Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

The fires that tore through the Australian state of Victoria in 2009 cost nearly 200 lives

and ravaged a million acres.

But two of the fires were caused by an arsonist.

We ask what drove him to add to the devastation.

And good luck getting a cheap holiday read in France.

By law, new books must be sold at the list price.

The idea is to support independent bookstores and to promote diversity in the printed word.

But does it work in the age of Amazon?

First up though.

Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen is in America as part of a diplomatic tour.

But for the island's leaders, no such excursion is straightforward.

Just 17 countries actually recognize Taiwan as an independent state.

China sees it as a breakaway province.

Miss Tsai's visit would have angered China even if she hadn't used the New York leg of the trip

to insist that Taiwan would not be intimidated.

Last night, police broke up scuffles between her supporters and pro-China protesters outside Hu Houtao.

America's State Department added to the delicate dance, calling the president's visit private and unofficial.

Taiwanese presidents have this extraordinary existence because Taiwan is a friendly, pro-Western democracy

with lots of high-tech firms and bicycle manufacturers and it's America's 11th largest trade partner.

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