JUST what exactly is the secret to getting rich?
For Taiwan’s Ambassador Henry Ming-Jeng Chen, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s (Mofa) Department of International Information Services, it’s a formula from his side of the Orient: Simply junk the Western mind-set, and follow that of the East Asian’s outlook in life.
To quote him: “Even if you want to enjoy your life today, you still have to work hard, because you don’t know what will happen tomorrow.”
A peripatetic envoy who has traveled to 89 countries, Chen places as paramount a piece of East Asian wisdom of valuing hard work, so that one will have something to fall back on in the future.
This attitude, he said, was shaped by his mother’s admonition when he was still young.
In a special gathering of journalists from 13 countries, including this reporter who represented the Philippines via the BusinessMirror, Chen regaled us with his vast experience while we enjoyed lunch in an upscale Thai restaurant in downtown Taipei.
“Try some chips first—maybe that is the only thing they prepared for you,” he declared in jest as he offered some crunchy, thinly sliced potatoes—a witty gesture that broke the ice for our gathering.
‘Tomorrow never knows’
IN many of his travels, Chen said fellow envoys from the West often ask him: “Why do Asians seem nervous, or anxious, about the future?”
His reply: “I’ve been taught by my parents at a young age that, if I earn $100, the most you can spend is $60.”
He then recalled a time when he asked his folks where he needed to place the remaining amount. “Put $20 in the bank, and invest the remainder [in business].”
A puzzled Chen badgered his mother for the reason. “Because you’ll never know what will happen tomorrow,” the elder closed with a bit of wisdom from the ages.
To which an American interrogator retorted: “Why, do you know what will happen tomorrow?”
“I said, I don’t know,” Chen admitted, then the American advised him confidently, “So, enjoy your life today.”
These are the kinds of conversations Chen has had with foreign dignitaries decades ago. Today, many experts are of the opinion that the spendthrift, prodigal, happy-go-lucky West mentality is in decline while the miserly, hardworking and patient Oriental way of life has made many Asians rich and prosperous.
After all, Western magazines have proclaimed, including financial and geopolitical experts, that this is the “Asian century.”
Consider that, in three decades, China, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia seem to have leapt out of their poverty. They became developed economies through sheer patience, perseverance and penny-pinching.
Some Asians are molded in transcendent tradition and money-stashing habits, thus enjoying the fruits of their labors. Their gross income per capita is up to world standards, while they have fewer issues disrupting their daily activities that are focused on efforts to earn more.
Mind-set on money
“ORIENTAL people have a different concept. Even today, I tell my daughter that kind of philosophy, which is the essence of our society,” Chen continued.
On the downside, the Taiwanese diplomat shared the risk of always having cash on hand and not entrusting it in a bank.
He relayed an experience of a Chinese senior citizen who requested for a copy of his travel documents, as he lost all of his belongings while sauntering in a park. The envoy then asked the man about the contents of his backpack.
“There was $30,000 cash, and another $10,000 in [the form of] signed checks in the bag,” the man recalled. Chen quizzed the poor chap why he did not have any other form of electronic money with him instead.
Chen was told, “I’m sorry, I don’t trust credit card[s] or debit card[s].”
The ambassador could only feel compassion for the elderly, “because that is the Asian concept. The older generation keeps millions in their pockets.”
“[But] now,” he noticed the transformation and transition when it came to money and finances, as “the young generation has changed a lot.”
(Chen volunteered that the Arabs are also among the most anxious people he has ever encountered, because even if they are wallowing in wealth today, the specter of the supply of crude oil in their region being depleted soon haunts their collective psyche.)
He thinks the British are more relaxed, including the Filipinos, whom he sees as “the most easy-going, like [those from] Latin America.” he noted, perhaps referring to the usual observations that our habits were formed by 400 years of being under the rule of Europeans.
The ambassador believes some of today’s generation of Asians, whose parents made it possible for them to enjoy the good life, are “more like Westerners: [they spend] no matter how much they earn.”
Asked whether one can live for today, enjoy the good life and still save some money in the bank, the Taiwanese said: “[That is the thing] we try to teach our children.”
Longtime diplomat
A BACHELOR of Arts graduate in Chinese Culture from the University of Taiwan, Chen is a research fellow at the California State University in Los Angeles. He then assumed the position of being the Mofa’s spokesman from 1999 to 2001.
After that, he was the representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Ireland (2001), in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria (2005), in Thailand (2010), and in Poland (2015).
He was recalled by Mofa to be its director general for the Department of International Information Services—a position he holds to this day. In all, Chen has been with the ministry for the last 37 years.
Having been to different countries, the Taiwanese diplomat shared, “As the saying goes, a rolling stone gathers no moss.”
Fellow diplomats have in the past teased Chen for accepting previous posts that were far from the limelight and were considered as “poor” assignments.
“Your Excellency, you must do something [about it]; it’s a kind of punishment,” his counterparts joked, to which he insisted: “We have no right to choose the country [of our assignment].”
No matter where, Chen tried to like the countries of his three-year stints. He considers his work “not just a job,” but his “life.” “I always enjoyed where I stayed.”
Asked by his peers which country he liked most, he replied, “I can’t single out any. Everywhere I’ve been to has been a very special experience. I enjoyed all of them.”
While in Warsaw, Chen was able to learn Polish, but had some hard luck in learning Thai while posted in Bangkok.
Where everyone is important
WHENEVER entertaining visitors like our group, Chen tries to listen to his guests and find out their impressions of Taiwan.
“I don’t like to hear whose side is the best [Taiwan or China],” he warned, but reminded everyone that he exerts all of his efforts to strengthen his country’s relationship with others.
He cited an instance of a visitor from Belgium who forgot his personal effects in a hotel where he stayed. The bag had plenty of cash in euros and American dollars.
“But the money was not important to him, [but rather,] his mobile phone that was in the bag.”
Chen said they faced the problem of sending back the Belgian’s belongings, which Mofa eventually did, as it coursed the missing bag through an official going to Europe.
“This is a service. It is hard to believe, [but] I don’t want that to happen to you, because if you lost your mobile phone, you can’t meet your schedules on time. It’s very important for media people also, because they have lots of information stored [on their mobile phone].”
The envoy wants visitors to feel like VIPs when they are in Taiwan, because that would be their first impression of his homeland.
To drive home his point, he cited as an example that a tourist could go out in the middle of the night to look for food without fear of being violated.
“We have 24-hour services, and you can enjoy a variety of food without getting worried that someone will steal your cash. Your only worry is [in choosing the kind of food you will have],” as Taiwan is a foodie’s paradise that caters to all tastes and nationalities.
During our weeklong stay, Chen advised the media contingent that they would have the opportunity to mingle with some members of their 16 indigenous peoples, “the original inhabitants of Taiwan.” (Portuguese sailors of old once dubbed their homeland as Formosa, which means “beautiful island.”)
Following her election in 2016, President Tsai Ing-Wen, on behalf of the Taiwanese government, apologized for neglecting in the past their native citizens.
Today, Taiwan’s indigenous peoples enjoy political rights. Some of them even have become members of Parliament. They also reside in European-style modern homes built by the government.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano