A new report by the CSIS Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and
Economics interprets a formal survey of over 500 Taiwanese business
executives, documenting their views about the evolving environment on
the island and beyond. The Washington policy community is quite familiar
with the views that U.S. and European companies hold toward China, but
less clear are the views of Taiwanese companies that are central to the
story of the world’s interaction with China. Their opinions have
implications for Taiwan’s economic trajectory, cross-strait relations,
global supply chains, and the effectiveness of U.S. policy in the
region.
The report documents that Taiwanese companies are highly concerned about
their potential overdependence on the Chinese economy and the
possibility of a military conflict. As a result, there is significant
support for expanding trade and investment ties via regional
arrangements and bilaterally with the United States, as well as for
maintaining Taiwan’s technological edge through more spending on
research and development and broadening restrictions for technology
transfer to China. But perhaps the most noteworthy finding is that
Taiwanese companies appear to be moving their businesses at record
levels from Mainland China, but also from Taiwan.
This report, by Trustee Chair Scott Kennedy, explains how the survey was
carried out, then analyzes the sources of Taiwanese companies’
anxieties and the ways they are responding, and concludes by considering
the policy implications for all parties involved. The report’s appendix
provides a full summary of the original survey results.
This report was made possible by general support to CSIS.