English

Hualien Disaster Relief Demands Long-Term Solutions, Rather Simply Urging For Renewed Tourism

Brian Hioe
Comments by Premier William Lai urging renewed tourism to Hualien, which was struck by 6.4-magnitude earthquake that killed 16 and injured hundreds on February 6th, illustrate the Tsai administration’s lack of creative solutions to address long-standing issues facing areas of Taiwan frequently struck by earthquakes. This would be a failure to think in the long-term by the Tsai administration...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics5 min read

Rumors Of Base Construction In Pakistan Likely Indicate Global Base-Building Ambitions By China

Brian Hioe
With reports that China may seek to acquire a military base in Pakistan, with hopes to build naval and air facilities in Jiwani, this would be the second of China’s overseas military bases. This first of China’s overseas military bases was built in Djibouti, as acquired originally in December 2015, and likely points to ambitions by China to build a global network of military bases not unlike America's global network of bases...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics5 min read

Olympics Reactions Point To Trump Administration’s Refusal To Back Away From Brinkmanship

Brian Hioe
While it should not be surprising that while both North Korea and South Korea hope to avoid a war which would be costly for both sides, members of the Trump administration initially remained more interested in brinkmanship and making threats against perceived threats. This has been visible in the Pyeongchang Olympics...
America and the Asia PacificEnglishFebruary 2018International5 min read

Chinese Hip Hop Ban Signals Crackdown On Artistic Subcultures

Brian Hioe
A recent ban on hip hop on Chinese television and radio may be vaguely humorous, seeing as even just a month prior to the ban, Chinese state-run media was singing the praises of Chinese hip hop as a nationalistic export. Nevertheless, the unexpected nature of the ban evidences how quickly Chinese authorities react against social trends they see as threatening at present, as well as how the window for free expression in China—which has always been restricted when it came to politically sensitive topics—is sharply moving in a socially conservative direction...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics5 min read

Will Guosheng Reactor Restarts Lead To Protest?

Brian Hioe
The announcement this week by state-run power utility Taipower that it plans to seek approval from the Atomic Energy Commission for restarts of a nuclear reactor at Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant should be of little surprise. Namely, even if little discussed, the Tsai administration quietly approved nuclear reactor restarts in June of last year. It remains to be seen whether it will not only be the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant reactor that is approved for restarts...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics5 min read