Taishang in China and Southeast Asia : Culture and Politics of Taiwanese Transnational Capital

Abstract

This paper first traces the historical origin of Taishang (Taiwanese businesspeople) with its transnational character and offers a profile of the two major Taishang groups in both China and Southeast Asia.BR Then, Taishang’s mode of business culture and the ways to deal with business risks are discussed in China and Southeast Asia. Due to Taiwan’s unique and vulnerable diplomatic situations, Taishang’s internal culture of management, business networking and labor control are rather personalized and guanxi connection in nature. For the same reason, Taishang’s external business – state relations are also much dependent and weak, especially so under the authoritarian rule in China. In China, Taishang associations are in no position to voice their demands autonomously. Some Taishnag have turned themselves into China’s hostages and even become “instrument” of China’s “unified front work” to extend reverse political pressure on Taiwanese government on related cross-Strait policies. Finally, this paper points to the possibility that under Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party’s new Southbound Policy since 2016, Taishang in Southeast Asia might receive more positive attention and policy boost to further their production and investment activities and even social and political involvements.