China's Iron Horse: PRC Deploys Giant To Scare Victory For Ma

In a follow-up piece to the Big Bike pre election rally for the incumbent, Ma Ying-jiu, Bicycle Retailer offers up another cheerleading piece for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

Taiwan’s manufacturers will benefit from a stable cross-strait relationship, said Tony Lo, chairman of the Taiwan Bicycle Exporters Association and CEO of Giant, the island and the industry’s leading frame maker.

“Taiwan’s high-end bike export to China has grown 87 percent in 2011. It could double again in 2012. This will have a positive influence of the transformation of the Chinese bike market toward recreational and sport in the future,” Lo said in an e-mail.

Lo cited Ma’s ECFA, or Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, which eliminated duties on bikes shipped between Taiwan and China as of January 1. Since Ma signed the ECFA in June 2010—gradually reducing duties on bicycles and other consumer goods exported from Taiwan—the trade pact has already boosted business in China for Taiwan manufacturers like Giant, Merida and rim maker Alex Global.

I think what is important and puzzling to note is that the DPP challenger, Tsai Ing-wen, gave absolutely no indication of repealing ECFA, nor did she indicate anything other than continued business relationships with China. Without the Chinese Nationalist ideology, Tsai's platform actually appeared more pragmatic and tenable for the long term.

So why is cross strait economic stability continually at stake in Taiwan's democratic election cycles?

Simple... It is not.

This is a fantastic example of some of the levers China uses to influence Taiwan's democratic elections.

The only party which can elect to create instability in the economic relations between Taiwan and China... is China. Taiwanese politicians of any stripe gain nothing from poor economic relations with any state, let alone China. China's "anger" is a strategic device. Now, rather than negotiating against diverging interests, Taiwan is reduced to negotiating against the mercurial device of China's potential anger-- a device with no clear definitions or triggers.

So why would China imply it might consider punitive action should its chosen candidate (Ma) not be elected?

The answer would be that China's economic relationships with Taiwan are not designed to be purely economic and in the interest of creating a better business environment, but they also come tainted by China's political designs for Taiwan, which it seeks to annex as part of a greater strategic program of regional economic and territorial expansion.

Ma Ying-jiu makes the perfect foil for Beijing as he also harbors beliefs in Taiwan as a political and cultural dependency of China and therefore, politically, makes sense to Beijing as the candidate who will best cooperate in bringing China's plans to fruition.

Gaint's Tony Lo simply exemplifies how Taiwanese businesses in China can allow themselves to become pawns of a much larger, more dangerous game.

For a long-time observer, it is a little sad seeing a company that has risen on the back of Taiwanese pride, allow itself to be used as a political lever against Taiwanese democracy.

Ma's Victory: The Election Cycles

Although the elections may be over, there is still plenty to think about in the wake of Ma Ying-jou's victory on Saturday.

Ma has found a well of support from big business, which hopes to take advantage of Ma's desire to lock Taiwan's economic fortunes to those of China, despite divergent interests and needs. It is like the meaning of the oft misinterpretation of "What is good for General Motors...." Part of Ma's desire to make Taiwan an economic dependency of China is pragmatic in serving the business community, the other part is his ideological belief in Sun Yat-sen's Chinese nationalism.

Of course we see this each election cycle, where the business community rallies around the president who supports Taiwan's economic and political annexation by China... and then that same community realizes what the more cautious observers are seeing. This is precisely because of the ideological component of the KMT's program.

The American Chamber of Commerce had such a realization in June:

“Taiwan should pursue greater balance by consolidating its economic connections with such other major markets as Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia and especially the United States, the world’s biggest economy,” AmCham chairman Bill Wiseman told a media briefing on the release of the organization’s annual white paper.

Wiseman’s warning came a few hours before the release of Taiwan’s latest trade data, which showed China accounting for 40.2 percent of exports last month, while the US took only 12.3 percent.

“Over-reliance on one market is always risky,” Wiseman said. “Taiwan should not turn away growth when it can get it, but it needs to lock in the future. It needs to go and start broadening its economic relationships beyond focusing so much on China.”

Just prior to Saturday's election Nicola Formosa from Bicycle Retailer released this piece detailing what is essentially a list of KMT talking points thinly veiled as a news article promulgated by the big movers of the bike industry.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Taiwan voters go to the polls this weekend to decide a close presidential race that bears implications for cross-strait relations between the island and mainland China.

Incumbent Ma Ying-jeou of the Chinese National Party, or the Kuomintang, is being challenged by the Democratic Progressive Party’s Tsai Ing-wen. A third candidate, James Soong Chu-yu of the People First Party, represents that party’s first-ever presidential bid. In the past four years, President Ma’s administration has eased relations between Taiwan and China, opening doors to Chinese tourists with direct flights from the mainland—previously Chinese had to fly through Hong Kong or Macau before arriving in Taipei—and signing the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).

The ECFA, a trade pact that ended a 12 percent duty on bikes and most bike parts shipped from Taiwan to China, has already benefitted the cycling industry. Taiwan’s top two frame manufacturers, Giant and Merida, both realized significant increases in revenue from the Chinese market last year. Merida’s revenue from China was up 124 percent through October 2011 and Giant’s rose 40 percent through August. Rim maker Alex Global pointed to the ECFA when announcing that its turnover in China tripled last year. Taiwan exports about 3.8 million bikes annually to the global industry with the U.S. importing about 21 percent of those units. It also exports $480 million in bike parts.

Another term under Ma’s leadership could lead to further cooperation between Taiwan and China, which stands to boost the bottom line for Taiwanese businesses. But, Ma’s opponents believe closer ties across the Taiwan Strait threaten Taiwan’s future independence as the Chinese Communist Party strives to reunite Taiwan and China. Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party have pushed for formal independence from China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province.

Now that the results are in and we know Ma Ying-jiu will be continuing to shape Taiwan's economic policies with China at the center, we need to wonder what this means for Taiwan's bicycle industry.

The big bike companies will continue making money hand over fist using Chinese labor and selling to a Chinese market, creating Chinese jobs. This is very good for the few people who are associated with those big corporations... but this begs the question.... If all those jobs are being created by Taiwanese companies in China... what does Ma intend to replace them with in Taiwan?

The jury is still out. From what I have seen Ma intends to block the hemorrhaging with cycle paths and tourism-- A far cry from any real jobs.

Baby Kit Goes Bike Shopping

Uncle Rocky thinks about bullets dodged

This Lunar New Year our little baby Kit decided she needed to go bike shopping. I sent her to visit Rocky at T-Mosaic with the instructions that she could have anything in the store... as long as it was a size 52cm frame.

Xiao Lan swoops in to rescue Kit

The choices were enough to bring Kit to tears

Ferrari's are fast, but maybe too tall

Hmmm... It matches my blanket...

I'll have to consider

Titanium like Dad's

Oh, the zing of classic steel!

The New TYA!

The indignity of it all! Enough with the pink.

A little sugar boost to get me home

Dad says to wait

Building The Cycling Community

Cashing In On Taiwanese Cycling

One growing trend in Taiwanese cycling is the introduction of larger cash rewards for a victory in a race.

While the idea of cash prizes is nothing new to bicycle racing, in Taiwan the idea is catching on as a way to attract better riders to regional races i the hopes of walking away with a handsome paycheck.

A great example might be Sean Smith, the rider from Taichung who walked away from the Alishan Extreme Challenge last year with USD$22,500 for under 3 hours of work.

Now the Super Rider competition will be adding larger cash prizes for the top finishers.

The administration will put up a total purse of NT$222,000 (US$7,357) for the April 1 race, which will start from Jialulan, a center for driftwood art in Taitung County, head north as far as Sansiantai, and then turn back.

The top 10 finishers will receive prize money of between NT$30,000 and NT$1,000, while those who finish atop different age groups will win from NT$10,000 to NT$2,000, the administration said.

Any team consisting of at least three members can sign up for another 200-kilometer event, and five teams in that race will be eligible to win NT$3,000 each in a lucky draw.

The administration encouraged people to register for the races starting Monday because the 100-kilometer and 200-kilometer races will each be limited to 600 cyclists.

For some of the slicker teams out there, this could be a fun way to put in for that new bike.

And Then He Touched Me: Traditional Medicine For Overuse Injury

In Taiwan we are lucky to have access to two parallel streams of healthcare. We have the traditional system of hospitals and clinics where white coated doctors wear reflectors on their foreheads and prescribe an attack of pills that often resembles a pack of Skittles.

Then we have traditional herbalists.

Both are covered under Taiwan's National Health Insurance program; a single payer system that covers every citizen, their dependents, and every registered worker in Taiwan.

After a host of overuse injuries and too much time off the bike, I was referred to an herbalist in Changhua. This herbalist is also an accomplished rider, so I was encouraged to feel he might be a little more understanding of my situation and of my injury.

I walked in, filled out my registration form, and within 10 minutes I was sitting with the doctor discussing my problem.

He massaged my knee with a perplexed look on his face, and then asked me to stretch out on the massage bed.

"A-ha!" he exclaimed with delight as he lightly patted my spine, "Your muscles in your back are creating an imbalance that is affecting your knee."

Apparently, my riding has developed an imbalance that pulled my bones out of alignment and resulted in an aggravated sciatic nerve.

The doctor pushed and pulled like he was realigning a bent frame.

I stood up and I felt amazing. The tightness in my back was gone. My knee felt better. My hip was loose.

I climbed some stairs and knelt without any sensations in my leg.

The whole procedure took about 10min. after a slathering of traditional goo-cream pads.

If you are having trouble with overuse or pain from cycling, I would totally recommend this guy.

The visit cost me a mere NT 150 (USD$5) with my insurance.

If you decide to go, be sure you or someone you are with, can speak Chinese or Taiwanese. I do not think anyone there can speak English.

Dr. Wu Chiu-Shiong

No.256-1 Chang-nan Rd.

Changhua City, Taiwan

Tel:04-7388838

彰化市彰南路二段256之1號

電話:04-7388838

DYS AmainT Individual Time Trial in Changhua

Today I was hoping to get down to Wuer for the DYS Amain T. Individuall Time Trial. What a great way to spend a Sunday. I am glad we have groups putting stuff like this together.

As much as I would have liked to have taken some pictures and put some heat into the legs, I am still on the mend and needed to do some domestic work today *sigh!*

I hope to be back on the bike soon.

Enjoy some pictures from the event today.

HERE

Racing The Top of Taiwan (200k): 7甲-14甲-14線-21線-18線

Here is an upcoming race being organized by the Taiwan Bike Association.

No, I am not going to do this. I just don't have the time to train and get my body into shape for something like this.

But it looks like fun. Maybe I'll do this route on some future weekend. I'll have to pocket the route for later.

I have ridden most of this route at different times and it is a spectacular challenge amid breathtaking scenery.

If anyone has the time or opportunity... DO IT!