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U.S. President Joe Biden told Chinese President Xi Jinping following his meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to “be careful” because Beijing relies on Western investment.
I lived in Taiwan for over 5 years, most people use Chinese products every day. China is their largest trade partner.
About 22% of Taiwan’s imports last year came from mainland China and Hong Kong, versus 10% from the U.S. That doesn’t quite match up with most people use Chinese products every day. Current relations with China are so bad that most of that trade has dried up.
Listen, I literally lived there for years, I have family there, and I visit all the time. People buy and use Chinese goods every day. Xiaomi smart phones and gadgets are super popular. Chinese phone brands like realme and oppo outcompete local brands. People buy Chinese groceries all the time, especially flavorings and hot sauces. People import Chinese books, watch Tencent TV, and listen to Chinese music. They speak the same language so of course people will buy goods and media content from China.
Even though virtually everyone hates the Chinese government, most people still interact with Chinese people, media, or goods on a daily basis. And this isn’t even getting into business supply chains; Taiwan’s dirty secret is that most Taiwanese businesses are very pro-China, even though your average person is worried about China having too much influence.
Perhaps in the past but that isn’t how it is anymore.