 Welcome to the Asian Review. I'm your host, Bill Sharp. Our show today, A View from Southern Taiwan. And today, we have a husband and wife team. It's the first time we've ever done anything like this on Asian Review. Joining us via Skype from Gaoshuang is Dr. Qin Chang, as a society for strategic studies, an expert on Taiwan military affairs, who also appears on Taiwan and Chinese talks shows regarding politics and international affairs. And then his wife also joins us. She's chairperson of the Department of International Affairs at Wenjiao Erson Line University of Languages in Gaoshuang. Welcome to Asian Review. It's great to have you with us. We are very glad to join your program. Oh, great. That's great. Great. Well, let's get right into it here, because we've got a lot to cover here. And ladies first, so I'll go to Dr. Qin first. Gaoshuang is known as Taiwan's seat of heavy industry and is also home of Taiwan's first import-export processing zone. But I hear more and more people say that Gaoshuang is a dying city that so many industries have moved to China or to Southeast Asia. And I'm wondering, as an economics expert, I'm wondering what your view is on that. Thank you. I think Gaoshuang is a city with a more heavy industry and also some labor-intensive industries. Therefore, some of the so-called traditional industries originally had a transfer to some other countries in order to get revocative or lower local production factories. So in terms of the import and export, of course, in comparison with a few years ago, probably the figures, the numbers has reduced a little bit. But I won't say Gaoshuang is a dying city, because actually in the most recent years, under the mayor changes of the situation, I would not say a little bad, but it actually has to do some great effort. And also in terms of, I think Gaoshuang is an ocean city, the government has tried to take use of this advantage or, we say, the language to introduce some new industries such as the art building. So in the most recent years, the government has organized some exhibitions for shipyards. So I think Gaoshuang, in the future, will find his own way out. It's interesting that you mentioned yachts, because I can see some of those fancy yachts made in Gaoshuang right here in Honolulu Harbor. Before we go any further, we should tell everybody that Honolulu, where we're broadcasting from, and Gaoshuang are sister cities. So we're doing a little bit of PR work for each city here today. Well, you know, it's also said that the New South policy, one of Tsai Ing-wen's big policies about diversifying Taiwan's economy away from China and towards Southeast Asia, is going to be based in Gaoshuang. And will that really help Gaoshuang? Will that really be a benefit? Do you see any effect of that yet? Of course. The Southbound policy is a new policy. Actually, we are also trying to figure out what will be the advantage for the overall economy development. In the most recent, the lead, the cross-strait economic action are actually intensified after the DPP government taking over the power in Taiwan in 2016. Even the Thai government has expressed its concern for many times. Nevertheless, the mega-chain seems to somehow be reversible. This may put Taiwan in a very embarrassing situation. Many efforts have been paid to control the situation. Yet it is still getting worse and worse to some people. On the other hand, some people may argue otherwise that a strong cross-trade tide may reduce the likelihood of instability. So whether Taiwan may have a close economic relationship with many China can be an advantage or disadvantage. It is still a contending issue in the security community in Taiwan. The Southbound policy is basically a government's new idea to try to transfer the investment from China to Southeast Asia countries. And whether Gaoshuang can take advantage from this, I think it is up to the business person. From my point of view, business person, they can smell. They know where is the business opportunity. Asia country is developing the economy. They can help them to make money. I think the business person will go, of course. And if there's not a business opportunity there, I don't think business will follow government's policy. So I think it is up to the business person. But I have to mention that if Taiwan, the economic interaction with China, we stop the interaction with China. I think we will die. To some extent. If we interact poorly or woesily, then I think we also die. We need to interact economically with China smartly. I think this is a way to survive and the way to develop the economy. That's a very interesting answer. Thank you. Well, you know, I often hear it said that when it comes to signing a trade deal, for example, when Taiwan entered the WTO, that northern Taiwan industries benefited, but southern Taiwan farmers lost out. They were at a disadvantage. And is that true? Is there this big difference between southern Taiwan and northern Taiwan, southern Taiwan outside of Gaosheng and outside of the Tainan Science Park? Is it basically agricultural and northern Taiwan is mostly industrial? Actually, Taiwan is not a big. And of course, according to the place where the race, the agricultural is, of course, is on the middle part of Taiwan and also southern part of Taiwan. Enter the WTO, of course, in WTO there is, we need to open our market to other countries' products, including the agricultural. Actually, from my understanding, of course, they must have some challenge to those farmers, but I will not say it has a huge challenge because for some products, Taiwan's quality is pretty good, but since Taiwan has some typhoon or during some rainy season, during that period, we need to import some vegetables or some products, some agricultural products. But in terms of the overall challenge, I will not say that it has a big, our farmers huge challenge or cause some huge problems for their living. You know, one of the big issues right now between the United States and Taiwan deals with the import of pork. And of course, there are a lot of pork farmers in Taiwan. I wonder if most of those pork farmers are in southern Taiwan. Pork, it should be raising not only in southern Taiwan, but also in northern Taiwan. They have some farms. But I think for the reason why currently we haven't opened our market to some part of the pork from the United States. I think as we all know the reason, I think this is not an answer. I could answer here. Okay. I thought you were going to say the ractopamine. That's the additive to the pork. The US pork raisers are really crazy about. I thought you were going to say that, but maybe you don't want to go there. Well, why don't you tell us a little bit about your university and your department of international relations? Okay. Thank you very much to give us this opportunity. Wenzhou Autonomous University of Languages is the only foreign language university in Taiwan. But my department is not teaching language. My department is teaching some international affairs expertise to students, including international politics, international economics, and international cultural studies. We use English as our teaching tool to deliver opportunities to students. So we have not only the bachelor's degrees for students' 34-year programs, but also we have a two-year semester program where we try to train the students to be, here I have some brochures here. Oh, good, good, good. A master's degree program of international affairs. Then we try to train students to be an elite of international affairs with both a global perspective and humanitarian concerns. Because I think in this global globalization era, students not only study what happened in Taiwan, but they need to understand what happened worldwide, but not only know how to make money but also need to have some humanitarian concerns to deliver their concerns to everybody. So I hope if anyone interested in this program can send your email or visit our website. Move it over just a little bit. That has the email there? The email and also actually you can scan the QR code. Okay, good, good. So if there's anybody who would like to study international relations in southern Taiwan, this is your answer to that desire. Yeah, great. Well, thank you very much. Thank you, thank you. It's really good to talk to you. Let's move on now to... Well, let's take a break first. Let's do a break. And we'll take a break right now. And when we come back, we'll talk to Dr. Qin Zhang and we'll talk about some military and strategic affairs. You're watching Asian Review. I'm your host Bill Sharp. My guests today are joining us via Skype from southern Taiwan, the city of Gaoshuang, Dr. Chen and Dr. Zhang. And we'll be right back, so don't go away. I am Andrea. I am from Italy. And I've been studying and working here in Hawaii for more than three years for my PhD. Hawaii is home to a truly fantastic community of middle and high school students. And did you know some of them are currently out there, right now, using their free time to invent new quantum computers? And did you know some of them are exploring cybersecurity and the new frontiers of robotics? I am just always amazed, as I talk to them at science fairs. Oh, but there's more. Did you know that these students are coming here on FinTech Hawaii to share their story with us? Come and join the new young talents making way show and discover how these students are shaping our future. Starting on February the 6th, every Tuesday at 11 a.m. Only here at FinTech Hawaii. Mahalo. Welcome back to Asian Review. I'm your host Bill Sharp. Our show today, a view from southern Taiwan. And we're trying to do two things at once here. We're talking about economic issues as they impact southern Taiwan and in particular the city of Gauchung. And now we're going to talk about some military and strategic affairs. Well, there's a lot of concern in the U.S. about Taiwan's military readiness, especially that of the reserve force in Taiwan. There's 3 million reserves. But my understanding is they're not really all that well trained and there's insufficient equipment to provide them with if they were ever mobilized. And I wonder what your view is of that. I would like to say that we are under the military threat that from the million China's is over a half century. After the Civil War, when the nation's government retracted to Taiwan in 1949 and this situation lasted for 30 years until in 1979, when the People's Republic of China in Beijing and watch the United States is stepping a diplomatic relationship. During that time, they do have a promise, a political promise to us. One China, but two system and they were peacefully seeking for unification. But this situation lasted for several years until there's several dramatic turn. The first is happening in 1989. You all know about the Tiananmen Square, which also I mean just changed the U.S. changing the policy. More or less, I never say it clearly. The other one is the end of the Cold War when the U.S. approach to Beijing basically is using China, the Red China as a China card to deal with the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union collapsed, then the strategic value well from the Red China to U.S. also decreased. And then the other one, well, is that happened in 1994, you know, when the President Clinton allowed the former president to lead the way to the Cornell University. Then there will be a deterioration, dramatic deterioration, but later there's a 1995, 1996 another missile has the crisis. But however, for some years, we have successfully passed the economical miracle or the economical reform, but far from land reform and from the assistance of the U.S. The people changed the attitude. In 1987, when the cross-strait relations with the president, the ban was lifted by the president, Jiang Jinguo. Then the situation cross-strait relationship changed. At that time, all the combat, all operational readiness gradually decreased, and our defense invested a lot of money. You're saying that even while Jiang Jinguo was alive, the combat readiness began to go down, decline? Yes, from the way of doing the President Jiang Jinguo era. The situation is that in 1979, in 1979, until 1987, most years is a long, certain, it takes several years until, you know, finally, in 1987, when you start to cross the strait, exchange, you know, a lot of evidence, they can go back. Okay, but what about today? Is the Taiwan military ready today? If China decides it's going to invade Taiwan, Xi Jinping wants to take back Taiwan so he becomes a very famous person in Chinese history. Is Taiwan ready? Yes, it is. It's more or less can be challenged because till now, even there's several mountains like the situation or the tension, like the happenings in 19, well, 1906, or 1995, and later on near the year 2000, even all those situations, those tensions actually happened. I would like to argue that there's no clear well indication of abandoned, abandoned so-called peaceful unification policy. Till now, the Chinese Communist Party, the National Congress, they keep on the address about is the one China, always some people, they are evocative, and then, well, we live there, we are defective, dependent. Well, you know, it's interesting that you mentioned that when John D. Guo was still alive, that there was a forced reduction. But it seems today that... Initial, initial stage. Initial case. It seems today one of the biggest challenges facing the Taiwan military is getting a sufficient number of people to join the military. And I understand that Tsai Ing-Wen is going to phase out conscription. So it's going to be all volunteer, but Taiwan hasn't been able to meet its volunteer goals. So I... Yes. I don't know what's going to happen and how this is going to impact Taiwan's combat readiness. I don't understand how it's going to impact the reserve system. The redness, the grammatically means that we will abolish the conscription system. Let me clarify that point. You oppose the abolition or the doing away of the conscription system. Between the society and the military. All voluntary system now, there are certain kinds of social conditions that you must admit with that. But with that regards, Taiwan has no proper background to support that people. Only the people come from the week, relative to the week, the class that they join the military. So this is the reason why the recruitment and the retention rate is always... The really hard point, I would like to point that, you know, the defense policy, according to the law, according to China, it actually should be formulated defense policy. But unfortunately, everybody put in the burden only on those defense ministries. So who is the future manpower? It should be the ministry, it here is the ministry. But everybody just through that you know, knows the burden to military. So military is the one who buried lonely, you know. You know, I have the impression that the Taiwan population doesn't give very much respect to the military. Why? Why? Because there's a threat. There's a threat called China. There's a definite, clear threat. Physically, exactly I would like to address about the reason why I will... Physically, it's made all the young men in one society, no one can walk away from this danger. First, they like to change that to the all-voluntary service and through the burden to a certain class of pre-sociastics, the political well. Stem on the facts by this. There's an incident that happened called Hong Dongqiu. He's been sent to the discipline camp. But for some accident, he lost his life. He will become an excuse, you know, and become a political movement. The Taiyuan, the president Taiyuan, at that time she personally joined that movement. And the two, well, tarnished the image and to now become a very embarrassing, what I say. During our condition, we don't have the social condition which is barbaric enough to accept the all-voluntary system. We still need a conspiracy. That's a very interesting point. I have to interject here. I've just been told that we have a minute and a half left, which is, as I told you, really fast. But I think you're making some really good points here. You know, and I would agree with you, based on my knowledge of Taiyuan issues, is Taiyuan needs a conscript system? And it's... Everybody is sensitive. Everybody should do their share for their country. I agree with you. I agree with you quite wholeheartedly. And I'm sorry that it seems like we're running out of time, but as I mentioned, the time goes by so very fast. But you brought out some really good points as did Dr. Chen, and I think our audience will really quite benefit from those. And maybe we'll have to do this again some time. Yeah. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm sorry we had some technical issues in the beginning, but you know, that kind of stuff happens. And it's really good to visit with you for a half an hour or so this afternoon. Thank you for watching today. Asian Review will be right back here next week at the same time. My guest at that time will be retired Republic of China Admiral Lawrence Dunn. He also served as Taiyuan's naval attaché in Washington. And we'll see you then.