She speculated that it moved up along the trade routes from Manila, an old trading town. The Austronesians eventually moved out of Taiwan down to the Philippines, and were mixed with the Negrito populations already present. Just a few score kilometers separate Taiwan from the Philippines, yet today the distance between them seems somehow vast. Taiwan should be pursuing policies to draw the Philippines closer to Taiwan and counteract Chinese influence there. Notes from Central Taiwan is a column written by long-term resident Michael Turton, who provides incisive commentary informed by three decades of living in and writing about his adoptive country.

Source: Taipei Times May 16, 2021 15:56 UTC