A peek inside Taiwan’s economic performance during the Tsai Ing-wen administration.
The News Lens
Date: 2019/03/26
By: James Grant
Credit: Depositphotos
Recently, as I limped home from a game of badminton, I resolved to bite the bullet and try out the Taiwanese healthcare system. I browsed Google Maps, found the website of the nearest clinic prominently featuring a diagram of a knee joint, and arrived at their front door after a quick, free, four-minute dash on a local YouBike. 10 minutes later and NT$200 (US$6.50) less wealthy, I had a fist full of anti-inflammatories and a new medical diagnosis.
Taiwan’s healthcare is an amazing system in a country where most things seem rather well run.
What puzzles me is that whenever I think about this, and ask a Taiwanese citizen whether they approve of the presidency of Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) – and I ask this question rather often – the most common response is that, though her plans for Taiwan are well-intentioned, Taiwan’s economy cannot afford the aggressive stance she has taken towards China.
Coming from a country that recently voted to risk financial armageddon in order to leave the European Union, this all seems rather odd. (Subsequent polling has suggested that “protecting the National Health Service” may have been a more important consideration for Brexit enthusiasts.) [FULL STORY]
