November 2005  The beginning of 2004 marked a turnaround in the fortunes of the Taiwan stock market. Although performance had been afected by the Asian Financial Crisis and the 2001 recession, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) reported that in the period 1994 - 2004 the market value had increased by 131% to NT$15 trillion (US$475 billion).

Thawing Relations

The visit of Lien Chen, the KMT leader, to China earlier this year has seen relations between China and Taiwan improve and the threat of war recede. It is expected that new economic policies, to be introduced by China, will be aimed at attracting investment from Taiwan. In another economic boost, restrictions on tourist travel from the mainland to Taiwan will be eased.

Foreign Investment