Taiwan: The political mood

Business Daily

BBC

Business

4.4 • 816 Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2023

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The military threat from China, which claims Taiwan as its own, has dominated global headlines of late.

But ahead of elections, most voters here say it’s low wages and property prices that are preying on their minds. Are politicians listening?

We also explore Taiwan's low birth rate - is it a financial decision for young couples not to have children and get a pet instead?

Produced and presented by Ed Butler.

(Image: A young couple take a selfie on the city MRT train. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	The Global Story, with smart takes and fresh perspectives on one big news story, every Monday to Friday from the BBC World Service.
0:11.5	Search for The Global Story, wherever you get your BBC podcasts, to find out more.
0:20.0	Hi there, I'm Ed Butler, and welcome to Business Daily on the BBC World Service.
0:24.7	Today, as Taiwan prepares for presidential elections, one politician tells me it's all about the island's relations with its big bully neighbor, China.
0:34.9	Any dialogue, you know, it should be equal.
0:38.2	Taiwan is already a sovereignty with democracy.
0:42.3	We should have the equal status to talk.
0:44.6	But do regular Taiwanese voters see the election this way?
0:49.0	Or is it more about issues closer to home?
0:51.3	Like we have housing issues.
0:53.6	We have wage issues.
0:55.9	These are things that actually impact big life decisions.
0:59.0	But so often the politics are sucked up by our big neighbor next door.
1:06.4	Taiwan's political mood and its economy in Business Daily from the BBC.
1:14.3	Hello!
1:16.6	Who's this one?
1:18.3	He's open.
1:19.4	Open.
1:20.0	His name is open.
1:21.4	He's very open when it comes to talking, aren't you?
1:24.9	Open.
1:26.6	Okay, you're probably wondering,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.