Hsinchu city mayor Lin Chih-chien was accused by the KMT of plagiarism earlier this week. Lin, who is a DPP politician that won in Hsinchu in 2014, is running as the DPP’s candidate for Taoyuan mayor in elections later this fall...
Hong Kong has a new political leader, with John Lee sworn into office on July 1st, which also marks the anniversary of the 1997 Handover of Hong Kong from British control to Chinese control. Marking the importance of the occasion, no less than Chinese president Xi Jinping visited Hong Kong for Lee’s swearing-in ceremony. This was Xi’s first trip outside of the Chinese mainland since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic...
With the election victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., in the Philippines in May, one can interpret this as a victory for authoritarian nostalgia. Namely, Marcos is the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who ruled the Philippines with an iron first from 1965 to 1986...
The Taichung city government has made moves to rein in air pollution, with new regulations targeting steel mills having been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency for review by Taichung’s Environmental Protection Bureau. The Taichung city government touts such restrictions as the strictest in the country and hopes that they will take effect before the end of this year...
The prospect of electricity hikes has become a contested political issue. An average increase of 8.4% and 15% for large industrial electricity users was announced by the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Monday...
Recent comments by Icyang Parod, the head of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, took a stance against legally recognizing Pingpu peoples currently seeking recognition as Indigenous. The comments took place in the context of a hearing by the Constitutional Court to hear arguments on the recognition of the Siraya people, which took place on Tuesday. The hearing involved the Constitutional Court hearing arguments from the Council of Indigenous Peoples, the Tainan city government, and the National Human Rights Commission, which is part of the Control Yuan. The Constitutional Court will make an announcement of its date to publicize its decision on the issue one month from now...
Due to the potential security risks, the use of Chinese parts and software for the luggage self-check-in system at Taoyuan International Airport has caused controversy. DPP legislator Lin Chun-hsien was among those to sound the alarm on the issue, criticizing insufficient vetting during the public tender for upgrading the self-check-in system...
Recent comments by Chinese government spokespersons, such as Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin, have asserted that the Taiwan Straits are not international waters but are instead part of China’s exclusive economic zone. Reportedly, Chinese government officials have also begun strongly emphasizing this point in meetings with US government officials...
Changes to Article 20 of the Act for the Judicial Yuan’s Implementation of Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 cleared review by the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee of the Legislative Yuan late last month. The proposed amendment would allow for joint adoption of the adopted child of one member of the couple. Current laws only allow for an individual to adopt the biological child of their partner...
Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je has stirred up controversy after recent comments calling for the construction of a bridge between Kinmen and Xiamen. Kinmen is the closest part of Taiwan to China, given that it is only ten kilometers away from Xiamen, and the two are accessible by ferry from each other...
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.
