English

WHO Push for Taiwan Quieter This Year, With Shift Away From COVID Narratives Globally

Brian Hioe
The annual meeting of the World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization, is currently taking place from May 22nd to May 28th. Taiwan was allowed to participate in the WHO as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under the Ma administration. But after the Tsai administration took power, Taiwan was not allowed to participate, as a result of Chinese pressure. As with past years, Taiwan has sought to call attention to its exclusion from the WHA and WHO, to call for its inclusion as an observer. Nevertheless, efforts to gain admittance to the WHA have been comparatively quiet this year, compared to past years....
EnglishInternationalMay 2022Regional Tensions6 min read

Inside the 2022 Philippine Elections in Taiwan

Girard Mariano Lopez
The Philippines has officially elected the former dictator’s family, Marcos, back into the presidency, specifically, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or known as Bongbong Marcos, as well as the incumbent president’s daughter, Sara Duterte as vice president. Though election day in the Philippines was fraught with countless cases of violence, voter disenfranchisement, vote buying, machine “errors”, electioneering, military intimidation and various more instances that challenge claims of a “clean and fair elections”, the landslide victory of Marcos and Sara Duterte in Taiwan was won fairly via a peaceful and incident free month-long voting process. I should know–I was part of the poll-watcher group at the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei for the largest opposition candidate, specifically, Leni Robredo and her running mate, Kiko Pangilinan...
EnglishMay 2022Politics8 min read

Confusion About “Chinese” or “Taiwanese” Identity of Gunman after Shooting at Taiwanese Church in California

Brian Hioe
Five were injured and one was killed in a shooting at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church on Sunday afternoon. The victims were all Taiwanese American, as was the shooter, David Wenwei Chou, age 68, who was a resident of Las Vegas. The shooting took place at a lunch reception for a pastor who had returned to Taiwan to start a congregation there, where 30 to 40 people were reportedly present. The Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church convened at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Irvine...
EnglishMay 2022Politics15 min read