Taiwan Day Three

Day Three was the formal conference session. We had four sessions on:

• Key Links Between Economic and Political Reform
• Taiwan New Economic Direction in the Twenty-First Century
• The Role of the State in a Post WTO world
• Global Warming and Challenges of a Sustainable Growth

We actually met in the Taiwanese Parliament, in one of their hearing rooms.

The major speaker of the first session was the Executive Director, American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei ,Richard Vuylsteke. Very lively session on how trade lifts countries up. I suggested the three biggest opponents of free trade were the US Congress, the European Union and the anti-globalisation far left, and that I had concluded there was no point in trying to convince the anti-globalisation fanatics, we do need to think of ways to convince lawmakers that lowering trade barriers is good for a country, even without concessions from trading partners.

Also got in the usual line how the irony is NZ can get a free trade deal with the Chinese Communist Party but not the US Republican Party.

The second session’s main speaker was former Premier Dr. Vincent Siew, who is the KMT Vice-Presidential candidate. Siew was the first Premier of Taiwan to be born in Taiwan.

Taiwan’s record speaks for itself. In 1962 their GDP per capita was US170 – the same level as Zaire and Congo. Today is is US$30,000 – well above New Zealand on $26,000. Agriculture used to make up 35% of GDP and is now down to 2%.

The final session on global warming was an interesting one. Dr. Shaw Chen Liu gave a standard presentation using the IPCC data and made a strong case about the problem. Much of the debate focused on how much responses should be adapatation as against mitigation.

During the lunch break we went into the actual Legislative Yuan, where the Generalissimo looks down.

In the best interests of maintaining the brawling tradition, this is me at the Speaker’s podim trying to ram my Australian colleague’s head into the podium.

Outside the Parliament.

We then had the formal dinner on Saturday night and went into town to a Chinese restaurant. 24 of us were seated at one huge circular table and the others at two smaller ones.

Now there were some mini pitchers on the table with a yellowy type fluid in them. Next to them were some shot glasses, and we discovered to our delight that the fluid was whiskey. Now that is what I call a good Chinese tradition.

As one does with free shots of whiskey, you have a few toasts. I even initiated a couple myself. We did toasts to Thatcher, Reagan, Sarkozy, Finnish-NZ relations etc.

After around a dozen shots I noticed something. A different person every time was suggesting a toast to me, with only them and a couple of others taking part. My suspicions were confirmed when even Chairman Peter came over from another table to offer a toast to NZ. Yes they were playing Let’s try and get the Kiwi drunk.. Unfortunately by the time I figured this out I was quite happy and not inclined to stop, but more so I am an extremely competitive person when it comes to any sort of challenge so I was determined to handle whatever they could throw at me.

So the toasts continued, with the excuses each time getting worse and worse. We toasted Nokia (for the Finns), the Danish Cartoons, John Howard, Senator Fred Thompson etc etc. I lost an exact count at something over 30 shots.

We then went from dinner to a bar/nightclub where the KMT had not only arranged a bar tab, but somehow also the presence of a dozen or so Brazilian models (both gals and guys). I swear none of them were under six feet tall.

At the nightclub, my European friends insisted on getting me black tequila shots, as I was trying to get away with orange juice. Again my competitive nature won out and I took all drinks proffered. One can’t show weakness!

I have to admit the details of when and how I left are somewhat hazy. I think I got a ift home with the Congressman from the US. But the last laugh was mine as I turned up for the Executive Meeting the next morning dead on time – to widespread disbelief. The Kiwi reputation and honour was maintained. Absolutely no one at all could believe I was actually awake let alone up.

Luckily I do have a very useful capacity to wake up and get up, even when my body is clinically dead.

It did take some hours however for co-ordination to return. Sunday was a very slow day!