The firing of a veteran Taiwanese news anchor has become a symbol of something bigger: money and confidence are moving away from China-facing businesses and toward Taiwan's AI boom.

• CTi TV laid off anchor Chou Yu-chin, the second host of its "Digital Taiwan" program to go, and the move set off a public debate in Taiwan.
• A new national survey marks a turning point: for the first time in over twenty years, more Taiwanese feel good about their own economy than bad about it.
• For most of the past two decades the mood was the opposite — at the low point in the mid-2000s, more than 90% of people were pessimistic about Taiwan while betting on China's rise.
• Taiwanese companies built on China's growth are now struggling: Want Want's chairman admitted in a letter to staff that the group failed to reinvent itself over thirty years, and its Hong Kong-listed shares keep sinking.
• Chinese consumer names are hurting too, with stocks like Huali Group and Haidilao repeatedly hitting new lows as domestic spending in China weakens.

Outlook: Taiwan's AI-driven economy and China's deflating consumer market are expected to keep pulling apart, with more pain ahead for firms that staked everything on the Chinese market.