English

Review: On Happiness Road (幸福路上)

Brian Hioe
On Happiness Road would be one of the rare examples of a Taiwanese animation to make it to the theater in past years. Nevertheless, despite high-profile attempts to promote the view by the Taiwanese government, as well as Taiwanese celebrities, the film proved a failure at the box offices. It remains to be seen whether this film will gain more attention now that it has been shortlisted as a contender for Best Animated Film at this year's Academy Awards...
Arts and CultureEnglishFilm and TelevisionOctober 20186 min read

Proposed Changes To Religious Basic Act Would Put Religious Groups Above The Law

Brian Hioe
Outrage has ensued from members of Taiwanese civil society after proposed changes to the Religious Basic Law which would effectively remove religious groups from government oversight. Namely, while members of Taiwanese are among the first defend religious liberties and frequently react against what is perceived as the government overstepping its bounds, concerns are that such changes would effectively make religious groups above the law...
EnglishOctober 2018Politics5 min read

Appeals By Taiwan To “Indo-Pacific” Framework

Brian Hioe
As raised in a recent The Diplomat article, statements by Taiwanese political leaders gesture towards an attempt to situate Taiwan within the framework of the “Indo-Pacific”. The “Indo-Pacific” would be the Trump administration’s preferred terminology to refer to how it strategically envisions America’s role in the geopolitical terrain of what is more commonly referred to as the “Asia Pacific,” or what was referred to as “Trans-Pacific” in the now-defunct Trans-Pacific Partnership...
America and the Asia PacificEnglishInternationalOctober 20186 min read