that they can no longer receive donations of necessities for the earthquake victims as they are overwhelmed by the amount of donations already.
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It is noteworthy that some Taiwanese are actually happy about diplomatic allies severing ties with Taiwan (Republic of China). Not just because it means less money diplomacy, but also because they see the decrease of number of ROC’s diplomatic allies—and thus the weakening of…
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In Taipei, out of the 52 days so far in 2022, 46 are rainy days. The worst (or best, depending on your preference) record in 24 years.
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In comparison, individual tax and corporate tax account for 42.1% & 6% of the total tax revenue respectively in the U.S. in 2021. Meanwhile, the total amount of individual tax collected in Sweden represents 21.3% of the country’s total GDP, while it’s only 3.1% in TW.
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The Reporter’s latest investigative reporting on the illegal dredging by Chinese vessels in the Taiwan Strait is now online. We made an animated explainer to reveal this lucrative business and where the sands are being sold to:
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It appears that most of the wage earners in Taiwan are benefitting from the tax regime, but TW gov’s reliance on corporate tax encourages it to implement policies in favor of corporates, esp. those in the export-driven sectors, with cost of the policies being borne by all TWese
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This map is the en-route chart of Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR), with areas demarcated by red line being the no-fly zones designated by Taiwan gov.
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Noteworthily TSMC alone paid TWD 55 billion (USD 1.8 billion) of corporate tax for the fiscal year of 2021, contributing 8.4% of the total amount of corporate tax collected in Taiwan the same year.
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Winter in Taipei is supposed to be miserable and harsh. But this year it’s been gorgeous so far, possibly due to El Niño. Not the kind of abnormality I would complain though.
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This is where the Eurasian Plate meets the Philippines Sea Plate, both of which bring dozens of earthquakes each year to this region. The monument sits on a bicycle lane converted from a railway bridge not far away from Yuli, where the collapsed building is located.
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Penghu’s Hujing island is still out of most tourists radar, but very cute if you love cats. The iconic basalt landscape here makes the whole island an open air geological museum, and it feels like Taiwan’s answer to Santorini.
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Modern infrastructure is amazing. This was what it looked like in a metro train when the earthquake hit Taiwan yesterday. And an hour later, this elevated metro line resumed services almost like nothing had happened.
【恐怖】台湾・地震発生時の台北メトロの様子
地震発生時、走行中だった台北メトロの電車内の様子。
人が立ってられないほどに大きく揺れている。
これは怖すぎ。
#津波 #台湾地震 #震度6強 #台北メトロ
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Fantastic weather at Taiwan’s northern coast today. Reminds me of Moorea island in Tahiti.
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So all in all, yes, the tax burden for an average wage earner in Taiwan is perhaps one of the lightest among countries that are not rich in natural resources, but the gov’s reliance on corporate taxes might still result in invisible costs for everyone.
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This lovely church at the doorstep of Taroko national park is Taiwanese history in a nutshell.
The location used to host a Shinto shrine built by the Japanese to enshrine soldiers who died during their confrontation with indigenous tribes in eastern TW in the late 19th century.
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…ROC’s legitimacy—as the prerequisite for Taiwan to finally get rid of ROC regime and to really become fully independent in its own name.
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This year the government even return part of the surplus of tax revenue, most of which came from the corporate tax, to every single citizen and permanent resident in Taiwan.
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While most of the machine tool manufacturing countries from the West, such as Germany, ceased the exports to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan kept the business going and even saw significant increase in machine tool exports to Russia in 2022.
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Observation deck facing rice paddies and Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range.
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For example, TW’s central bank is notoriously a manipulator of exchange rate, which has been accused of maneuvering against the appreciation of the Taiwanese currency, in order to make Taiwanese products more competitive in the international market.
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No one likes to be caught up in a potential conflict between two superpowers, but perhaps to many’s surprise, Taiwan is somehow benefitting from this inconvenient circumstance as well—a short thread 🧵
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The cost of TPASS for Taipei including surrounding metro areas is 1200 (≈USD 38) per month. Very good value not only for the locals but also for visiting tourists alike.
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Just used the TPASS visiting some mountain villages that are 3 hours ride from Taipei last Sunday. The trip would have costed me TWD 500, but is now completely covered by the monthly pass.
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@BethanyAllenEbr
Thank you reporting on this topic! Those Muslims from China used to play an important role in diplomatic fields when Taiwan had warm relations with the Middle East during 1970s. I also wrote an article about them a couple of years ago.
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Latest data: in Taiwan, 8 out of 10 best companies in terms of median salary are from the semiconductor sector. Note how TSMC’s recruitment is larger than others and how its salary level leaps from 2021 to 2022.
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The government of Taipei is installing reusable cup swapping stations in some part of the city, in an effort to reduce the use of disposable cup, which is one of the main sources of waste in a country known for boba tea and other drinks that are usually enjoyed on the go.
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Reportedly landslide in eastern Taiwan after the earthquake.
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To do so, TW’s Central Bank has to keep buying the USD flowing into Taiwan by releasing TWD into the market, which in turn forces the CB to keep the interest rate of TWD at very low level. This is one of the reasons why real estate prices in Taiwan are insanely high.
A PARKING SPACE in an upscale condo in Taipei costs you NT$ 14 million (≈US$ 500k), while the city’s average household income after tax stands at only around US$ 50k. Absolutely ridiculous.
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An interesting fact about taiwan that most people don’t know: the Netherlands’ KLM is using its subsidiary, under the name of ‘KLM Asia’, to fly to TW. This reflects TW’s inconvenient int’l status, and the prosperous link between TW & Netherlands in history.
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Besides the crazy property prices, the undervalued TWD also harms the international purchasing power of Taiwanese people when they buy imported products or travel abroad.
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But it’s still amazing to see how much Taiwan can achieve with such low level of tax to GDP ratio, as well as low debt to GDP ratio. The government’s efficiency in making use of tax revenue is perhaps something to boast about here.
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This lovely church at the doorstep of Taroko national park is Taiwanese history in a nutshell.
The location used to host a Shinto shrine built by the Japanese to enshrine soldiers who died during their confrontation with indigenous tribes in eastern Taiwan.
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China just announced to ban imports of Taiwan’s groupers, effective from June 13, citing illegal antimicrobial being detected in the fish samples. This is the 4th agri/aqua-product from TW being banned by Beijing since 2021, after pineapple, wax apple, and custard apple.
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Long lines of voters wait to cast their ballots in Taipei on a very sunny day.
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Just a reminder how Taipei is a city surrounded by nature. What could be better than a walk in the mountains and a dip in the hot-spring after your ballot?
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Remote working at my favorite beach in Taiwan today. A lovely combination of fishing boats, cactus, and temple.
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More photos from the areas around the epicenter. This bridge to the North of Yuli is severely damaged, while a train derailed with some part of the railway distorted. The earthquake has caused one death and injured dozens more.
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My latest for Initium Media: during our investigation, we found that some of the migrant workers in Taiwan were asked to go to work even though they are close contacts with colleagues with COVID-19, presumably due to labor shortage amid the recent outbreak.
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A TW friend of mine flew to Shanghai last week to close his retailing business there, while some others considering relocating plants elsewhere. The COVID policy in CN and the decoupling have been the driving forces, but Xi’s being ‘re-elected’ could be the last straw for many.
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Went to a amazing stretch of coastline still out of most tourists radar in Northern Taiwan today. Judging from the way the bike trail bends, and the defunct bunkers dotted along the coast, this area was very likely to be within a restricted military zone in the past.
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The lady sitting next to me in a noodle shop got a phone call from a man who found her purse on the street. 10 mins later her purse was sent back to her by the man in person. Meanwhile another lady just put her bag behind her near the entrance. This is how u know you’re in Taiwan
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This lovely trail, with two Japanese stone lanterns at the trailhead, leads to the quirkiest temple I’ve ever seen in Taiwan.
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This is one of the best articles in English on Taiwan I’ve seen in a while. The author accurately identifies the ‘individualism’ as the core of contemporary Taiwanese culture, resulting in the laid-back vibes and social tolerance that is quite rare in this part of the world.
Some thoughts on Taiwanese culture and the destiny of nations:
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The fact that TW’s GDP adjusted by purchasing power parity is twice the nominal GDP gives you a rough idea how much TWD might be undervalued—living costs are cheap in Taiwan for westerners if calculated by market exchange rate (well, if you don’t buy your own house here).
Taiwan’s NOMINAL GPD per capita is estimated by IMF to surpass Japan this year, but people rarely know Taiwan’s GDP per capita in terms of ‘PURCHASING POWER PARITY’ exchange rate has been higher than Japan for a long time, and is now on par with most European countries – 🧵
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Localized version of Japanese food (aka Taiwan-Japanese food) is also widely available if you want to learn some post-colonial history of Taiwan in a savory way. The Chirashi Sushi in this picture is just one of the many examples.
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I was later told the owner of the restaurant comes from a Russian speaking family in Kharkiv, and his house back in Ukraine was destroyed in the war…
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So all in all, the ‘special leave’ regime in Taiwan in my experience is harmful to workers’ morale and productivity, and makes Taiwan hard to attract foreign talents (though you can always try to negotiate for a better package with more paid leaves). 10/10
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The Chinese ambassador in France said China will conduct ‘reeducation’ in Taiwan after ‘reunification’, to batter the ‘propaganda against China’ of Taiwan’s ruling party. And the wording ‘reeducation’ might sound familiar if you’ve been watching what’s happening in Xinjiang.
Taïwan: "Après la réunification, on va faire une rééducation", affirme l’ambassadeur de Chine en France
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This was China in 2010, and I was an exchange student in Peking University back then. Records of studying in Chinese universities were not recognized by Taiwan at that time, so most of the time I was just wandering around this vast country, traveling on the cheapest train class.
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Glad to be back to the island where I did my military service 11 years ago!
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Trekking today at a natural reserve near the Leshan Radar Station in Taiwan. The radar station is equipped with PAGE PAWS, a warning radar station built with US assistance against ballistic missile attack from China.
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This is of course concerning for the US, especially considering that TW is a de-facto ally of the West and has sided with Ukraine since the war began. TW is also among the few countries that are capable of producing advanced machine tools, with quality only inferior to 🇩🇪🇨🇭🇯🇵
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If you look at tax to GDP ratio, Taiwan’s prospect is especially worrisome as the population of the country is rapidly aging.
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The cliffy landscape of Taiwan’s northern coast is dramatic yet very soothing if you can overcome the fear of heights.
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In Taiwan, it’s a duty to worship gods when you come back to work after the long new year holiday. And I think it beautifully sums up how Taiwanese people are divinely diligent—and this is also reflected in the Taiwanese language, in which ‘days’ literally means ‘laboring’.
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In Taiwan, you get only 3 days of paid leave for the 1st yr you work for a company, 7 days for the 2nd, 10 days the 3rd, and 14 days starting from the 4th yr. What if you change your jobs? Well, the calculation starts all over again. 2/10
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Sunny and 24 degrees in Kaohsiung, rainy and 14 degrees in Taipei. It feels like two worlds apart, and it’s like we are celebrating 中元節 rather than LNY in Taipei as it’s effectively a ghost town here…
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This regime is effectively encouraging an employee to stick to the same company, and the terming of ‘special leave’ also reflects its very nature: it’s more like a benefit rewarded for an employee’s loyalty, rather than a necessity that everyone needs or is entitled to. 3/10
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