How Taiwan beat China to be Asia's top-performing economy

The world gasped in amazement at China’s impressive 6% to 11% annual GDP growth over the past decade as the People’s Republic became a truly global powerhouse. Last year, however, the coronavirus pandemic wrecked that incredible trajectory, leading to China’s slowest expansion since 1976 at just 2.3%. Instead, the region’s top-performing economy was Taiwan, the contentious territory that China sees as its own, which saw economic output expand by 3.11%. The island, which was widely praised for its handling of the health crisis, also benefited from demand for its technology during global lockdowns and the subsequent trade rebound. “Taiwan is…