Featured

Kinmen Soldier’s Disappearance and Reappearance in China Leads to Questions

Brian Hioe
Reports indicate that a Taiwanese soldier stationed in Kinmen who disappeared from his post is in China. On Saturday, Next Apple reported that the soldier had been found in China and had been rescued by the Chinese Coast Guard after swimming there, while the Ministry of National Defense’s official stance was that the soldier’s location was unclear...
Cross StraitEnglishFeaturedInternationalMarch 20236 min read

Nantou Legislative By-Election Outcome Likely to Further Splits in the KMT

Brian Hioe
The DPP claimed victory in the Nantou legislative by-election over the weekend, with a victory by Frida Tsai over Lin Ming-chen of the KMT. Nantou is traditionally considered pan-Blue territory, as a result of which this is the first time that the DPP has won the legislative seat since the reorganization of the Legislative Yuan in 2008 to have 113 single-member seats. The by-election was to fill the seat vacated by preceding legislator Hsu Shu-hua of the KMT after her victory in the race for Miaoli county magistrate in the November 2022 nine-in-one elections...
EnglishFeaturedMarch 2023Politics11 min read

Rally Held to Commemorate One-Year Anniversary of Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Brian Hioe
A rally was held this afternoon at Liberty Plaza in Taipei to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, organized by Taiwan Stands with Ukraine. The rally involved a number of Taiwanese and Ukrainian speakers, with interpretation in both English and Mandarin. Around 150 to 200 were present for the rally...
EnglishFeaturedFebruary 2023Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements5 min read

Lisbeth Wu Case Sent Back to Taipei High Administrative Court

Daniel Yo-Ling
This past Friday, the Constitutional Court of the Judicial Yuan decided not to move forward with a constitutional interpretation for Lisbeth Wu’s case regarding regulations requiring proof of surgery to change one’s legal gender. The specific regulation under scrutiny is Ministry of Interior executive order #0970066240, which requires people assigned male at birth to surgically remove their penis and testis and people assigned female at birth to remove their breasts, uterus, and ovaries in order to change their legal gender. Over the past few days, people following Taiwan’s trans rights movement have attempted to make sense of the Constitutional Court’s decision to send Wu’s case back to the Taipei High Administrative Court...
EnglishFeaturedFebruary 2023Gender/SexualitySocial Movements6 min read

Hsia Trip Results in Reaffirmation of 1992 Consensus

Brian Hioe
KMT vice chair Andrew Hsia once again traveled to China last week in order to meet with Chinese government officials. This included not only newly appointed Taiwan Affairs Office head Song Tao, who took office in December, but also CCP chief ideologist Wang Huning. Hsia has indicated in comments that the main portion of his trip is over, however, he will continue to travel around China to meet with Chinese businessmen in China...
Cross StraitEnglishFeaturedFebruary 2023International6 min read

Civil Society Groups Hold Press Conference to Draw Attention to Labor Abuses by Taiwanese Company in Myanmar

Brian Hioe
Civil society groups held a press conference in the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday to call attention to labor abuses at Pou Chen, a Taiwanese company that operates a shoe factory in Myanmar. In particular, Pou Chen fired 29 workers late last year and called in state security forces from the military junta afterward to quell a strike. Pou Chen is a supplier for Adidas...
EnglishFeaturedFebruary 2023LaborSocial Movements5 min read

Largest National Security Trial to Date Starts in Hong Kong

Brian Hioe
The largest national security trial to date in Hong Kong started on Monday, with 47 defendants standing trial over charges of “conspiracy to commit subversion", with the act of subversion being directed at the state. The trial is over the defendants’ participation in or involvement in organizing primaries for pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong LegCo elections...
EnglishFeaturedFebruary 2023Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements5 min read