Brian Hioe

Removal of “Chainsmoker Cat” Shows When Government Violates Free Speech in the Name of Anti-Drug Policies

Brian Hioe
An investigation launched by the Health Promotion Administration has resulted in the removal of the anime Chainsmoker Cat from streaming platform Bahamut Animation Crazy. This occurred after complaints by the John Tung Foundation, the Taiwan Anti-Smoking Alliance, and other groups that the anime promoted smoking...
August 2026EnglishFeaturedPoliticsSocial MovementsYouth Movements3 min read

Prashad Again Leaps to Defense of Mass Murderers in Effort to Delegitimize Open Letter on Iranian Political Prisoners

Brian Hioe
In a typical course of action, Vijay Prashad has hit out at a letter by a number of prominent left intellectuals in The Guardian criticizing both the Iranian government and the forces of Western imperialism, which calls instead for solidarity with Iranian political prisoners. Prashad is, of course, predictably an apologist for the Iranian regime–which killed tens of thousands earlier this year under the cover of Internet blackouts to little international reporting...
August 2026EnglishFeaturedPolitics5 min read

Taiwan Foundation for Democracy Criticized Over Indigenous Cultural Appropriation in June

Brian Hioe
In June, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy was criticized by Amnesty International Taiwan over Indigenous cultural appropriation. Specifically, at this year’s East Asia Democracy Forum, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy unveiled an AI ambassador who was depicted as Paiwan–this despite the Paiwan community not being consulted with regard to its depiction, nor was any permission sought from the community over the use of Paiwan cultural symbols...
August 2026EnglishIndigenousPoliticsRaceSocial Movements3 min read
Avatar photo

Brian Hioe

Brian Hioe is one of the founding editors of New Bloom. He is a freelance journalist, as well as a translator. A New York native and Taiwanese-American, he has an MA in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University and graduated from New York University with majors in History, East Asian Studies, and English Literature. He was Democracy and Human Rights Service Fellow at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy from 2017 to 2018 and is currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the University of Nottingham's Taiwan Studies Programme, as well as board member of the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club.

丘琦欣，創建破土的編輯之一，專於撰寫社會運動和政治的自由作家偶而亦從事翻譯工作。他自哥倫比亞大學畢業，是亞洲語言及文化科系的碩士，同時擁有紐約大學的歷史，東亞研究及英文文學三項學士學位。