During a recent trip to Hong Kong and mainland China, I was struck by the extensive coverage of Taiwan in both the print and electronic media. It contrasts sharply with how little attention Taiwan pays to either of its neighbours, the region and indeed the world.
On the mainland, for example, state television lavished attention on Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian's latest political crisis - sparked by the indictment of his wife on corruption charges. Taiwanese political commentators were interviewed and given ample time to discuss the internal logic of the continuing support for Mr Chen by his Democratic Progressive Party.
No such serious discussion of mainland affairs ever occurs on Taiwanese television. Certainly no mainland commentators are invited to share their views on, say, the significance of Kuomintang overtures to Beijing.
Part of this stems from continuing restrictions on the Taiwanese media on the mainland. But the overriding reason is a remarkable lack of interest on the part of most Taiwanese about events across the Taiwan Strait. That is despite the estimated Taiwanese investments there of over US$100 billion, the presence of more than 300,000 islanders in the mainland, and the 800-odd missiles Beijing has pointed at Taiwan.
Hong Kong, as far as the Taiwanese media is concerned, might as well be a black hole. Korea? Who cares if North Korea has the bomb? Certainly no one in Taiwan does - even if the island's fate is inextricably linked to events on the Korean Peninsula - judging by the minimal flicker of interest shown in translated newswire stories.
Taiwan's clear lack of interest in the outside world is partly the effect of the island's prolonged, self-imposed isolation after the Republic of China government lost its UN seat in 1971.