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POLITICS & NEWS

Ask This Taiwanese: Don’t Move On From Elections Yet

Ketagalan Media

Taiwan just had another round of elections last month, and we’re not ready to move on–from thinking about why elections matter.

Songshan Airport Debated by Taipei Legislator By-Election Candidates

New Bloom

The by-election to fill the seat formerly occupied by Taipei mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an has taken on an unusual significance with regard to some of the proposals...

Constitutional Court Hears Arguments On Divorce in Mid-November on No-Fault Divorces

New Bloom

The Constitutional Court heard arguments on divorce in mid-November, with regard to current conditions that allow divorces to take place. The hearing was held on...

Prosecutors Aim to Annul Miaoli County Magistrate Election Over Vote Buying Charges

New Bloom

Questions have been raised about whether pan-Blue independent Chung Tung-chin, who is the current Miaoli county magistrate-elect, may be removed from office and...

The Fall of Evergrande: A Case Study of China’s Financial Turmoil in 2022 and the Implication to China-Bound International Capital in 2023 and Beyond

Taiwan Insight

Written by Daniel Jia. In late 2021, international investors felt a real chill from China: China’s real estate giant, China Evergrande Group, defaulted on interest...

Will Measures Be Taken to Allow People with COVID-19 to Vote in Elections?

New Bloom

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has taken a stance against calls for measures to be taken to allow those with COVID-19 to vote, claiming that there is no...

Election Cycle Characterized by Political Attacks

New Bloom

In evaluation of the current election, what stands out is the number of political attacks made on candidates

Is Disinformation on the Rise Before Elections in Taiwan?

New Bloom

It may not be surprising to observe the uptick in Chinese disinformation ahead of the nine-in-one elections scheduled to take place in late November. Nevertheless,...

Ma Administration Officials Criticized Over Influence, Loopholes Regulating Chinese Investment

New Bloom

The Economic Democracy Union held a press conference late last month outside of the Legislative Yuan, calling for stronger action by the government to regulate...

Miaoli County Officials Questioned Over Ugandan Students Forced to Work in Factories

New Bloom

Miaoli county Labor and Youth Development deputy head Tu Jung-hui was questioned by police earlier this month in connection with Ugandan students at the Chung Chou...

Will Taiwan Be Able to Lower Its Voting Age From One of the World’s Highest?

New Bloom

Questions have been raised about whether an upcoming referendum to lower the voting age to 18 will pass. Concerns have been raised about whether the referendum...

Apple Daily Taiwan Rebrands as Next Apple News, Questions Remain About Sensitive Data

New Bloom

The saga of the Apple Daily Taiwan has taken a strange turn, with the announcement by Singaporean entrepreneur Joseph Phua that 96% of the current Apple Daily...

Illegal Dumping Case in Chiayi Latest Incident of Politician Investigated Over Land Corruption

New Bloom

Chen Feng-mei, the DPP mayor of Budai township in Chiayi, is currently under investigation for illegal dumping. This proves one of a series of prominent cases...

SOAS Taiwan Studies Summer School Returns With Indigenous Documentaries Festival

Ketagalan Media

This year’s summer school at the Centre of Taiwan Studies (CTS) of SOAS University of London includes Taiwan Indigenous Documentaries.

CPTPP Membership for Taiwan: Rationales, Challenges, and Outlook

Taiwan Insight

Written by Roy Lee. Taiwan has been preparing for CPTPP accession for the last eight years. The economic importance of CPTPP for Taiwan is critical, as it is...

Gatekeeper’s Dilemma: Japan Facing CPTPP Applications from China and Taiwan

Taiwan Insight

Written by Saori N. Katada. For more than a decade, the Transpacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement has been vital to the Japanese government’s economic agenda....

Taiwan’s Catalytic Role for Resilient Development in the CPTPP

Taiwan Insight

Written by Peter C. Y. Chow. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Transpacific Partnership (CPTPP) was considered as one of the pathways to a Free Trade...

Ask This Taiwanese: Xi Jinping, China, Scared for What’s Next

Ketagalan Media

Xi Jinping is becoming ever more authoritarian, and the future looks bleak. As Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans, what should we do?

Taiwan Ponders TikTok/Douyin Ban

New Bloom

The Taiwanese government plans to ban TikTok/Douyin in the public sector, mandating that public sector workers cannot use the app, with rising concerns about the...

Terry Gou Attacks the Tsai Administration Over BioNTech

New Bloom

FoxConn founder Terry Gou has recently begun publicly criticizing the Central Epidemic Command Center that coordinates Taiwan’s COVID-19 strategy over its apparent...

DPP Suffers Another Defeat in Chiayi Mayoral Election

New Bloom

The DPP suffered a loss in the Chiayi mayoral election over the weekend. This adds another defeat to the losses suffered by the DPP in nine-in-one elections

 

Taiwan Insight

Written by Tsung-Mei Cheng. Chronic financial instability and the difficulty the government has with raising the premium rate to balance the budget aside, the NHI...

Late October Visit by Eswatini Monarch Continues Taiwan’s Backing of an Authoritarian Ruler

New Bloom

King Mswati III visited Taiwan last month as part of the first visit to Taiwan by the monarch of Eswatini since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mswati III was...

Miaoli County Magistrate Candidate Called on to Drop Out by DPP, KMT, NPP Over Murder Charges

New Bloom

In perhaps one of the most unusual events in local politics in the present race, independent Chung Tung-chin, who is running for Miaoli county magistrate, has been...

KMT Keelung Mayoral Candidate Accused of Money Laundering by Opponent

New Bloom

The DPP’s candidate for Keelung mayor, Tsai Shih-ying, has accused his KMT opponent, Hsieh Kuo-liang of money laundering

Biden Comments on Taiwan Commitment Again Walked Back, but Likely to Be Interpreted as of Greater Significance

New Bloom

Earlier today, US president Joe Biden confused again with comments on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that suggested US commitment to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese...

Jacobin Features Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad Labeling Taiwan a “Rock”, Again Ignores Taiwanese Voices

New Bloom

Jacobin's latest confused foray into commenting on Taiwan proves to be a video on its YouTube channel, the Jacobin Show, featuring Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad....

KMT Continues to Be Caught in a Bind Regarding 1992 Consensus

New Bloom

The KMT has experienced further controversy regarding the 1992 Consensus, following a recent interview by party chair Eric Chu with Deutsche Welle, as well as an...

Taipei and Taoyuan Races Face Split Votes

New Bloom

It did not exactly come as a surprise when Taipei deputy mayor Vivian Huang, also known as Huang Shan-shan, tendered her resignation late last month in preparation...

Fair Go for Taiwan: Perspectives from Taiwanese diaspora in Australia

Taiwan Insight

Written by Mei-Fen Kuo. A recent exhibition mounted by Australia’s government office in Taiwan––“40 years, 40 stories”––highlights the importance of...

South Korea’s Application to CPTPP, What Caused the Delay?

Taiwan Insight

Written by Sohyun Zoe Lee. In 2010, the United States (US) extended an invitation to South Korea to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) after the successful...

The Impact of the UK Joining the CPTPP: Its Strategy, Economic Merits and Domestic Constraints

Taiwan Insight

Written by Minako Morita-Jaeger. The UK government is currently in the process of the CPTPP accession negotiation with the expectation of joining the organisation...

The Rivalry Between Mainland China and Taiwan: How They View Each Other’s Application to Join the CPTPP

Taiwan Insight

Written by Liqiao Guo. This article clarifies how the mainland and Taiwan view each other’s applications and tries to find the similarities and differences by...

A Reflection on ‘Taiwan Studies’ as a Discipline in and of Itself

Taiwan Insight

Written by Niki Alsford. To conclude, Taiwan Studies exists as an academic discipline because those who engage with it—whether in the continental or oceanic...

TPP Hsinchu Mayor-Elect Ann Kao’s Offices Searched in Connection with Corruption Charges

New Bloom

The offices of TPP legislator Ann Kao, who is the mayor-elect of Hsinchu, were searched by prosecutors yesterday. Kao and other witnesses were also questioned by...

Tsai Announces Return of Military Conscription to One Year

New Bloom

President Tsai Ing-wen today announced the extension of the military draft to one year from the current four months at a press conference that began at 3:30 PM....

Legislators Call for Action Against Organ Trafficking

New Bloom

Pan-green legislators from the DPP and NPP held a press conference last weekend to call attention to the issue of unregulated organ harvesting and trafficking from...

Will Ties to Gangsters Be the Next Pressing Issue in Taiwanese Politics?

New Bloom

Gang-related ties and past criminal charges did not prove to be an obstacle for pan-Blue candidates winning office in the last set of elections. Namely, criminal...

The Interaction between Taiwan’s Indigenous and Migrant Workers: Lessons from Construction Industry

Taiwan Insight

Written by Hsuan Lo. Translated by Yi-Yu Lai. In Taiwan, a narrative concerning the opposition of migrant and Indigenous workers appears to be a continuing source...

Drone Controversy in Taichung Mayoral Race Reflects Past Controversies

New Bloom

An unusual controversy has broken out regarding drones in the Taichung mayoral race. In particular, the KMT’s mayoral candidate, Lu Shiow-yen, is accusing her...

Constitutional Court Rules in Favor of Siraya, Paving Way for Broader Pingpu Recognition

New Bloom

The Constitutional Court ruled on Friday in favor of the recognition of the Siraya and other Pingpu groups as “Indigenous.” This reverses a previous ruling by the...

Taoyuan Care Facility Death Points to Broader Issue of Corporal Punishment Against Children in Taiwan

New Bloom

An ongoing Control Yuan investigation aims to investigate a care facility in Taoyuan linked to the death of a five-year-old child and brain damage to a...

Reaction to Stabbings Illustrate Long Path to be Walked for Abolition of Capital Punishment

New Bloom

Recent public reactions following the stabbing death of two police officers by an escaped jail inmate, surnamed Lin, illustrate the long path to be walked for...

CtiTV Attempts to Retaliate Against Criticisms from UMC Founder with 500 Million NT Lawsuit

New Bloom

UMC founder and former chair Robert Tsao has gotten into an unusual dispute with pan-Blue news network CtiTV regarding recent plans by Tsao to donate 1 billion NT...

Efforts to Assist Human Trafficking Victims Contested Between KMT and DPP

New Bloom

Efforts to assist Taiwanese human rights trafficking victims in Cambodia have become contested between the KMT and the DPP as of late, in a timeframe shortly...

Digital Intermediary Services Act Draft Leads to Controversy

New Bloom

A recent draft bill by the National Communications Commission, the draft Digital Intermediary Services Act, has led to polarized reactions from Internet freedom...

Ask This Taiwanese: July 4th–What Makes a Country a Country?

Ketagalan Media

In honor of July 4th when we celebrate the “founding” of America, we ask “what makes a country, well, a country?” 

Racing to Join the Club: A Canadian Perspective on the CPTPP

Taiwan Insight

Written by Hugh Stephens. As Canada works to develop and roll out its new “Indo-Pacific Strategy,” its membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive...

The Political Challenges to Taiwan’s Bid to Join the CPTPP

Taiwan Insight

Written by Tian He and Michael Magcamit. Taiwan is becoming increasingly isolated in the regional economy. The virtual signing of the RCEP on 15 November 2020 was...

Australia’s Perspective on the Applications from the UK, China, and Taiwan to Join the CPTPP

Taiwan Insight

Written by Richard Pomfret. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) evolution has been a combustible mixture. On the one...

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