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Taiwan Cashes In On Chinese Medical Tourism

TAIHAI NET (China), CHINA TIMES (Taiwan)

Worldcrunch

TAIPEI - The Chinese now have a new reason to visit Taiwan, and it’s not tourism or business: they are heading to Taiwan in droves for medical check-ups and cosmetic surgery.

Thirty-nine Taiwanese hospitals are now specially licensed to accept Chinese patients who come on combined medical/tourist trips. According to the China Times, more than 50,000 people came to Taiwan in the first eight months of this year for medical reasons. Forty percent of these visitors come from China.

The Joint Commission International, an international leader in health care accreditation, has already accredited 14 Taiwanese hospitals. Medical success rates are remarkably high: 100 percent for cleft palate repair, 98 percent for liver transplant (the world’s highest), and a 38 percent success rate for fertility treatment. Rare diseases such as elephantitis are also treated, the China Times reports.

More than three million Chinese each year choose to undergo cosmetic surgery, a market growing at 10 percent annually. The Chinese recently overtook the South Koreans who are also big customers for cosmetic surgery.

Until recently, Chinese people were mostly going to Korea or Japan for medical care; 100,000 a year to South Korea alone. But as a result of many disputes the market is now shifting to Taiwan where there is no language barrier.

Top travel travel agencies in Taiwan are selling trips to wealthy Chinese customers, which combine medical treatment such as checkups and cosmetic skin care with gourmet slimming meals, cultural experiences, and even agricultural visits. This is marketed as an “All Azimuts Health Experience,” says Taihai Net.

It’s not surprising that Chinese clients are flocking to Taiwan given the overcrowded nature of Chinese hospitals, their quality problems, and the fact that disputes with doctors are frequent. Last year, 10 Chinese doctors were murdered by dissatisfied patients.

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Geopolitics

What The China-Morocco Alliance Says About Our Geopolitical Future

As the world's technologies change, so do the countries with not only advantages in production, but also geography and diplomacy. China knows this, and sees that investing in Moroccan resources is a particularly smart bet in the long run.

Photo of workers at a factory in Sale, Morocco. In the foreground, boxes with the Moroccan flag on them.

Workers at a factory in Sale, Morocco

Chadi/Xinhua/ZUMA
Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

PARIS — Amid the global reshuffling triggered by both the ecological and geopolitical upheaval, there is one country that seems to be coming out ahead: Morocco.

Several major investments have already been announced, including one last week worth $2 billion by a Chinese group which aims to produce electric battery components. A significant detail, according to the Financial Times, is that the conglomerate Al-Mada, which is owned by the Moroccan royal family, is investing in the joint venture with the Chinese group CNGR.

Other South Korean and Chinese investments, still related to ecological transition minerals or the battery industry, have announced they will be setting up shop in Morocco in recent months. They are setting a record for the Mediterranean basin.

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