Failures

Written by Peter Li-Chang Kuo

I once spent three precious semesters to earn a degree and become a true expert in the “Third Sector.”

After the financial crisis, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. He invited me to contribute ideas on “Rebuilding the Global Economy” at APEC CEO Summit 2009. He referred to me, a non-governmental participant, as a “Pathfinder,” noting: “Much of the work of America cannot be done by government; the solution must be the American people, through voluntary service to others.” This was, in fact, something President Bill Clinton had also emphasized.

I cited Professor Theodore Levitt (1925–2006), who stated: “Indeed, there are areas where government is capable and areas where it falls short. The ‘residuum’ left behind must be addressed by the Third Sector.”

Fig 1: Professor Theodore Levitt, pioneer of the Third Sector

Certain constraints inherent in the public sector (government) are regarded as causes of “private market failures.” The discourse surrounding market failure and government failure led to increased attention on integrating social resources. After the “financial tsunami” of 2008, the Third Sector underwent a major transformation: non-governmental organizations shifted toward “spontaneous civic service with self-governing capacity,” rather than relying on public-sector resources.

President Obama mentioned that the government had poured USD 1.7 trillion to solve the disaster, yet it was like throwing it into a bottomless abyss. In contrast, the “IIA–TES” system I contributed effectively activated the functions of the information society. Through the “Contactless TranSmart Chip Card” (TranSmart Card), combined with ICT, the TSCM software system, VAM, and the eStore, we created a new Technological Economic System (TES). This civic-driven system helped ease the aftermath of the financial crisis.

To preserve valuable intellectual properties, I spent several days working tirelessly to complete "The Development of Taiwan’s Third Sector and Information Society." Yet it still took three additional semesters before it could be posted on the "master’s/doctoral research website"—allowing future researchers to discover that the true origin of the global information society was “Taiwan.”

The core focus of Third Sector studies is “failure”— which directly means “things that fail”— aka system breakdown.

In December 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump issued the White Paper of "National Security Strategy." He began by declaring:

“Over the past nine months, we have brought our nation — and the world — back from the brink of catastrophe and disaster. After four years of weakness, extremism, and 'deadly failures,' my administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to restore American strength at home and abroad, and bring peace and stability to our world.”

In this statement, President Trump emphasized that “failures are fatal” and intolerable for any normal nation. He believes strengthening the economy is paramount— “Economic Security” is the foundation of “National security.” The government must protect and defend the economy and the people from harm by any nation or source. This requires ending the following seven threats:

1) Predatory, state-directed subsidies and industrial strategies;

2) Unfair trading; practices;

3) Job destruction and deindustrialization;

4) Grand-scale "intellectual property theft" and industrial espionage;

5) Threats against our supply chains that risk U.S. access to critical resources, including minerals and rare earth elements;

6) Exports of fentanyl precursors that fuel America's opioid epidemic; and

7) Propaganda, influence operations, and other forms of cultural subversion.

President Trump believes Taiwan’s strategic importance lies in the fact that it offers a “direct gateway to the second island chain.” One-third of the world’s shipping passes through the South China Sea each year, a lifeline with major implications for the U.S. economy. For that reason, he argues, the urgent priority is to maintain military superiority to deter conflicts around Taiwan.

As an expert in the global third sector, I believe Taiwan must safeguard its “economic security” above all. Our prosperity was built by citizens who continuously strengthened their own capabilities. The combination of innate talent and hard-earned skill is Taiwan’s most valuable asset — our foundation for standing strong in the world. When this grassroots energy is systematically undermined or destroyed, national "failures" inevitably follows. That is why we should learn from President Trump’s resolve: "America and the American people must always come first."

In his inaugural address, he identified the forces of destruction as “cartels”— terrorists in nature — entities that everyone has a duty to perish.

When I attended Professor Levitt’s classes in the United States, he defined the “Third Sector” as the realm beyond the “government” (public sector) and “business” (private sector). He explained that government selectively does what it can or should do, but inevitably leaves behind an enormous residuum — and those who deal with this residuum constitute the “Third Sector.” The existence of the Third Sector is "to effectively respond to public and private sector failures," to mitigate their negative consequences, and to maintain societal functioning.

He further noted that Third Sector activities had quietly and extensively proliferated. New Third Sector organizations were emerging to support the arts and to preserve land that might otherwise be exploited for private gain. The purpose of the modern Third Sector is to transform institutional frictions. It no longer seeks only to respond to needs or address abstract problems, but "to build a society in which no one is ever deprived or ignored.” Thus, new technologies, tools, and tactics are employed to achieve these objectives.

According to Professor Levitt, it is clear that the “Third Sector” exists to solve social problems that government or business cannot — or will not — address. These range from housing discrimination to environmental protection, and various public issues that concern the rights and welfare of the people. Through the action of the Third Sector, such social dilemmas can gradually be corrected or resolved.

What he emphasized as the “Third Sector” is a third kind of power, distinct from both government and markets — one capable of perceiving a rapidly changing world and grasping flashes of the eternal within the moment.

Moreover, depending on different contexts and emphases, this “third force” has been given many names:

International Governmental Organizations (IGOs),

International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs),

NGOs,

the Third Sector,

the Voluntary Sector,

the Charitable Sector,

the Invisible Sector,

the Independent Sector,

the Tax-exempt Sector,

Philanthropic Foundations,

and even the “Shadow State.”

In the 1980s, there was an innocent young housewife who, perhaps because she was too idle at home taking care of the children, volunteered regularly and read at least three newspapers a day, along with TAITRA’s "Trade News." From 1981 to 1985, she continuously observed Taiwan’s failed attempts at industrial transformation. The more she read, the more anxious she became. Not only were foreign investors withdrawing, but even Minister of Economic Affairs, Chao Yao-Tung, stepped down in disappointment. One day, she walked out of the kitchen and said to me, “I am going to start a business — to solve unemployment!” She then founded the world’s first “Social Enterprise” (SEL).

The “SEL” model elevated the Third Sector to a new and higher realm.

The project she launched was called the "Rich Taiwan Plan." After quickly resolving the unemployment problem of 100 people, she discovered that another 4,900 remained jobless. Unemployment, she realized, was a "structural social problem." So she made another vow: “I will create new industry to solve unemployment!”

Fig 2: Linda Din’s Rich Taiwan Plan

Her “new industry” was crafted by cutting, drawing, and pasting papers on the table until she produced a diagram of an Electronic Commerce System — "The eStore System" —claiming it was a new Technological Economic System, abbreviated "TES." I told her, “Don’t take outside something even I cannot understand!” But she took it to consult a group of scholars and experts — and returned crestfallen.

Fig 3: Linda Din’s invention of the new Tech-Economic System (TES)

She firmly insisted that TES could create many new job opportunities and benefit the world. Since it was my own wife’s aspiration, I decided to study it late at night when everything was quiet. “Wow—unbelievable!” I realized that people of the future would depend on her invention for their livelihood. I wrote the words “Heaven’s Secret” on paper, because TES was precisely what Professor Levitt described as the “new technologies, tools, and tactics” for addressing social problems. Its tangible results were at least threefold:

1. Mitigating the damage of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis;

2. Decreasing the damage of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis;

3. Helping 1.5 billion people earn money from home during COVID-19 enabling cashless transactions totaling USD 36 trillion.

After 11 years of effort, she brought her invention to APEC Vancouver 1997, igniting hope for the economies devastated by the Asian Financial Crisis. As a result, she was invited to be a lecturer (speaker) at APEC 1998, where her proposal led to the creation of the "E-Commerce legislation."

Fig 4: Linda Din won the APEC 1998 E-Commerce initiative

In 1999, I continued promoting her mission —“innovative industry to solve unemployment” — at APEC New Zealand. After SME Director-General Li Chang-Yi introduced me to speak on the global impact of "TES," representatives from various economies approached me saying, “Your pass should say 'Linda Din’s Husband'...” They praised her proposal delivered the year before at APEC Kuala Lumpur and remarked unanimously. APEC representatives in 1999 predicted that “the world’s richest person in the 21st century would be a woman—and she would come from Taiwan.”

During the meeting, I secured a resolution "strogly urge all economies to develop the infrastructures of e-commerce." My advisory letter to President Lee Teng-Hui also received a response; thus, on May 24, 1999, I brought the easy-to-use “Contactless TranSmart Card” and card reading device to Taipei City Government to present our proposal, which led to the adoption of the “EasyCard” system on the Taipei Metro in 2002. Economies around the world soon began adopting the “TranSmart Card” under various names.

Fig 5: The proposal at Taipei City Government enabling EasyCard

At APEC Brunei 2000, we advocated for “ICT.” After returning to Taiwan and patiently explaining its importance to government officials—dialogues recorded in "The Daughter of a Defense Employee" (Din, 2001: 356–369)—ICT has since become a major pillar of Taiwan’s economy.

Fig 6: Book— “The Daughter of a Defense Employee”

President Jiang Zemin invited us to the 2001 APEC Shanghai meeting. Holding the book The Daughter of a Defense Employee, he asked about the book’s themes—“innovative industry to solve unemployment,” “technologizing traditional industries, intellectualizing high-tech industries,” and the relationship between TES and national development.

Fig 7: President Jiang Zemin's invitation of APEC 2001

I replied, “It enables entry into a well-off society, and eventually becoming a superpower.” Because beginning with the spirit of “I help you, you help me,” autonomous resources— "Intellectual Property" (IP) —are the most crucial asset in the information society. IP protects the mission from "non-economic interference," ensuring that all participants benefit and that vulnerable groups are effectively served.

President Jiang responded, “Then TES is a great poverty-alleviation project!” Soon afterward, banners promoting the “Well-Off Society Policy” appeared throughout China.

He then handed me the freshly issued VAM patent certificate, saying, “This is the pride of the Chinese people — it is the first time a Chinese-developed product has led the world!” I answered, “It was invented by a Taiwanese woman!” He replied, “That makes it even more remarkable!” Thus, at APEC Shanghai, we secured two major resolutions — on "ICT" and "IPR" (Intellectual Property Rights).

Fig 8: President Jiang Zemin presenting the VAM patent certificate

Back in 1966, after my father was arrested and imprisoned, I founded the "Cheng-Kuang Metal Works" to support a family of nine. By year’s end, I managed to turn my business around through deals with American clients. This was made possible because a responsible public official — Minister of Economic Affairs K. T. Li —established the Kaohsiung Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) immediately upon taking office and successfully attracted foreign investors — bringing U.S. clients directly to ordinary citizens like me.

A teenage boy with no resources — neither academic nor financial —ended up creating "Taiwan’s Precision Industry," preparing all kinds of “applied materials,” both metallic and non-metallic. Besides being questioned by the Taiwan Garrison Command regarding “phosphor bronze and insulated plates,” even Mr. Chiang Ching-Kuo came personally to Taiping Bridge to see “what precision industry really was.”

Mr. Chiang encouraged me to make good use of advanced scientific skills to assist in promoting “people’s diplomacy.” We indeed helped our old friend Mayor Chang Li-Tang establish the sister-city relationship between Tainan and San Jose, California, launching the “Taiwan–Silicon Valley Direct Bridge.”

After the outbreak of the Fourth Middle East War on October 6, 1973, Arab oil-producing countries raised oil prices. Western nations, long enjoyed by overproduction and excessive consumption, suddenly faced imbalance between production and consumption. The result was simultaneous public- and private-sector failures, leading to severe recession — what became known as the dismal and disappointing 1970s. Fortunately, the “transistor cassette recorder” I developed for my hometown helped Taiwan survive that dark decade.

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. During her term (1979–1990), she attempted to build a “minimal state,” promoting privatization and deliberately downsizing the public sector. Her reforms emphasized free markets and entrepreneurialism, known as the “Thatcher Revolution.”

In January 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan declared at his inauguration: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem.”

This indicated that government itself was the problem. Reagan promoted supply-side economics, known as “Reaganomics.”

The “satellite receiver” and cable television that I developed in the U.S. in 1979 became an important tool for realizing Reaganomics — and in 1986, a crucial factor in Taiwan’s successful industrial transformation.

Linda Din (Ding Ling-Hong) observed that the failure of Taiwan’s industrial transformation between 1981 and 1985 stemmed from the fact that we were always following behind advanced nations. Therefore, when she received divine inspiration and invented "TES," she decided to create the "Contactless TranSmart Chip" as the transaction tool for a new tech-economic system — because a cashless society can eliminate many existing criminal motives.

Linda defined the world’s existing semiconductors as “contact-based”, and believed that adopting a “contactless” approach for the TranSmart Chip would allow Taiwan to differentiate its market from Europe, the United States, and Japan. Having heard me speak for years about the vision of "Home Automation," she believed that only a “contactless TranSmart Chip” could open the era of "edge computing," enabling Taiwan to lead the mainstream tech–economic society in the future and become the center of the Maritime (Ocean) Century. When she served as a lecturer at APEC in 1998, she even presented a slide titled “Taiwan as the Center of the Maritime Century,” explaining it for more than ten minutes at the conference.

Fig 9: Taiwan as the Center of the Maritime Century

Within three years of starting her business, she repaid her youth entrepreneurship loan and even had surplus funds to lend to the bank. Through commercial paper, she also helped several mid-sized companies avoid default crises. When she was again invited to be an APEC lecturer in 2003, her proposal, the “Global Channel-TES” won the award for Best Practice Policy. Someone at the conference exclaimed, “A new world’s richest person has been born!”

Fig 10: Linda Din’s SEL lent money to the bank

Because President Jiang Zemin’s question received a satisfactory answer at APEC Shanghai, he invited us to Beijing and offered "Chengdu as the demonstration site" for the TES system. Merrill Lynch planned to invest "USD 600 million," and Zhongnanhai granted us the issuance rights for "50 million TranSmart Cards." Once implemented, this project would have been the largest IPO in NASDAQ history. However, the entities of corruption on the island bribed company staff to steal the "Work Commission Agreement" which we sighed with PRC, and—using the Tax Bureau, prosecutors, police, and investigators—mercilessly persecuted the "Daughter of a National Defense employee," accusing her of “illegal fundraising for communist bandits,” even threatening: “We won’t let you live past 2004!”

Documents retrieved from the Tainan Economic Development Bureau in 2022 show that this corrupt island clique was a coalition of the King of Moab, A-Jin, and her Shangs (my brothers), launching a full-scale assault from both the physical and spiritual realms. The woman—so naïve that she believed “if one has the power to do good, one must not withhold it”—collapsed before me on November 21, 2004, and fell into dementia, aphasia, and memory loss.

Fortunately, years of cultivation allowed me to support this wounded comrade as we faced volleys of arrows. Despite countless schemes by corrupt henchmen to obstruct us, I still honored the invitation to report “TES Progress” at the APEC Summit in Hanoi, securing "satellite support" and reconnecting with our U.S. network to reopen the Silicon Valley office. Tragically, this woman — afraid of going to America — remained in Taiwan to endure the blows.

The corrupt group escalated their tactics. The innocent woman became nothing but a target for been besieged, eventually losing everything — her company, her home, her bank accounts, and her reputation. In effect, Article 15 of the Constitution—“The people’s rights to life, work, and property shall be protected”— became empty words. Under my continued protection, she retreated into a world of fantasy: believing that tomorrow a carriage drawn by clouds would arrive and everything she lost would return.

Among the Shangs I once raised with my life, a “Ten-horned” (my brother) exploited family ties to obtain my personal data, stole the cash I had deposited with the court, seized my property, and created financial obstacles that repeatedly wiped out my bank accounts.

As a follower of Confucius and Mencius, I spent the years before fourteen earning four to five thousand NT dollars per month and handing it to A-Jin to distribute in Tainan, surviving in Kaohsiung on a “one-dollar salted mackerel” for an entire week. Since the start of this year, I survived on twelve steamed buns for two weeks — yet became increasingly thirsty until I could barely speak.

Only then did I realize I had lost the youthful ability to draw energy from sun and moon. Stripped of my constitutional rights under Article 15, all my cultivation was futile. Hospital tests last week revealed "Zinc deficiency," indicating malnutrition. For someone who came within reach of becoming "the world’s richest person" to be reduced to malnutrition by a corrupt island clique — is this not absurd?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), author of The Social Contract, wrote thaat “Society is fractured by opposing views and conflicts, and no one willingly places personal will beneath the general will.”

Yet I — a realist — was somehow transformed by this innocent woman, dedicating my life to the mission of "Rich Taiwan." For example, in 1986 I could have taken a "satellite receiver" to other countries, but instead used it to catalyze Taiwan’s industrial transformation and help the nation enter the "Information-technology" (IT) era.

Because on May 20, 1984, I saved "He-Man" in a single day, my words were treated as imperial decree at Mattel, enabling me to help “rescue Barbie.” During that period, factory automation was one of my initiatives. When preparing to upgrade plastic injection-molding equipment, I inquired major industrial robot manufacturers worldwide, eventually introducing two Japanese robot companies to Taiwan and promoting "the automation of traditional industries."

When I brought the concept of "Contactless TranSmart Chip" to the Council for Economic Planning and Development and met Minister Chao Yao-Dong in 1986, he said the "government had no money" and could not understand the concept, telling me to visit ITRI. Someone there told me, “TranSmart Chips? You won’t be able to make that in fifty years!” Yet through our own efforts over eleven years, we presented our R&D achievements at APEC 1997, bringing hope to nations affected by the Asian Financial Crisis. Today, people around the civilized world rely on technologies born from this innovation as part of everyday life, contributing to "the intelligent evolution of the global tech industry."

Under sunlight, people typically pursue only self-interest. Yet there truly exist individuals of "high IQ and EQ" (dual-intelligence) who can place their personal foresight beneath the universal good, driven solely by the mission of realizing universal concern.

Rousseau once warned: “We must remain vigilant against any faction whose interests grow dangerously strong and deviate from the general will. A nation supported by all its citizens must exist for all its citizens, not for any particular faction or individual.”

The entities of corruption on island are precisely the kind of “interest faction” Rousseau described. Seeing our successful efforts representing Taiwan at APEC, and knowing that "TES would bring USD 10 trillion in opportunities to Taiwan" — making it the wealthiest nation of the Maritime Century — they launched a chain of schemes that ensnared the innocent woman and caused us to miss the best IPO window around the year 2000. TES’s "TSCM and ICT Control Center concepts" were taken up by new Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, who immediately rose to become the titans of search engines.

The subsequent attacks from this corrupt network were comprehensive. Had the innocent woman not been protected by “angels,” no number of lives would have sufficed.

Personal suffering is small in itself, but Taiwan lost the opportunity to use the “Intelligent Industry" we invented to lead the mainstream technological society of the 21st century. During my journey advocating the "Rich Taiwan Plan," my first sentence on stage was always: “Only when Taiwan prospers do our lives have value.” I worked to guide Taiwan from an unstable agricultural society into an industrial society, and to create the conditions for an information society, enabling Taiwan to stand firm in the world.

I uphold Professor Theodore Levitt’s ideal of “building a society in which no one is deprived or overlooked.” Yet we suffered relentless devastation from the entities of corruption on island — even someone like me eventually became "malnourished," revealing a "systemic failure" of both public and private institutions. This is not merely a “personal tragedy,” but a "structural failure" — touching upon industrial policy, social safety nets, potential economic catastrophes, human rights, and intellectual property.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (1866–1925), in order to save his suffering compatriots, founded the "Revive China Society," whose purpose was “to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish the Republic.” That organization was essentially the third sector that gave birth to the Republic of China (ROC). From 1945 to 1965, the Republic endured immense hardship. When I arrived in Kaohsiung in November 1965, I saw “mountains of bananas” rejected by Japan piled in the Kuo-Ming Market — symbolizing a society on the brink, while public authorities were helpless.

In the dark days of 1966, I devoted myself to craftsmanship while keeping my family alive. My unceasing preparation finally led to a turning point — I defeated competitors from Europe, America, and Japan, won orders from American firm (Avnet Inc.), and went on to build the “Precision Industry,” bringing more than fifty years of prosperity to the Republic of China.

What I want to say is this: during an authoritarian era, a thirteen-year-old boy could lift a poor family out of misery. But in a democratic and open society, someone who possessed the fundamental conditions to become “the richest person in the world” could nevertheless be struck at his weakest point — the innocent woman by the entities of corruption on island and reduced to malnutrition. Is this not absurd?

Looking back to 1972, after the Republic of China withdrew from the United Nations, many urged me to emigrate. Yet I chose to build a series factory in Yong Kang, attracting attention from the Garrison Command. Secretary-General Mei Ke-Wang of the Youth Guidance Council visited, and ultimately Premier Chiang Ching-Kuo himself came, gifting me the phrase “Li-Yung-Hou-Sheng”—means “Utilize Resources to Benefit the People” —preceded by “Rectify Virtue” and followed by “Only Harmony” in the Book of Documents – The Counsels of the Great Yu to Emperor Shun.

President Mei explained that “‘Rectify Virtue, Utilize Resources, Benefit the People, Only Harmony’ — these were the eight characters scholars of old had to engrave in their hearts before entering public service.”

These eight characters reflect Great Yu’s advisory to Emperor Shun, emphasizing the essence of "good governance." Rulers must take the initiative to “rectify virtue,” and must not allow corrupt factions to ravage ordinary citizens. The final phrase, “only harmony,” implies collective harmony: when virtue is upright, we in civil society can proactively “utilize resources,” thereby “benefiting all people.” Taiwan naturally has all the conditions required to become one of the world’s wealthiest nations.

If the opposite occurs, imbalance arises, leading to "systemic failure.”

The United Nations has "WIPO" (the World Intellectual Property Organization), Switzerland has the "Berne Convention," and APEC has the "IPR Shanghai Declaration." After APEC 2001 in Shanghai, I advised Premier Yu to strengthen "intellectual property legislation," and today even popular songs have "copyright protection." Since the 1980s we have promoted the path to Taiwan’s prosperity, traveled across the island with "SME Counseling Missions," brought our inventions to APEC and to the Taipei City Government for formal proposals, and even "authored publications" that guided national industrial development in a positive direction. Yet our fate turned out worse than that of apostles or prophets in the "Holy Bible" —something that should never happen in a democratic society.

When Dr. Sun Yat-Sen spoke of “true equality,” he said: “Everyone must regard 'service' as their purpose.” In 1985, we realized that human-centered thinking is the driving force of public-interest missions, and that "service" delivery is the means of achieving humanitarian care. We fully understood the meaning of our mission and, moved by the Holy Spirit, proposed practical tools to meet society’s needs without calculating the cost of assistance. Based on mutual aid and cooperation, we recognized that both the recipients and providers of service are human, and that every link in the chain of resources and operations forms “a living community to achieve common prosperity society” — hence earning the support of representatives from all APEC economies.

In ancient times, Emperor Shun was known for accepting Yu's counsel and proactively “rectifying virtue,” thereby uplifting public morals and fostering benevolent governance. During the period when we were developing the new “tech–economic system” (TES), it was precisely under President Lee Teng-Hui’s administration that our proposals were heard and responded to. This enabled Taiwan to lay the foundation for an information society in the 1990s. When he learned that we had been invited by President Obama to the APEC Summit to contribute ideas on “Rebuilding the Global Economy,” he personally invited us to "Tsui-San Villa" for an in-depth discussion.

Fig 11: Contributed the way of “Rebuilding the Global Economy”

He said, “Only with non-governmental persons of your distinguished sense of mission were we able to secure these big achievements at APEC.” After listening to Linda Din’s explanation, he commented, “This TES is a major reform in finance and technology. It truly has the potential to bring a ten trillion US dollars economic scale to Taiwan.”

Fig 12: President Lee Teng-Hui learning about the contributions of TES

Then he shifted tone and asked, “What is the government’s attitude?” When Linda mentioned the name of Control Yuan President "Wang Chien-Hsuan," former President Lee responded sternly, “You must be extremely careful with that person. Wang Chien-Hsuan is the one appointment I regret the most.”

I then said, “Mr. President, it is already too late. We have been besieged for years, and our base has been destroyed. Wang claimed the Control Yuan would redress the injustices done to us, and his investigation had been ongoing for years…” Later, Wang classified the investigative report as ‘Secret’ until August 16, 2017 — and stated that our inventions should no longer be brought up by ourselves.

Hearing this, former President Lee shook his head and sighed, “What is wrong with making Taiwan prosperous? I truly don’t understand what these young fellows are thinking.” The most tangible outcome was that corruption-driven attacks delayed the implementation of a “ten-trillion-dollar Rich Taiwan,” causing the nation enormous economic loss.

We have deliberately avoided the sensitive issue of "sovereignty identity" within the International Exchange Platform (APEC). Instead, we have independently advocated new "tech-economic perspectives" that contribute to future public interests. Especially during times of financial crisis, we proposed "Instrumental Solutions" — technology-driven economic approaches with relatively low political sensitivity. These gained broad recognition and acceptance, forming a "Global Channel" that later demonstrated its “Ark-type” (pre-prepared) social-engineering effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such solutions are far more needed by humanity than disasters caused by “revolution, war,” or “failures driven by greed.”

Scripture states: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:35) As a "Pathfinder," I should be well-nourished in order to lead the way. Yet after enduring long-term attacks from corruption, I have been pushed into danger — my health damaged by the "deprivation of the constitutional right to survival under Article 15,” suffering from malnutrition, zinc deficiency, and severe dry mouth. This reflects that the nation I love has not treated us well; some even call this a “national disgrace.”

My current predicament as a Pathfinder symbolizes a deeper “imbalance” within the nation’s order and institutions. A “Gadget Master” who has lived a lifetime of frugality, diligence, and philanthropy has been tormented — simply because of the "Rich Taiwan Plan" —to the point of tasting the suffering of the poor. This has already been regarded as “human-rights persecution.” Yet I still believe justice will ultimately prevail over evil. “Clouds gathering without rain” cannot remain dry forever; the day will come when heavenly dew descends.

In January, President Trump declared in his inaugural address that corrupt groups are "cartels" — essentially terrorists to be eliminated. In November, he again emphasized the fatal nature of "government failure (system breakdown)." Fortunately, his team acted swiftly, restoring America’s domestic and international strength and bringing peace and stability to the world.

He stated: “If America continues its growth trajectory, the $30 trillion economy of 2025 will expand to $40 trillion in the 2030s.” He also noted that Taiwan provides a direct gateway to the Second Island Chain; therefore, containing the conflicts surrounding Taiwan — ideally by maintaining military superiority — is an urgent priority.

If Taiwan’s top leadership commits fully to eradicating corruption, our "Rich Taiwan Plan" —with its target economic scale of “US$10 trillion” — can align with the United States’ "National Security Strategy" and build a economic-military capable of deterring aggression anywhere along the First Island Chain. This would place Taiwan in an enviable position and make us a "navigator" in the new era of the tech-economic world.

Peter Li-Chang Kuo, the author created Taiwan's Precision Industry in his early years. Peter was a representative of the APEC CEO Summit and an expert in the third sector. He advocated "anti-corruption (AC)/cashless/e-commerce (E-Com)/ICT/IPR/IIA-TES / Micro-Business (MB)…and etc." to win the international bills and regulations.