In the 47 years since retrocession to China, Taiwan has built agricultural prosperity, developed its industry and achieved unprecedented levels of wealth so as to become one of the economic miracles of Asia's Four Dragons. So what is to follow?
A recent survey into Asian lifestyles carried out by the Far Eastern Economic Review, after pointing out that Asia has seen momentous economic growth that has given rise to a new affluent class, asks whether the region can slow down, repair its damage and better balance its short-and long-term interests.
Obviously the next wave of competition will not just be one of economic statistics but will also be over who has the courage to face and solve the problems brought about by breakneck industrial development. Out of the US$303 billion budgeted for Taiwan's Six-Year National Development Plan, one third has been earmarked for improvements in communications and construction of the mass rapid transit railway system and, most surprisingly, around US$10.7 billion has been put aside for pollution control.
The earlier environmental and ecological conservation is paid for the cheaper it is; once some things are lost it is very difficult to recover them even with huge amounts of spending. Farmland is one such example and this month's cover story is a special report on heavy metals and agricultural pollution which we hope will provide a deeper understanding of what causes this pollution, how heavy metals are related to our lives and where the problems lie.
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