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 Ying 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.

Ms. 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 her hotel.

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 its America's 11th largest trade partner.

And yet the president of Taiwan is a pariah.

David Rennie is the economist's Beijing Bureau Chief and Chaguan columnist.

Because countries are frightened of China, the vast majority of countries in the world will never let the present of Taiwan visit.

America is big enough and strong enough that it doesn't care and does let them visit,

but even America has to be unbelievably careful about the kind of the tiny details of what flag is flying

...