Although the stability of Taiwan's economy stands out amid the financial crisis in Asia, the island cannot remain an idle spectator as neighbor countries suffer, according to Wei-Te Liu, executive adviser of the Coordinating Council on Sino-Japanese Business Affairs.
"We cannot look at the problem with indifference. The 21st century was once touted as the century of Asia -- we must by all means prevent this from becoming an illusion," said Liu, who also chairs China Technical Consultants, Inc., a consultancy on energy and environmental matters.
Many Asian countries -- particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand -- continue to suffer from the financial crisis that erupted last summer and Japan remains in economic doldrums, so Taiwan's strong performance is particularly striking.