Notes from Central Taiwan: Taiwan is running out of TaiwaneseAs births plunge and young workers vanish, labor shortages are colliding with old KMT dreams of opening the door to Chinese labor, goods and influenceBy Michael Turton / Contributing ReporterWhat was the population of Taiwan when the first Negritos arrived? When we think of the foreigners working in Taiwan, migrant workers from southeast Asia, roughly 860,000, stand out. Ma at one point suggested recognizing credentials from the PRC, a clear indicator that he was considering bringing in PRC workers. At present the KMT legislature’s plans to flood Taiwan with PRC labor and goods are frustrated by a DPP administration. Among many things, a far stronger push to bring PRC labor and products into Taiwan.

Source: Taipei Times March 22, 2026 17:14 UTC