Citizens of United Nations members have the advantage of having their basic rights safeguarded but the disadvantage that other whims which are not basic rights might eventually be forced on so many unsuspecting millions.

Taiwan, which is not a UN member, while regularly holding multiparty parliamentary elections, has a free press and assures its citizens’ basic rights. Its citizens enjoy a far better standard of living under a capitalist system than do the Chinese on the mainland under the one-party communist regimes. This island jurisdiction, ever careful to safeguard its assets, also takes a proactive approach with regard to protecting citizens who are consumers of financial services from the predatory activities of investment speculators. For example, recently Taiwan blocked, as reported by the Financial Times online, the takeover of a controlling stake in a Taiwanese listed firm, Yageo, by international investors KKR, which would have led to the delisting of this company, which the regulator deemed as not being a good bargain for the local investors.

I just wonder when some similar moves will be taken by our regulator to stand up for local investors in the face of listed firms being taken over by foreign interests.