For the past month, the hot topics have been the exchange rate, "Tachiale", motorcycle drag racing, and the official establishment of the Department of Environmental Protection.
The focus of Sino-U.S. trade talks has moved from rice to tariffs to alcohol and tobacco to the exchange rate. Is the U.S. "taking an inch but wanting a mile?" Or is the ROC trade surplus the problem? We explore this question in three articles in this issue: "Finding a Way Out of the ROC's Trade Surplus," "Demystifying U.S.-ROC Trade Figures," and "The 'New Japan'?"
"Tachiale" and motorcycle racing are now rampant. Will legalization solve the problem? And what of the new DEP and its first Director, Chien You-hsin? What can we expect from them? We will look at these issues in "Round Table."
Meanwhile, "Chinese in the Spotlight" goes to Tokyo to look in on famed architect Kuo Mao-lin. And "Special Overseas Reports" takes us to New York's Soho district to talk with several overseas Chinese artists.