America and the Asia Pacific

What Are The Takeaways From Tsai’s US Visit?

Brian Hioe
A recent visit by Taiwanese president to America has received much attention, with this being seen as a sign of stronger ties between Taiwan and America in the wake of the passage of the Taiwan Travel Act. However, first, the visit represents incremental change far more than it does a substantial break from previous American policy towards Taiwan, and second, one actually observes increased wariness of the Trump administration from the Tsai administration in the course of the visit...
America and the Asia PacificAugust 2018EnglishInternational9 min read

America’s Indo-Pacific Initative Seems To Be Asia Pivot Redux

Brian Hioe
With the Trump administration touting its “Indo-Pacific initiative,” some in Taiwan have taken this as a hopeful sign that the Trump administration plans to step up pressure against China. It is further hoped that this will mean stronger American support for Taiwan. However, the perpetual dilemma that Taiwan faces regarding the US-Taiwan security relationship continues to loom in the background. Namely, stronger US actions against China does not necessarily entail stronger support for Taiwan, even if it sometimes does. And this is something that many in Taiwan have failed to reckon with...
America and the Asia PacificAugust 2018EnglishInternational11 min read

With America Lurching Ever Rightwards, Could Taiwan’s Progressive Values Become A Liability?

Brian Hioe
Taiwan has instead sought to emphasize that it should be a member of the international community through good works. This is why one observes that pan-Green political actors, such as current President Tsai Ing-Wen, have a pronounced tendency to try and emphasize Taiwan as a progressive nation-state internationally. But America, Taiwan's major guarantor of security, has continued to lurch rightwards, as observed in America withdrawing from the UN's Human Rights Council and recent Supreme Court rulings upholding Trump's controversial "Muslim ban" and dealing blows to labor and abortion rights...
America and the Asia PacificEnglishInternationalJuly 20186 min read

Gaza Massacre Has Lessons For Taiwan

Brian Hioe
Images of the killing of Palestinians on the Israel-Gaza border during protests against the American Embassy relocation to Jerusalem have been shocking for many in Taiwan. However, instead of looking at this tragic set of events merely as a tragedy in a distant, faraway land, perhaps there are lessons from this to be drawn for Taiwan and connections to be drawn between Taiwan's own struggles and Palestine's plight...
America and the Asia PacificEnglishInternationalMay 20185 min read

TPP Reversal A Sign Of Incoherency, Not Grand Mastery Of Negotiation By Trump

Brian Hioe
Reports that Donald Trump intends to reverse course on the TPP are vaguely humorous. Namely, withdrawing from the agreement was not only a key campaign promise of Trump’s but literally one of Trump’s first actions in office. But there will no doubt be those that claim that the Trump administration's reversal is the Trump administration engaging in high-risk negotiation tactics rather than simple incoherency...
America and the Asia PacificApril 2018EnglishInternational8 min read

當全球都在擔心核戰在即，為何只見台灣在慶祝納瓦羅和波頓上任？

Brian Hioe
每當台灣向「國際社會」呼籲關注時，通常對象指的是美國。從這點看來，台灣腦中的「國際社會」往往只有美國，很少會想到其他國家。不過，台灣對於美國的理解有時卻相當片面，這點從過去一週的新聞報導中就可看出：川普政府在一連串極具諷刺的人事大風吹之後，由波頓和納瓦羅這兩位被台媒認作是「親台派」的人物領銜主導。事實上，納瓦羅、波頓等人的親台傾向，只是一種反對中國的方式，並非真正關心台灣。...
America and the Asia PacificInternationalMarch 2018中文味王5 min read