Economic ties no longer boost Taiwan-China relations: expertStaff writer, with CNAEconomic ties are no longer boosting cross-strait relations, as Taiwanese businesses continue to shift investment away from China amid deepening US-Beijing decoupling, an expert said at a seminar in Taipei yesterday. Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung delivers a seminar in Taipei on cross-strait relations yesterday. Photo: CNAThis shift has weakened the traditional role of economic interconnectedness as a "lubricant" in cross-strait relations, he said. Before 2016, trade relations between Taiwan, China and the US were closely intertwined under a model described as "Taiwan taking orders, China producing and products sold to the West," Lai said. However, during the first wave of the trade war in 2018, Taiwanese firms began ramping up investment in Southeast Asia, he said.

Source: Taipei Times December 24, 2025 15:08 UTC