transnational professionals in global taipei

8/14/2019 Transnational Professionals in Global Taipei

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Transnational Professionals in Global Taipei:

Perspectives on Cultural Adjustment and Social

Accommodation among Long-Term Alien Residents

Final PaperSocial Development of Taiwan

International Masters Program in Taiwan Studies

Submitted: June 17, 2009

Aaron Jensen 96924015Christy Chang 94924008Eri Obata 97924009Jane Chen 97924004Joe Landgrebe 97924013Patty Li 97924001Timothy Hogan 97924012

Professor Hsiao-hung Nancy Chen


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Chapter 1: Introduction

This study seeks to gain a better understanding of the experiences of Western

professionals who live and work in Taiwan, particularly the means by which they

professionals integrate and adjust themselves at work, with Taiwanese family members

and with Taiwanese society in general. The goal of this study is to identify the positive

and negative factors which affect Western professionals in Taiwan. As Taiwan and

Taipei City seeks to develop global potential, attracting and retaining foreign

professionals will be an important challenge. This goal can be better achieved by

understanding the positive and negative factors which affect Western professionals in

Taiwan.

To gain a qualitative understanding of the challenges and issues which Western

professionals experience, the authors of this paper selected twelve subjects for interview.

Roughly half of the individuals surveyed were English teachers, and the other half

worked in various forms for the government, while two individuals were small business

owners. In order to gain greater depth, we purposely choose foreign professionals who

had spent significant time in Taiwan, at least several years. Most of our participants had

lived in Taiwan for over ten years and some had lived here for over twenty years. Their

Chinese language ability ranged from beginner to highly fluent.

Our interviews lasted from one to two hours and a broad range of topics were

discussed. Interview questions were broken down into three main areas: work

environment and opportunities, family and social relations and government laws and

regulations. These three issues were deemed to have the greatest impact on the lives of

Westerner professionals in Taiwan. Our examination of the workplace environment dealt

with issues of promotion, salary and communication challenges. Family related questions

looked at relationships with in-laws, communication, food choice and religious

compatibility. Questions regarding Taiwan government policy examined issues such as

taxation, health care, residence status and property ownership. Overall, our interviews

were very fruitful and participants generally provided rich detail on their experiences and

challenges in Taiwan.

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In terms of structure, this study begins with an examination of relevant literature,

discussed in chapter 2. The next chapter highlights and examines the research findings in

detail. It provides an overview of the interview subjects and their responses to life in

Taiwan. The three main subject areas, work, family and government policy are discussed

in detail. Chapter 4 discusses the major findings and implications of the research

findings. The aim of this chapter is to provide qualitative discussion and insight into the

research findings. The concluding chapter deals with the implications of this study and

provides discussion on research limitations and suggestions for future study.

Motivation

This study seeks to shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of Taipeis quest to

become a global city. The concept of a global city closely mirrors the Taiwan

governments desire to transform Taipei into a regional business and financial center.

First developed by Thomas Friedmann, the concept of a global city describes a large

metropolitan area which serves as a vital link in the world economy. As globalization

breaks down borders, global cities take on increased significance for their economic,

political and intellectual influence on world affairs. These cities are important for

nations development due to their ability to create jobs, stimulate the economy and

increase national prestige. As Taiwan seeks to secure its economic and political future,

the goal of transforming the Taipei metro region into a second tier global city has taken

on increased significance.

Foreign residents, especially foreign professionals, are an important component of

global cities. Foreign professionals provide essential linguistic, managerial and

intellectual capital. As English is the current world language, Taipei desperately needs to

attract English speaking professionals and develop the English ability of its residents.

This study directly addresses this issue as our research focuses entirely on Western,

native English speakers. The extent to which Taipei can, or cannot attract and maintain

Western professionals has direct bearing on its developmental potential. This study will

examine those factors which attract Western professionals as well as the areas where

Taipei could improve.

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This study is important because it examines the lives of Western professional in

Taiwan. Taiwanese scholars have researched the impact of Mainland Chinese and

Southeast Asian immigration on Taiwans society. However, there are no studies which

examine the lives of Western professionals in Taiwan. Although this group is

significantly smaller, the impact which this sector exerts on Taiwanese society is

important. Native speaking English teachers will continue to be a valuable commodity in

an increasingly globalized world. Moreover, Taiwans desire to become more integrated

in the global economy will depend in part on its ability to attract Western managers and

business professionals. Many international companies purposely post a Western

representative to their Taiwan branch offices. In most cases, this individual resides at the

upper management or executive level. Western companies have recognized that they

must have a strong foothold in the Asian market. Taiwan, especially the Taipei region,

must be able to attract Western business professionals if it seeks to become a gateway to

Asia.

Research Design

Our research consisted of in-depth interviews with twelve Western professionals

who had lived and worked in Taiwan for at least several years. It was decided that a

qualitative approach would enable us to delve deeper into salient issues and produce

more fruitful analysis. A quantitative approach was not feasible for this study as time and

resources were limited.

Our research included two rounds of interviews with the same twelve subjects.

The first round of research questions were organized into three subjects with six to eight

questions per subject. Data from the first round was then analyzed by team members who

looked at trends and gaps in information. Two team members were assigned to analyze

information on each of the three categories of questions. As new questions and

information gaps were identified, analysts composed new questions which would help

clarify problems and address information shortfalls. Subjects were then re-interviewed

and the new data was applied to the initial information gaps.

Overall, interview sessions were very open; interviewees were aware of the

purpose of the study and were encouraged to provide relevant opinions and additional

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detail on the issues. Discussion centered on the subjects personal views and experiences.

In some instances, long term residents were able to provide insight into the lives of other

Western professionals who reside in Taiwan. These broader observations greatly enriched

the quality of our findings and depth of our observations.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

At the outset of this paper, our group immediately recognized the very interesting

dynamics of our class make-up. National Chengchi University, in Taiwan, has managed

to develop a graduate school program which invites students from across the globe to

attend classes, taught in English nonetheless. This phenomenon of globalization, taking

place in our common lives, sparked a very interesting debate among our group members.

How globalized is Taiwan? Can Taiwan be considered a global city? From this seed of

interest, our group decided to set out on our research project. We would begin our

research with a very general outlook towards global cities.

One cannot mention the term global city, without acknowledging the works of

Saskia Sassen. She is at the forefront of this new and exciting research. She put this

topic on the map with her, bookGlobal City. She approaches global cities as sites for the

production of producer services and as financial market-places for the buying and selling

of securities.1 Next, if Saskia Sassen is the godmother of the global city thesis, then John

Friedmann would be the godfather with his article, The World City Hypothesis. This

paper subsequently formed the backbone of the global city theory. He argues that cities

and urban development in general are closely tied to the changing organization of the

global economy. Specifically, the world urban system is a spatial manifestation of the

new international division of labor.2

From our preliminary research, we decided the topic of global cities is much too

large in scope to manage in this short term paper, but one common theme we grasped

from the global city theory is the importance of immigrant communities in helping to

develop global cities. We decided to take the idea of immigrant communities one step

further; thus we isolated transnational professionals. Transnational professionals are a

1 Saskia Sassen, Global City,: New York, London, Tokyo , Princeton University Press, 2001.2 John Friedmann, The World City Hypothesis,Development and Change, 17 (1): 69-84.

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key to developing the linkages to the larger global community. We will focus on this

aspect to determine Taipeis standing as a regional global city.

The migration and settlement of transnational professionals to Taiwan is a

reflection of the wider dynamics of societal change that are a result of global mobility.

Studies in transnationalism to date have tended to focus on the movement of people, in

particular, lower or unskilled migrants, from developing countries to Europe or North

America and wealthier parts of Asia. However, transnationalism from above, has been

neglected by scholars. Alejandro Portes contends, transnationalism from above is

overlooked, due to the more novel and distinct development of transnationalism from

below.3

Although, the influence of highly skilled transnational professionals circulating

the globe has generally been neglected, some acknowledgement of this recent

phenomenon has been mentioned by various scholars. Russell King mentions, rapid

growth of skilled international migration-a new breed of executive nomads who, while

quantitively much less important than the mass labor migrations of the past, nevertheless

wield enormous influence over the functioning global economy.4 The circulation of this

labor regime between key global cities is facilitated by better communication and

transport technologies. Governments, honoring trade agreements, streamline professional

movement by instituting the recognition of qualifications and allowing easier access to

employment.

In Lucie Cheng and Marian Katzs, Migration and the Diaspora Communities,

these two scholars identify a trend in Americans participating in the professional

migration flow. One group they identify in particular is the teachers of English as a

foreign language (EFL) in the Asia-Pacific region.5 Taiwan has an abundance English

teachers living and working in Taiwan. We then decided to use this sub-group as our

case sample. But, who are these professionals, moreover, why have these professionals

decided to stay in Taiwan?

3 Alejandro Portes, Luis E. Guarnizo, & Patricia Landolt, The Study of Transnationalism: Pitfalls and

Promise of an Emergent Research Field,Ethnic and Racial Studies 22, 1999, p. 223.4 Russell King, Migrations, Globalizations and Place, in D. Massey & P. Jess (eds),A Place in theWorld? Places, Cultures and Globalization, UK: Open University Press, 1995, p. 24.5 Lucie Cheng and Marian Katz, Migration and the Diaspora Communities, in Richard Maidment and

Colin Mackerras, Culture and Society in the Asia-Pacific, Routledge Press, London, 1998, p. 77.

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The migration of transnational professionals has not only affected the global

economy but it has also affected interpersonal relationships. As this particular course is

entitled, The Social Development of Taiwan, we will focus our research in the

sociological perspectives of transnational professional migration. As working

professionals set out on their careers to far off lands, their lives cannot simply be put on

hold. They will inevitably pursue the same desires as any other of their peers. This

includes the pursuit of a significant other in hopes of marriage. Today, in Taiwan we can

observe far more intercultural marriages than any time in the past. Intercultural marriage

is simply defined as the marriage between individuals from different cultural

backgrounds. Sometimes, authors will make reference to other terms such as:

interracial, cross-cultural, interethnic, etc. These terms should be applied in the

context of the above definition of intercultural marriage.

Some researchers see the analysis of intercultural marital decisions as an

interaction based on the exchange of relative group status and demean the marriages by

impugning purely mercenary motives to the partners.6 While others employ Foa and

Foas Resource Exchange Theory among the many versions of social exchange theory to

emphasize the exchange of intangible rewards to explain interpersonal relationships

among ethnic groups.7 Increasingly, researchers studying intermarriages are starting to

emphasize the shared cultural inheritances among the groups, the value in creating new

forms of experience, and the bottom line of romantic love that forms the basis of all

satisfying marriages.8 Gaines & Liu argue, that if we acknowledge that romantic love

forms a major part of the socioemotional foundation for marriage in general, then we

would not expect the interpersonal rules of the game to change when we shift from

intraethnic to interethnic relationship contexts.9

Theoretical Framework

6 W.R. Johnson & D.M. Warren, Inside the Mixed Marriage: Account of Changing Attitudes, Patterns, and

Perceptions of Cross-Cultural and Interracial Marriages. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1994.7 S.O. Gaines Jr. & J.H. Liu, Romanticism and Interpersonal Resource Exchange Among Interethnic

Couples. In S.O. Gaines Jr., R. Buriel, J.H. Liu & D.I. Rios (Eds.), Culture, Ethnicity and Personal

Relationship Processes. New York: Routledge, 1997, p. 91-118.8 Ibid.9 Ibid. p. 97.

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For our groups research we strive to better understand how intercultural married

couples adjust to each others different culture. Wen-shing Tseng distinguishes four

types of adjustment in intercultural marriage: one-way adjustment, alternative

adjustment, mixture of culture and creative adjustment.10 Dugan Romano also

distinguishes four types; obedience, compromise, cancellation and harmony.11 Based on

these models, Shuko Takeshita has created four types of adjustment: Type I (adjustment

to partner), Type II (alternative adjustment), Type III (compromising adjustment), and

Type IV (synthetic adjustment).

Figure 1: Takeshitas Model of Cultural Adjustment

Type I can be divided into two parts: I-1 (adjustment to husbands culture) and I-2

(adjustment to wifes culture). This adjustment means that husband or wife abandons

his/her culture and adjusts husbands/wifes culture.

In Type II, both husband and wife abandon their cultures and create their own new

culture. Or it means that husband and wife live in the third country which they are not

from and they accept the third countrys culture abandoning their original cultures.

Type III indicates that both husband and wife abandon some aspects of their

cultures to adopt their partners culture.

10Wen-shing Tseng, Adjustment in Intercultural Marriage, The University Press of Hawaii, 1977, p.98-101.11 Dugan Romano, Intercultural Marriage, Intercultural Press Inc., 1988, p.72.

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III.Compromising

Adjustment


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In Type IV, while husband or wife retains his/her culture, he/she accepts partners

culture. This adjustment is supported by agreement between them. This is said to be ideal

model for adjustment in intercultural marriage since both husband and wife do not have

to abandon anything.12

Noting the similarities of each authors framework, our group decided to apply the

theoretical framework set forth by Shuko Takeshita as a tool to analyze our data.

Chapter 3: Research Findings

This chapter of the paper is comprised of four parts. The first section summarizes the

results of the questionnaire on the subjects socio-economic background. The purpose of

this section is to provide insight into the characteristics of the subjects of this study and

give the reader a deeper understanding of the background of foreign professionals who

have lived in Taiwan for many years. The second section analyzes the subjects

experiences living in Taiwan in regard to the cultural adaptation that they undergo as a

result of their marriage to Taiwanese women. Their responses to questions about

language, food, and religion are evaluated and the results of the analysis are used to

determine the suitability of Takeshitas model of cultural adjustment for explaining the

acculturation process that these subjects have experienced. In the third section and fourth

sections, we examine the subjects answers to questions regarding their employment in

Taiwan and the influence of Taiwans legal system on their experience as foreign

residents here. The purpose of these analyses is to identify key features that may have an

impact on Taiwans ability to attract foreign professionals and increase its

competitiveness as a global city.

3.1 Socio-Economic Background

To investigate the cultural adaptation strategies of long-term foreign residents of

Taiwan, specifically male, native English-speakers married to Taiwanese women, twelve

subjects were chosen for in-depth interviews. The interviews took place over several

weeks in April 2009. The subjects were interviewed singly, in pairs, or in groups of three.

12Shuko Takeshita, Sociology of Intermarriage, Bungakusha, 2000, p.134-143.

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All interviews were recorded for later analysis. Each of the subjects was asked to

complete a brief questionnaire prior to taking part in a group interview. Selected results

from the subjects answers to the questionnaire are provided below.

3.1.1 Countries of origin

Of the twelve subjects, seven (58%) came from the United States, two (17%)

from the United Kingdom, two (17%) from Canada, and one (8%) from Australia.

According to Taiwans Ministry of Interior, in 2008, the total number of foreign residents

from these four countries totaled 13,378.13 Of the total, 68% came from the US, 9% from

the UK, 18% from Canada, and 5% from Australia. These shares are roughly equivalent

to those of the participants in our study.

Table 1: Breakdown of subjects nationality

3.1.2 Length of stay in Taiwan, current age, and age at arrival in TaiwanThe average length of residence in Taiwan for the twelve subjects was 16 years,

with a maximum of 27 years and a minimum of 5 years. The ages of the subjects range

from a maximum of 50 to a minimum of 34, with the average age being 42. All of the

subjects arrived when they were between the ages of 21 and 30 years old, with average

age at arrival being 25.

3.1.3 Reasons for coming to Taiwan, visa/citizenship status

As to why the subjects originally came to Taiwan, seven (58%) reported that they

came for adventure or travel, two (17%) to study language or culture, two (17%) to work,

and one (8%) to join family. The one subject who came to join family married his

Taiwanese wife while she was studying in the US, and they came to Taiwan together. Of

13 National Immigration Agency, Ministry of Interior, Taiwan, Republic of China. (June 2008)

Countries In Taiwan In this study

Total Number Percentage Total number Percentage

US 9,514 68% 7 58%

UK 1,168 9% 2 17%

Canada 2,409 18% 2 17%

Australia 647 5% 1 8%

Total N=13,378 100% N=12 100%

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the twelve subjects, eleven (92%) currently possess Joining Family Residence Visas

(JFRV), which grants residency rights to foreigners on the basis of marriage, and one

(8%) has a Alien Permanent Residency Certificate (APRC), granted on the basis of

having met residency and employment qualifications. None of the subjects has applied to

become a citizen of the Republic of China, and all maintain their original nationality.

3.1.4 Occupations

One feature of the subjects occupations is the predominance of work related to

English, whether editing, translating, or teaching. Seven subjects (58%) are teachers, two

(17%) are editors, one (8%) owns a trading company, one (8%) is a translator, and one

(8%) is an engineer. All of the subjects originally worked as teachers when they first

arrived in Taiwan, but five of them eventually moved into other lines of work. Of the

seven teachers, six teach English, and one teaches music. Of the six English teachers, all

occasionally work as English editors, whether for instructional materials, academic

papers, or technical publications. In contrast to their foreign husbands, the Taiwanese

wives do a wide variety of jobs, including office work, journalism, teaching, translating,

editing, trading, sales, travel agent, real estate agent, personal assistant, and accounting.

In fact, of the twelve women, no two of them share the same occupation. Several of the

wives, do, however, work in the same field as their husband, notably in teaching, editing,

and in a trading company.

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Chart 2: Wives' Occupations

Volunteer AccountantOffice worker JournalismTrans lating Editor Trade Travel agentReal estate agent Personal assistantTeaching

Chart 1: Subjects' Occupations

Trade Teaching Translating

Edit ing Engineer


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3.1.5 Education levels

In terms of education, the foreign husbands are slightly more educated on average

than their wives. The average length of schooling for the subjects is 16.6 years, versus 15.

2 years for their wives. The most educated man in this study and his wife, the most

educated woman, met in the US and moved to Taiwan after completing their educations.

The two men who are engaged in MA/MS programs are pursuing these in English in

Taiwan, one at a local university, and one through a distance learning program from a

UK university.

3.1.6 Family size

As for family size, five (42%) of the couples have two children, two (17%) have

one child, and five (42%) have no children. The total fertility rate for this group is 1.0,

slightly lower than the average of 1.12 for Taiwan.14 Of the twelve children, two (17%)

are over 20 years of age, two (17%) are between 15 and 20, two (17%) are between 10

and 14, three (25%) are between 5 and 9, and three (25%) are below 5 years of age.

3.1.7 Home ownership

Of the twelve families, eight (67%) rent their home, while four (33%) own their

own home. Of those who rent, none said they were planning to buy a home. Compared to

14 Department of Statistics, Ministry of Interior, Taiwan, Republic of China. (2008)

12

Chart 3: Comparision of Education Levels

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

High school

Two-year college

BA/BS

MA/MS pending

MA/MS

PhD

Number

Wife

Husband


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the home ownership rate in Taiwan, which averages 88%,15 the proportion of the subjects

who own the home they live in is considerably low.

3.1.8 Transportation

Of the twelve subjects, three (25%) own a car only, three (25%) own a motorcycle

only, and six (50%) own both a car and a motorcycle. The high rate of motorcycle

ownership is a feature of life in Taiwan. Two of those who currently own a motorcycle

only have owned cars in Taiwan in the past but sold them prior to the survey. According

to the Survey of Family Income and Expenditure,16 the rate of car ownership per

household is approximately 59%, somewhat lower than the 75% reported by the subjects

in this study.

3.1.9 Foreign trips

As for trips overseas, four (33%) travel abroad less often than once a year. Five

(42%) travel overseas between one and two times per year, and three (25%) take foreign

trips more than two times per year. According to the DGBAS survey mentioned above,

the number of overseas trips by Taiwanese was approximately seven million, or

somewhat less than one-third the number of Taiwanese citizens, thus yielding an

approximate average frequency of overseas trip equal to less than one per year. This

suggests that the subjects in this study tended to travel overseas relatively more often than

Taiwanese citizens.

3.1.10 Income

Of the twelve subjects, seven (58%) chose not to reveal their annual income. Of

the five who did indicate their income, one (8%) claimed to earn less than NTD1.5

million per year. Three (25%) reported annual net earnings of between NTD1.5 million

(USD 49,197) and NTD2 million (USD65,596), and one claimed to make more than

NTD2 million per year. Of those seven who did not reveal their income, three probably

earn more than NTD2 million, and four less than NTD2 million (based on their

15Survey of Family Income and Expenditure, Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics,

Executive Yuan, Taiwan, Republic of China. (2007)16 Ibid.

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occupations and work history). Overall, these results indicate that the subjects earn at

least double Taiwans per capita income of USD17,226, with some earning more than

four times that amount.

3.1.11 Chinese language ability

All of the subjects claim to have some ability to use Chinese. On average, the

subjects have intermediate level speaking and listening ability but only an elementary

level of reading and writing. None of the subjects claim any fluency in Taiwanese

(Southern Min dialect), although some know a few phrases.

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Chart 4: Chinese Language Ability by Skill

0

1

2

3

4

5

67

None Elementary Intermediate Advanced

Lis tening Speak ing Reading Writing


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3.2 Family

In this section, we analyze which of Takeshitas four adjustment models, I--

Adjustment to Partner, II--Alternative Adjustment, III--Compromising Adjustment, and

VI-- Synthetic Adjustment, best describes the twelve couples. The basis by which we

classify the cultural adjustments is the proportion of adjustment that both the husband and

the wife make in terms of three factors, the language(s) the couple speak together, the

type(s) of food they eat together, and their religious beliefs and practices.

Figure 2: Variables Indicating Cultural Adjustment

3.2.1 Four Models of Cultural Adjustment

The following table demonstrates the four models of adjustment and provides key

features for each. The third model, Compromising Adjustment, has four variants in order

to account for the possible combinations of features. For our analysis, adopt means that

the husband and wife act in accordance with the features of one culture in particular,

while accept indicates that a husband and wife retain their original culture and

incorporate features of both cultures into their life together. Retain is used to indicate

that both husband and wife continue to practice their original culture, particularly in

regard to religious belief.

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Table 2: Adjustment Models and Characteristics

Adjustment Model Language Food ReligionType I 1 (Adjustment to husbands

culture)

Couple adopt at least two aspects of

husbands culture and no aspects of wifesculture

100% English 100% Western Both retainoriginal belief

Type I 2 (Adjustment to wifes culture)

Couple adopt three aspects of wifes

culture and no aspects of husbands culture

100% Chinese 100% Chinese Both adopt

Chinese beliefs

Type II (Alternative adjustment)

Couple adopts aspects of third culture and

few aspects of either husband or wifes

culture

Third language

(neither Chinese

nor English)

Third style of food

(neither

predominantly

Western or

Chinese)

Both retain

original beliefs.

Type III (Compromising adjustment A)

Couple adopts one aspect of both husband

and wifes culture, rejects one aspect of

both husband and wifes culture, andadopts one aspect of husbands culture.

50% English and

50% Chinese

Third style of food

(neither

predominantly

Western orChinese)

Both adopt western

beliefs.

Type III (Compromising adjustment B)

Couple adopts one aspect of husbands

culture and one aspect of wifes culture.For the third aspect, both partners adopt a

third culture.

100% English 100% Chinese Both adopt a third

belief.

Type III (Compromising adjustment C)

Couple adopts one aspect of husbands

culture, one aspect of wifes culture, and

both retain one aspect of their original

culture.

100% English 100% Chinese Both retain

original beliefs.

Type III (Compromising adjustment D)

Couple accepts one aspect of each othersculture, adopts a third culture in another

aspect, and adopts the wifes culture for the

third aspect.

50% English and

50% Chinese

Third style of food Both adopt

Chinese beliefs.

Type IV (Synthetic adjustment)

Couple accepts two or three aspects of

each others culture.

50% English and

50% Chinese

50% Western and

50% Chinese

Both retain

original beliefs

3.2.2 Questions about language, food, and religious belief

To understand how the couples had adjusted, we asked the twelve subjects to

discuss three aspects of their lives: language, food, and religion. First, in terms of

language, we asked each subject what proportion of conversations with his wife is in

Chinese, and what portion is in English. Second, in terms of food, we asked each subject

what proportion of the meals that they eat together as a couple is Chinese and what

portion is Western. Third, in terms of religion, we asked them to express the amount to

which they believe in or practice Chinese religion. For the first two categories, language

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and food, the subjects were able to answer in a straightforward manner by assigning a

numerical ratio. For the third category, we provided suggestions as to how they might

answer on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 indicating complete disbelief and 5 meaning

complete belief. They were told that an answer of 1 might indicate that they refuse to

take part in any Taiwanese/Chinese religious activity, such as going to a temple,

worshiping the ancestors, or any similar practice; a 2 would be appropriate if they

usually did not take part in religious practice but might have done this one or a few

occasions; if they do not believe, but are willing to pretend to pray, to hold the incense

sticks, to bow to the gods, etc., in order to make their wives and/or families feel that they

are filial, they could select 3 as their answer; if they believe there might be some

supernatural benefit to praying along with their wives/families and they therefore actually

pray with the situation calls for it, but they do not necessarily pray on their own, they

could select 4 as the appropriate response; and if they pray, light incense, and bow to

the gods without their wives or family members necessarily being aware of this activity,

they could choose 5 as their answer.

The following table presents the subjects answers to the questions about the

language they use when conversing with their wife, the percentage of Chinese meals they

eat with their wife, and the extent to which they adopt Chinese beliefs. The column on the

far right indicates the adjustment category that best describes each subject.

Table 3: Adjustments by Language, Food, and Religion

Subject Percentage of

Chinese

conversations

Percentage of

Chinese meals

Index of

religious belief

Adjustment

category

1 100 80 1 I-2

2 25 80 1 III

3 40 70 3 III

4 50 50 2 IV

5 10 25 2 I-1

6 10 80 3 III

7 30 80 2 III

8 0 75 1 III

9 50 30 3 III

10 10 60 2 IV

11 50 70 1 IV

12 70 70 1 I-2

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3.2.3 Results and Data Analysis

From the above data, we can see that one subject, comprising 8% of the total, is

classified as correlating with I-1. Two subjects, making up 17% of the total, are

categorized as I-2. No subjects were classified as II. Six subjects, comprising 50% of the

total are grouped with III. While three subjects, 25% of the total, are associated with IV.

Chapter 3.2.4 Western Spouses Adjustment

According to the results of survey, 75% of the total was classified as Type III

(Compromising) and Type IV (Synthetic Adjustment). To see how the Western spouses

actually adjust themselves into Taiwanese family more deeply, we conducted

questionnaire again about their relationships with Taiwanese in-laws. The following chart

shows their answer to the question about their relationships with in-laws.

Overall, approximately 60% of the subjects answered they had relatively good

relationships with their in-laws or at least no conflicts with them. One explained the

reason as his mother-in-law married a man from Hong Kong so his parents-in-law have

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Chart 5: Adjustment Type Distribution

Type I-2

217%

Type III

6

50%

Type IV

3

25%

Type I-1

1

8%

Chart 6: Re lations with In-laws

Good

3

25%

Other

2

17%Bad

1

8%

No conflicts

4

33%

Both good and

bad

2

17%


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an understanding of intercultural marriage. Also, one said he used to have bad

relationships with in-laws but as he tried communicating with them more, in-laws

attitudes changed and now he has good relationships with them. On the other hand, 20%

of them answered that they always or sometimes had bad relationships. The biggest

reason for this bad relationship seems that in-laws are traditional families. Taiwanese

traditional families sometimes do not allow their daughters to marry foreigners.

Regardless of personality, the problem is that daughters husband is a foreigner.

Through the interview, we found some important factors which influenced

relationships with in-laws. The first factor is religion. We asked the twelve Western

spouses whether they have had conflicts with their Taiwanese spouses about religion

before or not. Two answers are not available and the other ten subjects answered that they

have had no conflicts about religion. Also, nine of those ten say that they are not very

religious though some of them have their own beliefs (Christianity) so they do not mind

worshiping their Taiwanese spouses ancestors. Remarkably, eight people answered that

they can worship for their spouses ancestors if that will make Taiwanese wives or their

Taiwanese families happy. That means Western spouses regard worshiping their

ancestors as an important factor for good relationships with their Taiwanese spouses and

families.

The second factor is language. Some say that though their relationships with in-

laws are good, they have limited communication and cannot have any deep or close

communications because of language problem. This kind of problem is often seen in the

survey when their in-laws speak only Taiwanese. Also, one who has answered that he has

bad relationships with in-laws says that his parents-in-law are conservative and

traditional and especially his father-in-law never allows intercultural marriage even now.

Also, his in-laws speak only Taiwanese and Japanese so he cannot communicate with

them. We suppose in this case, language problem makes their relationships more

complicated because they cannot communicate well to narrow their gaps.

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3.3 Employment

According to the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, there are

27,064 foreign professional people legally working in Taiwan in April, 2009.17 The

foreign professionals have professional skills, are missionaries and artists, language

teachers in schools or cram schools, are employed in foreign investment, and work as

supervisors, coaches, and athletes. In order to understand in more detail their attitudes to

their employment, we interviewed our subjects about this topic, and below are presented

the outcome and our analysis.

3.3.1 Satisfaction with working conditions

According to Table 4 and Table 5, more than half of the interviewees indicate there

is no room to move up and have no equal chance to Taiwanese coworkers. Of the twelve

interviewees, six (50%) think that there is no room to move up and three of the six says

they are already in the ceiling for promotion. Three of the six people show that the

promotion system for foreigners and local Taiwanese is completely separately so they

have no equal change to Taiwanese coworkers. There is only one agree that all coworkers

have equal chance because all teachers are foreigners. Obviously, according to the

outcome of analysis, it reveals more than 50% interviewees dont have room to move up

and equal chance to Taiwanese coworkers.

17Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, http://www.evta.gov.tw.The information is from 15th January, 2004 to March 2009. The allowed working forces also include the

number in the science park and export processing zone.

20

Chart 7: Opportunity for Advanceme nt

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Not at all Yes Yes, with

difficulty

Not applicable

Chart 8: Equal Opportunity with Local

Colleagues

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

No Yes Not Applicable


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3.3.2 Satisfaction with income

Table 6 indicates that it is a 50/50 basis for happy and unhappy with their income.

Of the twelve interviewees, the occupation of teaching shares 58%. Their pay may

depend on their teaching hours. However, according to the interviewees, there are two

kinds of standards to pay money to teacher, one is that school is based on month to pay

money to Taiwanese English teacher, and the other is that school is based on working

hours to pay money to Foreign English teacher. School arranges the fixed working

hours to Foreign English teacher, and school never arranges over the fixed working

hours to them. Foreign English teacher could not get extra bonus as Taiwanese English

teacher, for example, they could not get year-end-bonus because Foreign English teacher

are temporary worker. Some who are happy with their pay is because they think their

pay is higher than those of Taiwanese coworkers. According to the Bureau of

Employment and Vocational Training, in order to protect local Taiwaneses job

opportunities and avoid the employers invite the blue collar work forces into the market

under the name of white collar work force (professional people), the authority concerned

rule these companies who employ the white collar force should obey the minimum salary

NTD 47,971 per month. In our cases, 60% of the subjects have an annual income of

between NTD 1.5 and 2 million.

Table 6: Satisfaction with Income

Satisfaction with income

Yes 5 42%

Yes, but more would be better 1 8.33

No 5 41.67

Not applicable 1 8.33

Total N=12 100%

3.3.3 Communication

Table 7 shows that over 50% of the twelve interviewees have communications

problems at work. Even though all of the coworkers can speak English, communication

problems exist because of cultural different and different way of expression. We can say

they dont have language problems but have communication problems such as Taiwanese

further intonation or implication. Due to the tower of Babel in bible, the God indeed

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confounded our languages and scattered the people on the earth. One of the interviewees

says that effective communication can sometimes be a challenge and Taiwanese

sometimes misinterpret what he says. Four of the interviewees indicate the problems

most resulting from cross-cultural communication. For those who answer No is

because all of their coworkers are foreigners or think intonation and implication are not

problems for them.

3.4 Government Policy

One feature of globalization is that it facilitates the migration of people among

various nations. It is vital to form an immigrant community in order to evolve global city

as described in the literature review. In Taiwans case, the number of foreigners coming

to Taiwan has been increasing in recent years. In 2004, Taiwan welcomed 2,428,297

visitors, an increase of 616,263, or 34.01%, compared with 2003. Most of the foreigners

in Taiwan are long-term residents. By the end of 2004, the number of foreigners living in

Taiwan totaled 526,049, of whom 445,472, or 84.68%, were resident aliens, and 78,663,

or 14.95%, visiting travelers. The remaining 1,914 accounted for 0.36%. Accumulated till

April in 2009, the number of foreigners classified as residential aliens reached 400,681. 18

Thus, cultural exchanges become so common that we face the situation of how the

government policy maker to deal with the new migrants and how the government to make

better policy to attract more foreigner to immigrate in Taiwan.

To understand the issues related to the rising rate of intermarriage in Taiwan and

how best to respond in terms of government policy perspective, we analyzed the

responses of the twelve subjects in regard to the policy of the Taiwan government, in

18 National Immigration Agency http://iff.immigration.gov.tw

22

Chart 9: Communication Problems

Yes

7

58%

No

5

42%


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particular focusing on four aspects, the influence of the legal system on the subjects life

experience in Taiwan, the income tax system, property laws, and the health care system.

3.4.1 Perception of impact of government policies

When asked whether governmental policies influence their life, nine (75%)

subjects acknowledged that they do, while three (25%) said that they do not have a major

influence. According to those subjects who they did impact their lives in Taiwan, there

are three important factors: immigration laws, work permits, and laws relating to property

ownership.

In terms of immigration laws, three subjects (25%) reported that the immigration

laws have been gotten better over time and they were provided a residence certificate

because of their marriage. In addition, the marriage visa law was one of the most positive

reforms for foreigners in Taiwan.

Furthermore, three subjects (25%) said that they had difficulties in regard to

changes to the immigration laws. These difficulties were mainly due to the fact that there

were not familiar with changes that had taken place, and there were therefore unsure how

these changes impacted their own lives. For example, one subject found that he was

denied the opportunity to perform music professionally in 2006 after the work permit

laws were either changed or enforcement measures were strengthened. At that time, the

subject had an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) through his place of employment and

not a Joining Family Residence Visa (JFRV), which he could have qualified for. After

facing this difficulty, he applied for and was granted a JFRV. Therefore, we assume that

23

Chart 10: Influence of Government Policies

Immigration

3

25%

Work permit

3

25%

No influence3

25%

Land ownership3

25%


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most challenges with work and immigration status derive from the fact that Taiwans

government views English teaching professionals as migrant workers.

Three (25%) subjects also discussed the fact that they could not buy property in

Taiwan. They felt that this indicated a double standard in regard to how the government

treats foreigners and local people. They further expressed their disappointment that while

Taiwan denied foreign residents equal rights under the law, Taiwanese living in English-

speaking countries would be treated in the same way that citizens of those nations would

be treated. On the contrary, three (25%) foreign spouses observed that the laws are not

stringently followed in Taiwan, with one subject volunteering that the selective

enforcement of laws was primarily a means of protecting the rights of the elite class.

3.4.2 Tax system

Table 8: Attitude toward Income Tax System

Attitude toward Income Tax System

Unsatisfied 1 8%

Satisfied 11 92%

Total N=12 100%

Foreigners who work in Taiwan are required by law to file income tax.19 As the above

table indicates, the subjects were largely satisfied with Taiwans income tax system, withone (68%) expressing dissatisfaction with the tax system and eleven (92%) saying they

were satisfied. Of those expressing satisfaction, reasons such as Taiwans comparatively

low income tax rate and the ease of filing taxes were cited as the key determinants of

their positive opinions. The one subject who expressed dissatisfaction with Taiwans tax

system suggested that the previous tax system was preferable. Currently, all foreign

residents are supposed to be taxed at the non-resident rate of 20% for the first six months

of each year, regardless of the length of time they have lived in Taiwan and paid taxes.

Some of those subjects who were satisfied with the tax system said that their employers

had not changed the withholding rate on their monthly pay. In the past, and in some cases

now, foreigners were taxed at the same rate as local residents who earned a comparable

income throughout the entire year. This subject works at a language school and says that

19 National Tax Administrationhttp://www.etax.nat.gov.tw/

24
http://www.etax.nat.gov.tw/http://www.etax.nat.gov.tw/http://www.etax.nat.gov.tw/


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the new tax law is influencing foreign English teachers to leave Taiwan after working a

relatively short time in the country.

3.4.3 Property laws and home ownership

As to home ownership, one (8%) regarded Taiwans property laws as fair but

three (25%) said that these laws were unfair for foreigners. Fully eight (67%) of the

subjects professed to know very little about Taiwanese land law for foreign residents,

answering that the laws were so complex that they left those details to their wives. Those

who feel the property laws are unfair expressed the opinion that the right to own land was

limited, and some felt that they could not even register land in their own name but had to

do this in their wives name. They were worried about their rights according to the law if

their wife might pass away. Some even doubted whether they could arrange the funeral

and manage the property. In comparison, America does allow Taiwanese people to buy

land or a house in America. In other words, it would be easier for foreigner who married

Taiwanese wife do many things under his wifes name.

According to Land Law and Regulations in R.O.C, foreigners may acquire or set

the rights in R.O.C. that is limited by their countries' pacts or laws citizen of R.O.C. may

have the equal rights. All agricultural land, forest, fishery, pasture, saltern, diggings,

region of water resource, military zone, and region of the border can not be transferred,

mortgaged, or leased to the foreigners. Foreigners no matter buy or lease the land are

limited to the list such as housing, school for children of foreigners and the investments

which are benefit on economy and farming are ratified by the central related management

25

Chart 11: Property Laws

Fair

1

8%Unfair

3

25%

Unclear

8

67%


26/34

department. Except the list above, there is a registration of changes in category of land

for the business. The purpose of the land which is leased or owned by foreigners for the

business that is chartered by R.O.C. can not be changed. Rights and Duties of those

foreigners who have the land rights Foreigners who want to lease or own the land must

first get the approval, and later apply for the registration. After the registration, foreigners

will have the rights and duties over the land under the laws and regulations of the

R.O.C.20 According to the Country and City government Registration of Land statistics,

foreigner Taiwan registered 9,163 plots of land from 2001 till 2008.21

3.4.4 Health care

All foreigners who carry alien resident certificate are required to participate in the

health insurance program. In addition, foreigners employed in business units with more

than five workers are insured under employer.22 In regard to the health care system, eight

(66%) subjects reported face in obstacles to receiving health care and satisfaction with

the level of the care provided available in Taiwan. However, four (33%) subjects reported

that they had difficulty communicating with doctors due to their inability to speak

Chinese well enough. For example, one subject reported that doctors did not want to

communicate with patients. He described going to a hospital, introducing his symptoms

to the doctor, and then immediately receiving a prescription for medicine. He expressed a

desire to have the doctor speak with him at more length and explain more clearly the

health problem he was experiencing. Another subject said that the health care system in

Taiwan compares unfavorably to Canada, his home country, but that the quality of care

provided was comparable. Furthermore, he said that while he had heard horror stories

about other foreigners experience with the healthcare system, particularly misdiagnoses,

he had never encountered these problems himself.

Chapter 4: Discussion

20 Department of Land Law and Regulationhttp://www.land.chcg.gov.tw21 Country and City Government, Registration of Land and Building Rights Obtained by Foreigner from

2001 till 2008 Statistical Yearbook of Interior22 The Department of Health, Executive Yuanhttp://www.cdc.gov.tw/.

26
http://www.land.chcg.gov.tw/http://www.land.chcg.gov.tw/http://www.cdc.gov.tw/http://www.cdc.gov.tw/http://www.land.chcg.gov.tw/http://www.cdc.gov.tw/


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This chapter will discuss the findings of our research into our subjects

experiences as transnational professionals in Taipei, offering comment on their own

socio-economic background, their adjustment to the local culture, both with their spouses

and in-laws, in terms of Takeshitas model, and their perception of Taipeis attractiveness

to foreign migrants on the basis of working conditions and government policy.

4.1 Socio-economic background

Given the very small size of the sample for this study, the results of the

questionnaire survey can in no way be said to be representative of the population of

transnational migrants in Taipei. Selection biases are evident in much of the data that was

collected, particularly in regard to the subjects gender, age, occupation, and other

factors, but it also provides for a similarity of background and experience among the

subjects that identified common issues of concern and provided the opportunity for

greater depth of analysis. Despite these limitations, the survey does yield data about

education levels, not only of the subjects, but also their wives as well, family size, home

ownership, income, and Chinese language ability.

Significantly, the research yielded data to show that the subjects of this study had

a slightly higher level of education that their wives, 16.6 years for the men versus 15.2

years for the women. According to Taiwans immigration laws, foreign professionals

must have at least graduated from a four-year university to qualify for residency and

employment. This law is now more rigidly enforced than in the past, with closer scrutiny

of diplomas, but individuals are occasionally discovered to have presented fraudulent

documents for inspection.

It was also discovered that family size among our subjects was comparable to

Taiwans average, with a total fertility rate of 1, but this rate will probably increase as

some of the subjects, particularly the younger ones, will have children in the coming

years. One contrast with the average in Taiwan is in regard to home ownership. The rate

of home ownership among the subjects is much lower than the average. While there is no

specific data to explain this difference, it could be attributed to the fact that all of the

subjects live in Taipei City or County, areas with the highest real estate prices compared

to other parts of Taiwan. It could also suggest that the subjects are unwilling to commit to

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staying permanently in Taiwan. Supporting this explanation is the fact that none of the

subjects have applied for citizenship, although some of the subjects said they would be

willing to hold an ROC passport if they were not required by the ROC government to

renounce their original citizenship.

The survey also revealed that the subjects earned relatively high incomes

compared to Taiwans per capita GDP, but it did not have access to data that would link

these income levels to those of Taiwanese professionals and allow for comparison. Based

on anecdotal evidence, compared to other countries in Asia, incomes for transnational

professionals in Taiwan are higher than in China or Thailand, approximately equivalent

to those in Korea, and lower than in Japan. Compared to the subjects home countries, the

net income they earn in Taiwan is approximately equivalent or lower than what they

could earn abroad. One advantage that Taiwan has over western countries is the relatively

lower cost of living, allowing transnational professionals to save at a higher rate than they

would be able to at home.

As for the subjects Chinese language ability, the survey revealed that

transnational migrants in Taipei tend to have a higher ability to speak and comprehend

spoken Mandarin than to read or write traditional Chinese. In part, this can be explained

by the relative difficulty of written Chinese, but also by the fact that most of the subjects

in this study work in positions in which their English ability is the key factor in their

employment. The subjects speak Chinese to their wives, in-laws, and to a lesser degree,

their children, and in some social interactions with Taiwanese people, but predominantly

use English in their workplaces. The subjects inability or low ability to speak or

understand Taiwanese (Southern Min) or Hakkanese contributes to the difficulties they

face in communicating with their in-laws and is therefore significant in terms of their

cultural adjustment.

4.2 Family / Cultural adjustment

According to the result, the percentage of Type I-2 (Adjustment to Wifes culture)

is bigger than that of Type I-1 (Adjustment of Husbands culture). This is because we

conducted this questionnaire for Western husbands and Taiwanese wives living in

Taiwan and Western spouses have a tendency to adjust themselves to Taiwanese society,

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Taiwanese culture or Taiwanese customs. Takeshita Shuko also conducted questionnaire

for foreign husbands who have Japanese wives and live in Japan and she also got the

same result with ours.

Type II (Alternative Adjustment) is a model for intercultural marriage couple

living in third country so this model may not work in our case. Therefore, we got 0% in

this category.

Half of the twelve couples belong to Type III (Compromising Adjustment).

Takeshita says as the period which a couple has been together is longer, then the couple

approaches Type VI (Synthetic Adjustment), which Takeshita says the ideal adjustment

model for intercultural marriage. Also, she says as the period is shorter, the couple may

have a tendency to belong Type I (Adjustment to Partners Culture). Interestingly,

Western Husband 3 and 7 answered that they used to speak only English with their wives

but as their Mandarin improves, the ratio also has been changing. Also, Western Husband

4 said when he and his wife started dating, his wifes English was not very good and they

spoke almost only Mandarin. However, over the years, her English improved a lot and

now they use 50% English and 50% Mandarin in daily life. That means, as time passes,

there will be more possibilities to approach Type VI (Synthetic Adjustment).

The Western spouses, in our case study, try learning and adopting Taiwanese

language, culture and customs more as time passes. Though some says they have bad

relationships with their in-laws now, there might be possibilities to improve their

relationships like the process of wife-husband relationships approaching Type VI

(Synthetic Adjustment) as time passes. Also, we suppose that Takeshitas adjustment

model might be extended from husband-wife relationship level into in-laws relationships

level.

4.3 Employment

Being in a global city, the foreign workers should have equal chances to the local

ones. If the foreign work forces have equal promotional system in work field, it is

without saying that Taiwan would attract more foreigners working here and Taiwan

would be more competitive than other countries. When they have equal promotional

system here, local Taiwanese face the international competition instead of limited region

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only. The foreigners pour cultural and intellectual differences into the society and inspire

the vivid improvement. Local Taiwanese and foreigners would emulate the merits from

each other and eliminate the narrow-minded way of thinking. All are equal in working

system providing the freedom market mechanism which is survival of the fittest that

upgrades social economic energy naturally. Besides, equal promotional system for

foreigners implies equality in many ways. The foreigners who are treated equally would

be trend to recognize the place they work. Recognizing here helps increase productivity

and benefits. Without saying, Taiwan will be more global, international and competitive

by intercultural actions.

Generally speaking, the pay for foreigners working in Taiwan should be higher in

order to attack better forces. Higher pay is one of the attractions that foreigners are

willing to work. In our interviewing, dissatisfaction with pay is due to two reasons.

Foreigners dont have equal chance to local ones. They benefit no 7 days special vocation

offered by firms, and no extra bonus in three big Chinese festivals. Therefore, in light of

being globalization, they should have equal chance with local Taiwanese and even much

more pay to attract them to stay.

Judging from the above results, communication is a crucial problem. The

government should provide some regular training courses such as how to communicate

with your coworkers or boss, communication techniques to Taiwanese and so forth

before their entering into the job market. The government could reduce the

communication problems by providing some incentives to firms. The firms will mind the

communication gaps between the Taiwanese and foreigners and provide the proper

training or the course of cultural exchange that they could have success cooperation and

consensus.

4.4 Government Policies

The results of our investigation into transnational professionals indicate a high level

of satisfaction with the income tax system and the national heath insurance system.

Overall, living and dealing with the government became easier for foreign spouses and it

was easier to take care of taxes and residency issues. Things might be more restrictive if

you are single. Some aspects of laws and circumstances may not be perfect but foreigners

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could try to accept the fact that some things will be challenging. Our preferred future is to

have a multicultural society, which accepts different kinds of cultures in one society

without any prejudice against any other culture. To establish this preferred future society,

we need to work out hard in different aspects, including more relax migration and work

policy, multicultural education for the next generation, more social support for the

migrants and more positive reports from the mass media. The only path to the preferred

future society can only be shaped by our present actions.

Chapter 5: Conclusion

This study sought to provide insight into the lives of Western professionals who

live and work in Taiwan. Although limited in scope, this study does raise some important

findings. For Westerners who live in Taiwan, and for Taiwans ability to attract Western

talent, the results are encouraging. As Taiwan seeks to globalize its service sector, its

ability to attract Western professionals is critical. Despite substantial cultural differences

between the West and Taiwan, this study found that long term Western residents display

a high degree of adaptability to Taiwans workplace environment, family life and cultural

values. As Westerners spent more time in Taiwan, their adaptability and acceptance of

Taiwanese culture generally increased. Many long term Western residents married local

Taiwanese women and their relations with extended Taiwanese family members were

generally positive. The language barrier and prejudicial values on the part of older,

extended Taiwanese family members proved to be a barrier in a few cases but the overall

outlook for family integration between Westerners and Taiwanese looks encouraging.

Overall, Taiwans government policies have become more responsive to the needs

of foreign residents over time. Some minor problems still remain for work visas but long

term Western residents noted more freedom in pursuing work opportunities, especially

when they were married to a Taiwanese. In terms of career satisfaction, salary concerns

and communication challenges were the two areas that affected Western residents the

most. Although compensation was generally high, Westerners professionals are paid

under a different system which deprives them of certain benefits and other extras. This

system has led many Westerners to feel that they are not fully integrated into the

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Taiwanese work environment. Workplace communication was also a challenge due to

cultural differences in communication style. With time however, differences in

communication style could be overcome.

The findings of this study have shed new light on a relatively untouched segment

of Taiwans foreign population. Much attention has been given to immigrants from

Mainland China and Vietnam. Western professionals have received little focus from

Taiwans media and academic community; additional study could confirm and further

examine the issues raised here. This study was limited by its small sample size. A broader

survey would provide quantitative data to support the qualitative nature of this study. The

case of Westerners in Taiwan could be compared with Western professionals residing in

other East Asian countries such as Korea or Japan. Future research could compare and

contrast the immigration and employment policies of Taiwan with countries like Japan,

Singapore or Honk Kong. The later countries are all highly globalized societies with

significant numbers of foreign professionals. This type of research could offer new policy

approaches as Taiwans government continues to develop its policies towards foreign

workers and foreign professionals.

Overall, Taiwans relationship with its foreign professional workplace is a

positive one. Taiwanese society is generally hospitable and welcoming to foreign

professionals. This characteristic will be a significant factor in Taiwans future

competitiveness and in its ability to attract foreign professional talent. Taiwan can add to

this advantage by enacting policies which ease the rules and restrictions which influence

foreign professionals living on the island.

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