Domitory and Carrot to Taiwan

choi

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A Chinese man, having obtained PhD from Northwestern University earlier this year, was hired by Zhejian University and went with his family to its capital, Hanzhou. He recently committed suicide, wile living alone in a dormitory on campus.

Ashort while later, I read the following report--about import--or lack of it--of dormitory in China. Today I finally find time to write a posting about it.

Patti Waldmeir, Stock market: Wide gap between ambition and stark reality. Financial Times, Oct. 1, 2009 (print date).
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f2e86db8-ac8f-11de-a754-00144feabdc0.html

Quote:

"The government of Pudong, the financial centre of Shanghai, has started opening free dormitories to try to attract the global talent needed to meet the city’s goal of becoming an international financial centre by 2020.

"Officials say the aim is to attract tens of thousands of professionals to fill a talent gap that market analysts say is one obstacle to Shanghai’s ambitions.

"But, according to state media, the response to their recruitment drive among world-class professionals has so far been disappointing because, among other things, those who have worked or been educated overseas do not want to live in dormitories. According to a recent article in the Shanghai Daily, only two “overseas” professionals have so far applied – partly because the rooms lack kitchen facilities.

"Analysts say the story of the Pudong dormitories highlights the wide gap between Shanghai’s ambitions and the stark reality.

My comment:
(1) This article is interesting. However, only quotation directly related to my topic is posted above. You see, Taiwan has tried hard to invite foreign experts and lure back oversea Taiwanese (and occasionally Chinese from mainland with passports of a third nation). In 1970s, when I was there, a college built from ground up free standing, one-or two-story houses to house them. OK, they were not opulent or fancy--by American criteria, they were similar to houses in  suburbs. But at the time (and possibly now) most Taiwanese lived in houses or apartment without a garden around the home. Thus, upon reading the Pudong story, I thought governments in China were not very smart.
(2) Then I read this, which I had missed.

林贡钦, 海峡两岸的对价关系. BBC Chinese, June 16, 2009.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7450000/newsid_7456500/7456595.stm

Quote:

"实际上，大陆早就在做有利台湾经济和民生的举措，例如，台湾进出口大陆货物的关税减免，在大陆的台资企业的税、费优惠，特别是台湾农产品销往大陆的补贴等。 * * * 大陆经济总量虽是世界第四大经济体，但人均GDP和人均收入仅是台湾的1/15左右。大陆的贫困人口在人数上，在贫困程度上，远超过台湾

My comment: China is in the midst of a gamble, waging a big bet:  peacefully taking Taiwan back by buying Taiwan. In the same way
(a) that China exported food to diplomatic allies (like Albania) in 1950s, '60s when Chinese died of starvation; and
(b) that China have been subsidizd Americans by buying US Treasury bills, supplying low-interest loans in hopes that Americans would buy Chinese. I doubt Taiwanese will be thankful (probably not).

However, my point in this posting is, by subsidizing Taiwanese and Americans, Chinese suffer in their own land--including building dormitories for professionals China desperately needs.

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