TOEIC,TOEFL,IELTS,全民英檢,SAT,
菁英英日語-站前分校

北車 英文 | 美國《富比士》雜誌（Forbes）公布台灣首富排行榜

Taiwan Rich List's New No. 1 Tsai Eng-Meng Answers Critics: "What's Wrong With Peace?"

This year’s new No. 1 on our Forbes Taiwan Rich List, billionaire Tsai Eng-Meng, is respected for his entrepreneurial success in China’s snack food industry, and with good reason. His flagship Want Want ChinaHoldings is an example of a Taiwan business that brought product know-how to the mainland relatively early in the country’s economic reforms, has kept a good reputation for itself in an industry plagued by safety problems, and created good returns for his shareholdings by tapping into the country’s huge consumer market. Want Want’s Hong Kong-listed shares have gained almost three-fold in the past four years.

Yet back in Taiwan, Tsai has been criticized for his personal investments in media and expressions of goodwill about the mainland. I talked to him at Want Want’s Shanghai headquarters last week about his media investments, Taiwan-mainland relations, and where he sees good opportunities to invest. Excerpts follow.

Q. Your growing investments in media have faced a great deal of criticism in Taiwan. Why are you continuing with those?
A. In 2008, I unexpectedly was approached about an opportunity to invest in Taiwan Television. At that time, a lot of people questioned why were interested in buying it. In fact, my interest was brought about by many factors. Taiwan at that time had relatively little news about the mainland, and Taiwan is my old home. I had been in the mainland for more than 15 years, and felt I had a relatively good understanding of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. But, the purchase didn’t happen the first time. And after a second opportunity, it didn’t work out. Finally, the China Times was willing to cooperate.

A lot of people think that decision (to invest in media) was sudden, and have asked if the mainland gave me the funding. In fact, I have seldom participated in any business and social associations in the mainland in more than 15 years here. I have been leading Want Want since I was 19 years old, and before I started to make money seven years later, I didn’t do a great business. I knew few government officials in Taiwan, and I knew even fewer officials in the mainland. It’s impossible that the mainland gave me money for these (media) investments.

I have been criticized for selling out Taiwan and publishing fake news. Some say I’m not suitable to invest in the media industry. (Yet) I love Taiwan, and have never done anything to embarrass Taiwan. People born in Taiwan should have confidence. Regarding unification, if people’s lives in Taiwan can be better, why can’t Taiwan and the mainland set aside history and cooperate together? Some people, however, twist this (opinion) into saying that I’m selling out Taiwan. Personally, I have no hatred when it comes to cross-Strait relations.

Ultimately, what’s important is how people in Taiwan can have a better life. As long as we aren’t declaring war (with the mainland), what’s wrong with peace? Even the (opposition) Democratic Progressive Party candidates for party chairman are supporting more contact with the mainland. They can advocate that, and yet my position is wrong and doesn’t make any sense?

Q. You have also been investing in the financial services industry through Want Want Insurance and Waterland Financial Holdings. What do you think are the future opportunities for investment there?

A. When I first invested, it was related to (Taiwan businessman) Gary Wang. He was facing arrest, and hoped I would take over that (insurance) company. So I took over that stake. Later, I was advised that financial companies should have scale. So I invested in Waterland Financial Holdings. Both of these companies are led by professional managers.

Q. Do you think you’ll apply that experience in financial investments that you have from Taiwan here in the mainland?
A. It’s up to the professional managers.

Q. What do you think will be good money-making investments in the next three to five years?
A. I think the mainland will remain relatively good. In the food industry, for instance, when an economy is good, the first business to grow will be food, and the last industry to go into a recession will be food. These are the good points about the food industry. This is the industry that I know best. The mainland itself is competitive in more and more industries, such as finance.

根據美國《富比士》雜誌（Forbes）今日報導，旺旺集團總裁蔡衍明登上台灣富豪排行榜上的第一名，《富比士》指出，蔡衍明靠著零食產業在中國打下資產江山，讓蔡衍明的資產淨值攀升至估約80億美元，他去年的資產淨值為61億美元，當時排行第3。 去年首富是智慧型手機製造大廠宏達電（hTC）董事長王雪紅。

據報導，他的公司在上個會計年度創造29億美元營收。台灣前十大富豪有好幾位企業家是在中國致富。其中包括排名第2的鼎新魏家4兄弟，財產估約66億美元，魏應州兄弟擁有康師傅控股公司，主宰中國飲料市場。排名第3的是富邦集團的蔡萬才家族，資產淨值約62億美元。科技巨頭郭台銘今年則排名第4，資產淨值約48億美元。廣達董事長林百里資產淨值為42億美元，名列第5。

第6名到第10名分別為正新集團的羅結及其家族、尹衍樑、王雪紅、林堉璘及王永在。

參考資料：
http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/business/20120524/124275
http://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2012/05/23/taiwan-rich-lists-new-no-1-tsai-eng-meng-answers-critics-whats-wrong-with-peace/

菁英教育｜上海托福培?｜上海雅思培?｜遊學｜托福｜多益｜雅思｜全民英檢｜TOEFL｜TOEIC｜IELTS｜GEPT｜SAT｜上海SAT培?｜上海SSAT培?｜日本打工度假｜日語補習班｜菁英排課系統