POLITICS & NEWS
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...
Pondering the Pacific: One of the Moons Version II
Taiwan Insight
Written by Ysanne Chen, Ilin Tsai, and Shih-Hao Huang. In “Pondering the Pacific,” we conceptualise the Pacific as an oceanic highway or a contact zone. The vast...
A Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP): A Game of Go? Or Three-dimensional Chess?
Taiwan Insight
Written by Chun-Yi Lee and Michael Reilly. The CPTPP is an ambitious, wide-ranging free trade agreement (FTA) signed between Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada,...
How Vital is the CPTPP Membership to Taiwan?
Taiwan Insight
Written by Yun-Chieh Wang. On September 22, 2021, six days after the Chinese government submitted its application to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement...
Distilling the Complexity of Taiwan’s Identity Politics
Ketagalan Media
How to explain Taiwan’s identity politics to the general audience is a question with profound geopolitical effects.
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...
Pondering the Pacific: One of the Moons Version I
Taiwan Insight
Written by Shih-hao Huang, Chiahua Lin, and Robinson Pinghao Liu. Employing “the Pacific” as a contact zone, this poetry collection explores the dynamic and...
Cashing in Taiwan’s Chips: Trade Deals and Divergent Interests from Washington and Tokyo
Taiwan Insight
Written by Shihoko Goto. The momentum for Taiwan to be an integral part of the global economic community is reaching unprecedented levels. Taiwan’s ability to keep...
How Vital is the CPTPP Membership to Taiwan?
Taiwan Insight
Written by Yun-Chieh Wang. On September 22, 2021, six days after the Chinese government submitted its application to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement...
A Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP): A Game of Go? Or Three-dimensional Chess?
Taiwan Insight
Written by Chun-Yi Lee and Michael Reilly. The CPTPP is an ambitious, wide-ranging free trade agreement (FTA) signed between Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada,...
Inside the 2022 Philippine Elections in Taiwan
New Bloom
The Philippines has officially elected the former dictator’s family, Marcos, back into the presidency, specifically, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or known as Bongbong...
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...
Global Britain Goes to Southeast Asia: Investment Flows in an Era of Great Power Competition
Taiwan Insight
Written by Guanie Lim and Xu Chengwei. In March 2021, the UK government published the ‘Global Britain in a Competitive Age’ report. Amongst other things, it sets...
From WTO to CPTPP: What Makes the Consideration of China and Taiwan’s Accessions Different?
Taiwan Insight
Written by Jacques deLise. In 2000-2001, China and Taiwan entered the World Trade Organization (WTO). Their admittance to the central institution of the...
From WTO to CPTPP: What Makes the Consideration of China and Taiwan’s Accessions Different?
Taiwan Insight
Written by Jacques deLise. In 2000-2001, China and Taiwan entered the World Trade Organization (WTO). Their admittance to the central institution of the...
Beyond Finding Taiwan’s Voice: NTNU International Taiwan Studies Center
Ketagalan Media
Taiwan has been obsessed about “finding its voice” on the international stage. Now that Taiwan has done that, what to do with that voice?