When Chien Hui-Jiuan, a department director at Taiwan's National Immigration Agency, talks about attracting foreign talent, one is inclined to believe her. "We want to become a multicultural society, and besides, we need foreign professionals," she says.

The government has bought into that vision, and announced plans in July to attract foreign nationals to make up for a shortfall in management, finance, engineers and many other professions. The government said it would broaden the industries in which foreign experts are welcome - in the past concentrated in technology - and lure them with tax incentives.