Defying the China Threat: U.S. Citizens Moving to Taiwan in Record Numbers
As the U.S. makes up for 45%, the largest group of professionals relocating to Taiwan through the Employment Gold Card, the island nation’s program in attracting highly skilled global talent, we look at why many Americans have made Taiwan their permanent home. Despite unwavering military threats from China, Americans are relocating to Taiwan in record numbers with over 2,000 U.S. Gold Card holders. The Gold Card functions as a 4-in-1 visa, work permit, resident ID, and re-entry permit, where holders can change jobs and work whenever and wherever at their discretion. In this episode, Albert Chiu, Tunghai University Political Science Professor and international affairs and social policy expert, and Nick Tang, Artnet Front End Engineer a Taiwan Gold Card Holder from Philadelphia, discuss why American professionals find Taiwan attractive and the issues that they face in their adopted home. We also hear from Tom Fifield, Taiwan National Development Council Gold Card Office Project Manager, who oversees the program, and from Oregon-native Mary Goodwin, National Taiwan Normal University Professor, on what motivated her to become legally Taiwanese. Topics discussed: - Taiwan’s strategy in the war on talent: How the Employment Gold Card program is attracting foreign professionals and the systemic issues the government is tackling to make relocating to Taiwan easier for highly skilled talent - Asia talent war: Taiwan vs. Singapore and Hong Kong, pros and cons and why many expats chose Taiwan over more wage competitive locations - Power of talent: Boosting Taiwan’s soft power and image around the world - COVID refugees: Steep rise of recent immigration from the U.S. and stories behind why many Americans chose to relocate during the height of the pandemic - Pay gap: Largest factor contributing to Taiwan’s talent drain? - East vs. West: Comparing Taiwanese and American working environments - Path to citizenship: How legislation granting professionals dual citizenship through naturalization has fostered a greater sense of belonging and engagement - Internationalization: Areas Taiwan could work on to make relocation and adapting easier for people from abroad - Heighted China threat: Has this impacted those who consider moving to Taiwan?
