Carlos Antonio Yeh
Representative of Taiwan in Spain
Juan David Latorre
Named by the Portuguese sailors in the 16th century as “Formosa Island” because of its beauty, Taiwan is a particularly attractive destination for Spanish tourists. Carlos Antonio Yeh, representative of Taiwan in Spain, tells The Diplomat all the reasons for visiting his country.
The Spanish settled in the north of the island in the 17th century, establishing the Spanish Formosa Governorate. Even today, the names of some cities and towns in Taiwan remain Spanish, such as San Salvador, Santo Domingo, San Lorenzo and Santiago.
How do the Taiwanese welcome tourists? Could you give us some facts about tourism?
With a political system that is model of democracy for many of our neighboring countries, our society is free, plural and vital, offering its full kindness to the foreign visitor, making him feel in Taiwan as at home. Before the pandemic, nearly 12 million tourists visited Taiwan annually. As of November 2024, Taiwan had received around 7 million tourists, up 24.5% from the previous year, with 11,500 coming from Spain. We are now working to recover and even surpass these figures, which is why this year we are actively participating in FITUR to strengthen tourism between the two countries. You know that Taiwan will always welcome you with open arms and hearts.
Being an island, the natural spaces of Taiwan must be spectacular. What are the places to visit?
Anyone visiting Taiwan should know the fascinating nature of the island, which alternates beach and mountain, with 272 peaks that exceed 3,000 meters above sea level and nine national parks with their own characteristics: the marble formations and gorges of Taroko National Park in the east. And the Kenting National Park, popular for its tropical charm, in the south. With a wide range of trains, roads and bike routes, the country offers tourists great advantages to move around its natural environment, as well as to visit the more than 100 hot springs areas spread throughout its geography.
Can you tell us about the Taiwanese cuisine? What are the most typical products?
Favored by the climate and geographical location, in Taiwan we enjoy a great variety of fruits, vegetables and fish, and this makes our gastronomic richness recognized worldwide. One of the most authentic ways to experience the variety and richness of our gastronomy is to visit the internationally renowned night markets. And no one can stay without diving into the tea paradise that is Taiwan. The unique landscape and climatic conditions of the island favor the cultivation of excellent varieties of tea, in addition to the popular and world famous pearl tea with milk.
What are the most important cultural attractions and festivals in Taiwan?
The National Palace Museum in Taipei is undoubtedly Taiwan’s greatest cultural jewel. Considered one of the most important museums in the world, it has a total of 650,000 pieces from 5,000 years of history. Taiwan also has an exciting cultural calendar full of spectacular folk festivals and traditional feasts, including the Lunar New Year’s Eve and the Lantern Festival, which attract thousands of visitors year after year.
Taiwan is known worldwide for its technological leadership.
Our technology leadership makes us a destination and increasingly attractive partner for other countries. Taiwan produces more than 60% of the world market for integrated circuits, more than 90% of the most advanced chips and provides 100% of the world supply of chips used in artificial intelligence. In addition, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the technology giant of Taiwan, is a world leader in the production of semiconductors. We have thus become the leading global player and key part of the semiconductor supply chain worldwide.
Finally, how is Taiwanese society and its economy?
Among the top economic indicators that include Taiwan, we are ranked as the 4th country in the economic freedom index, 9th in the digital competitiveness ranking and 14th best investment destination. And in terms of social indicators, Taiwan ranks second in Asia as a free nation for guaranteeing freedom of expression and assembly, it is rated as the third best place in the world where expatriates live (2022), we are Asia’s top gender equality leader and were the first Asian country to legislate same-sex marriage in 2019.
