The number of Taiwanese people working in China has dropped for a fifth consecutive year. That was the word from Pan Ning-hsin of the government statistics office on Tuesday.
Last year, about 404,000 Taiwanese people were in China for work, an 11-year low. Pan said that while China has continued to be the top overseas destination for Taiwanese job seekers, changes in its business environment such as rising wages and environmental rules have made it less attractive for Taiwanese businesses than before. These changes have also dampened interest in working in China among Taiwanese people.
Pan also attributed the drop in numbers to the US-China trade war. To avoid being hit in the trade war, Pan said that Taiwanese businesses have either moved operations back to Taiwan or onward to other countries, such as countries in Southeast Asia.
Statistics show that China, including Hong Kong and Macau, attracts 54.9% of Taiwanese people working overseas, followed by Southeast Asia at 15.2% and the United States at12.9%.