Taiwan and China Cross Strait Flights Are a Reality December 31, 2008
Posted by jasonbarber in China, Culture, Taiwan.1 comment so far
Direct daily flights have been a reality between China and Taiwan for a couple weeks now. To all the geography buffs out there, or anyone familiar with a world map, you might think that is ludicrous that these two countries are JUST NOW beginning direct flights. Taiwan and China are about as close to each other as possible. In fact I think I heard somewhere that Jianming Wang of the New York Yankees once threw a baseball from Taiwan and hit the mainland.
Despite these two countries being so close to one another they have actually been without direct flights since 1949 when the Nationalist party left the mainland for Taiwan. (Correct me if my history is off.)
That would be comparable to flying from New York only to have to land in Las Vegas, go through customs with a visa just to get on a plane to enter California. Makes no sense. Although those of you who have had to fly from the west coast to Chicago or Minneapolis only to get on a plane heading back to Japan and then onto Taiwan or China might not think that all too crazy. (If you got lost in the last sentence grab a map and connect the dots and it will all make sense.)
There are a lot of reasons that direct travel and looser travel restrictions make a lot of sense for both sides, here are a few:
- There are over 1 million Taiwanese living on the mainland. Over 300,000 in Shanghai alone. *See note below
- Other than the US, Taiwan invests more in China than any other country in the world. Yet they don’t have direct travel access to and from.
- Mainland Chinese have a lot of money and they would love to visit Taiwan both as visitors as well as potential investors to spend their money, but it is currently incredibly difficult. Great tourism and investment opportunity for Taiwan.
- In reverse, Taiwanese have a lot of money and would love to be able to visit China as tourists and investors, as well as to look into their history and ancestry, and spend their money, but it is a big hassle right now.
- The simplest and probably most important reason is that both nations are historically Chinese. They are playing the childish game of drawing and imaginary line through he middle of a shared bedroom and forbidding the other to cross even though they are essentially brother/sisters from the same family.
It is also important to note that direct mail service and cargo flights as well as ocean freighter cargo ships have begun regular direct service. Sea voyages are now expected to take four days, according to the state-run newspaper China Daily, about half the time of previous indirect routes.
In July, Chinese citizens were finally allowed to visit Taiwan as tourists. Before then, only Chinese citizens who were permanent residents of a foreign country or those with special permission for business or cultural exchanges could visit the island.
*The president of China Airlines, Taiwan’s largest carrier, was quoted by Bloomberg News last month as saying that the number of mainland travelers flying to the island could reach one million by 2010, up from about 300,000 last year.
If you have any cool Asia travel experiences I would love to hear them.
What is wrong with America December 29, 2008
Posted by jasonbarber in Uncategorized.add a comment
Thomas Friedman is a really smart guy. Or at least he has the guts to say what a lot of other smart people are thinking but don’t dare publish with heir name on it. Ever since I read “The World is Flat” I have always been incredibly impressed and fascinated with his opinions and insights on the world.
On Christmas day I was reading on www.nytimes.com and was sure to check out his latest post, “Time to Reboot America.” Great post. I think that it rings incredibly true with a lot of what I have seen in my limited life experiences. The premise of the article is that the US is falling behind. Or no, the US HAS fallen far behind the world in certain areas, mainly infrastructure and educational investment.
I am always amazed when I am in Asia that although much of it is clearly third world, certain things like subways, trains, bridges and roads are far nicer than anything I have ever seen in the states 10X over.
China Admits Flaws in School Construction December 28, 2008
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This piece of news is very sad and it brought back a strong memory.
I lived in Taiwan two years after the terrible September 21 Earthquake of 1999. I lived in Nantou, a larger city located only miles away from the epicenter of the monstrous quake. I remember people re-telling their experiences and grief caused by the traumatic experience. A lot of people were effected, but one story theme that I heard multiple times left an extra deep impression. In the Nantou suburb of Puli City, where the epicenter was located, a lot of buildings, including a school collapsed. What makes the news especially sad is that many of them should not have fallen. During the post earthquake damamge inspection it was found that the builder filled cement pillars that were supposed to be filled with cement and re-bar, with empty paint cans and buckets. He did this to save a little money on cement, and besides, who would ever know? How would they know? Unfortunately the only way for this evil building practice to come to light was for the building to collapse in an earthquake. People died because of the greed of one man, or one company. This man was punished and an embarrassed Taiwanese government spent a fortune testing and inspecting thousands of suspect buildings.
Then in 2008 it happened again. Only this time across the strait in China, and this time over 90,000 people died. Granted not all because of faulty building practices, but no one doubts that this was a culprit in many cases. Yesterday the Chinese government admitted that indeed faulty business practices were used in the Sichuan province where the earthquake hit. The Chinese government rarely ever admits guilt. There was a lot of pressure domestically this time around. Mainly thousands of grieving parents.
An article I just read yesterday on www.nytimes.com said, “The Ministry of Education report is a rare government admission of substandard school construction. The issue has been a delicate one since the earthquake, which killed 88,000 people, many of them children crushed in shoddily built schools.”
An estimated 14,000 schools were damaged in the earthquake in the Sichuan province and unofficial reports estimate that as many as 10,000 students died from the earthquake. In Yunnan province (South of Sichuan) government officials estimated that approximately 20% of grade schools are structurally unsound. (Remember that Chinese statistics are notoriously high or low depending on whether or not they make China look good or bad.)
Every time something like this happens people ask me what I think of the Chinese government. So here is my answer again: China has a lot of room for improvement. They need to try harder in a lot of areas (but so do all countries) and should not be let-off-the hook in cases like this. However, they should also not be thrown under the bus.
Read the www.nytimes.com article here
Taiwan and China = “frenemies” December 27, 2008
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I think that this is a great word to describe China and Taiwan’s recent relationship development. “frenemies”
According to Forbes.com the two countries have “become more closely aligned economically, huddling together to ward off the chill of global recession.” Really it makes a lot of sense. The two countries are neighbors, they are both filled with Chinese speaking Chinese people and are incredibly tied when it comes to their economies, yet they put up a “front” of condescending hate and resentment. Propaganda can do a lot of harm.
The highlights of recent talks between the Taiwanese government and the mainland Chinese Beijing government are as follows:
- China said it would expand loans to Taiwanese companies operating on the mainland
- Open its doors wider to Taiwanese financial services firms
- Buy more liquid crystal displays from Taiwan
The changes are part of a 10-point proposal that will serve as the blueprint for a formal memorandum of understanding between the two governments that is expected to be inked early next year. I personally think that is is extremely important for both sides economically, and politically.
This new found cooperation has it’s root in Taiwan’s presidential decision in the past election of Ma Ying-jeou. I can’t imagine Chen Shui-bian buddying-up with China. He was too busy inciting frustration from Beijing’s government as well as just about every other government on the planet. Oh, that and embezzling money in the way of Sogo gift certificates.
Source: Forbes.com
If China Has So Much Money, Why are They So Poor? December 26, 2008
Posted by jasonbarber in China, China Government, Culture.add a comment
A lot of people say “if the Chinese government really has so much money then why don’t they balance the scales and eliminate poverty.” That sounds nice, but I think people don’t realize just how big China is. There are 1.3 billion people AT LEAST in China. Most are poor by most any countries standards. Unless the government has 100 trillion dollars more than they are saying, they are much more powerless to “fix” the status-as people think.
The average monthly welfare check in the US is equal to about half of the annual Chinese GDP per-capita. Remember that most welfare recipients in the US are far from leaping with joy because of their good fortune in being “able” to receive welfare. These are our poor, not the average. The income gap and standard of living gap between USA and China are staggering. Poor people in the US receive far more in the ways of welfare then the “average” person makes in China. Of course things cost a lot more in the States. This situation is a lot more complicated then I am making it. But China is massive.
China will need a lot more time and people are going to have to be patient.
Young Chinese Migrant Workers Don’t Want to Leave December 24, 2008
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I have read a bit about a new phenomenon currently taking place in Chinese cities. Migrant workers don’t want to go home. There are millions and millions of migrant workers living in the coastal cities and more economically successful parts of China. They all moved to these areas to make more money and take a part in China;s economic boom. They all wanted a piece of capitalism. They all wanted a better life. In the past migrant workers would move to where the work was. This had them moving sometimes seasonally to survive. But now, there is a new group of Chinese migrant workers. They are young. They are addicted to text messaging, the Internet, MP3 players, social networking websites, hanging out with their friends, KTV’s, bars, dance clubs, their boyfriend/girlfriend etc… To put it plainly, they have a social life. So unlike in the past, when the work left so did the people, this new wave of migrant workers still have their social life, something that they don’t want to leave. The problem is that their jobs are leaving, the government is asking them to move back home, or move to where the other jobs are and they are asking the government to create new jobs right where they are. This group is getting restless. The last thing China wants or needs right now is tens of millions of migrant workers clamoring for reform.
To People of Taiwan with Love: Panda Pair, a Christmas Gift December 23, 2008
Posted by jasonbarber in China, Politics, Taiwan.add a comment
“A pair of long-promised giant pandas symbolizing “peace. unity and friendship” will be sent to Taiwan Tuesday as a latest sign of warming ties across the Straits…” China Daily Newspaper, December 18, 2008.
These are the same pandas that China offered Taiwan back in 2005 but were rejected for being too Communist, or for being a “deposit” on the secret sale of Taiwan to the Beijing government. Okay, that was not the real reason, just something I heard here and there.
The Taiwanese people aren’t super excited about the names of the two incoming pandas. Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan. Tuanyuan means reunion in Chinese, not exactly what the Taiwanese are looking forward to with China. At least not by means of a semi-forced gift. The pair has been trained to ensure a healthy sex life, so that they will give birth to many more little panda babies, or political “envoy” panda babies.
I wish China would send me a baby panda “envoy.” They can name it whatever they want.
Sorry Chinese Governement, I Can’t Help Myself December 22, 2008
Posted by jasonbarber in China, Chinese Government.add a comment
I am sure the Chinese government hates me, but I hope they can understand. I have a severe problem with asking people in China across every walk of life what they think about the USA, Mao Zedong, the Communist Government, socialism vs. democracy and anything else my brain thinks is fascinating and most of the time controversial. But if you are reading this Mr. Chinese Internet regulator please know that I am not trying to incite a “bring the Party down party” in any way. I am honestly and genuinely interested in what other people think about life. I also routinely ask the same people what they think about more tame subjects like money, Bill gates, McDonald’s, marriage, aliens, Kobe Bryant, education, socialized medicine and Chuck Norris. (Okay I have never asked about Chuck Norris. I don’t care what ANYONE thinks about Chuck Norris.) It amazes me to hear peoples responses and realize that although the world is so big, it is really pretty small all at the same time. I think that the United States of America founders hit one thing right on the head when they penned the famous phrase “pursuit of happiness.” (I think they wrote other things as well.) It also makes me feel somehow vindicated to hear that most Chinese people think pretty lowly of Mao Zedong. (Then why is he still on all your money!!! ALL of it for crying out loud. Even in my own childhood imaginary world where I was king president and all powerful ruler, even then I wasn’t on ALL the money. Just most of it.)
One thing I think is quite ironic is that when I am in China I go out of my way to ask people what they think about life, but I don’t in the United States. It’s not that I don’t care, I just don’t do it. Maybe there is something wrong with me. Maybe that will be a new years resolution of mine. Learn more about what people really do care about and worry a little less about what I care about.
China to US Banks: Go Lose Someone Elses Money!!! December 4, 2008
Posted by jasonbarber in Uncategorized.add a comment
I had to smirk reading through this article. Maybe I should not admit that, but I did, and I am smirking right now. It shouldn’t be considered “funny” that US citizens lost tens of billions of dollars of their hard earned money during the latest stock market bomb. Nor is it funny that citizens and countries of the world also lost tens and even hundreds of billions of dollars along with us. I just read an article about China’s decision not to invest money from their sovereign wealth fund in US banks. Some of the wording made me smile.
The article began with The chairman of China’s sovereign wealth fund saying, “China had no plans for further investments in Western financial institutions, nor did it have any plans to “save” the world through economic policies.”
I sure was hoping for China to save the World.
The chairman added, “Right now we do not have the courage to invest in financial institutions because we do not know what problems they may have.”
I have to say that I don’t disagree with him on that one. Although, if I had a trillion dollars, what’s a few billion dollars here and there?
An issue that I did find interesting was the idea that China sees itself as a small fish in the worldwide economic pond. “China can only save herself because the scale of China is still rather small,” Chairman Liu had to say when asked about how China could potentially affect the worldwide economic situation.
I find that a lot of the people I talk with who have a casual interest in China business and culture have the belief that the Chinese economic machine is some all-powerful monster that could destroy the US economy and maybe even the entire world on a whim. My response is two fold: 1) Why would China want to destroy the US economy? That makes no sense on any level. 2) China’s economy is booming, similar to how ours boomed 120 years ago. I am not saying that they are 120 years behind the US, but that they do have a ways to go. I’m rooting for them!
Beijing Governement Proclaims, “Pollution Problem is Over!” December 2, 2008
Posted by jasonbarber in China.add a comment
Am I the only person that reads the headline above and snickers/rolls my eyes/flat out laughs out loud? Beijing’s goal was to increase the amount of “blue-sky days” to 256. That sounds pretty good right? Considering that back in 1998 Beijing had only 100 blue-sky days, 256 is great right? The goal was to hit this number by the end of the year. So China was 31 days early. Congratulations!
The problem is in the definition of blue-sky day. If Beijing really has had 256 blue-sky days then my current home of Provo, Utah has had 94 thousand consecutive blue sky days. I hope you can feel the sarcasm. China’s definition of a blue-sky day is much different than what you or I would consider a blue-sky day. All you have to do is wear heavily blue tinted sun glasses and a an empty parking lot looks like a big blue sky. Maybe that is how they were counting.
Not to completley sarcastic. China has spent the equivilent of Frances GDP on air pollution rduction measures. (True, the French only work 15 hour work weeks, so their GDP is not what it used to be.) So things are getting better, but to declare victory may be a little premature.
Please share your China pollution experiences with the rest of us.
