03-01 Taiwan

It was 1985, and I was in Taiwan for the 12th International Small Business Congress. It was one adventure after another.
My colleague wanted to get a haircut and in dealing with a taxi driver who did not speak English, he drew a picture of a barber pole. Well in Taiwan barber poles signal a brothel. He did not get a haircut but had his hair washed by two beautiful girls, not once but twice.
Then I had a private audience with the President Chiang Ching-kuo, who showed a keen interest in strengthening relations with Canada. What I learned from that meeting was the large percentage of small firms in Taiwan that are exporters. There is no statistic like it anywhere.
And another surprise. Despite trade with mainland China being illegal, the two countries did over a billion dollars of trade each year, with goods funneled via Hong Kong and Singapore. Such a vibrant enterprising culture.
My personal history helps me understand the leadership role Taiwan has played during the pandemic under the leadership of its current president, Tsai Ing-wen. They have one of the best records of low pandemic deaths in Asia.
It was a nation that did not impose a lock-down but instead establish rules that the public followed. And rules that will represent the kind of system we will all have to live with during the post-pandemic period.
How about a regular cleaning of streets and public facilities. Scary looking procedure.
And how about hand sanitizer at the entrance to every building. And what about restaurants, where every second seat has a large “X” on it, which means it can’t be used.
Then before entering a public facility like a temple, someone takes your temperature.
And for anyone entering the nation, you not only have your temperature taken, but you are made to quarantine travelling in special taxis to special hotels.
And, something else I learned. The Taiwanese love baseball as much as Americans, but they are playing their games without fans.
It looks like the way we’ll be living in North America and Europe for a couple of years. Or until we have a vaccine in place.