Regional Tensions

TSMC’s Development of Arizona Semiconductor Plant Could Have Implications for Taiwan’s Security

Jesse R.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company recently won a $6.6 billion grant from the US Department of Commerce to subsidize the construction of three semiconductor manufacturing fabrication plants in Phoenix, Arizona. The total package could come to $11.6 billion, inclusive of loans. This is the largest cash grant the US has awarded a foreign company and the largest single greenfield project by a foreign company in US history...
April 2024EnglishInternationalPoliticsRegional Tensions12 min read

Chinese Efforts to Intimidate Taiwan Continue During Hsiao Bikhim’s Trip to Europe

Brian Hioe
An incident involving the following of Taiwanese Vice President-elect Hsiao Bikhim’s motorcade by a vehicle driven by a Chinese military attache in Prague last week proves revealing. The Chinese military attache was following Hsiao in a vehicle, as a means of harassment, and was stopped by Czech police due to his following Hsiao’s motorcade...
April 2024Cross StraitEnglishInternationalRegional Tensions5 min read

With Mere Days Before Elections, Missile Alert About Chinese Satellite Launch Leads to Confusion, Panic

Brian Hioe
A text message alert sounded this afternoon in Taiwan shortly after 3 PM, alerting that a rocket had been fired over Taiwan. What ensued, however, was significant confusion between the English and Chinese. The Chinese stated that a “satellite” had been fired over Taiwan by China. By contrast, the English stated that a “missile” had been fired over Taiwan...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalJanuary 2023PoliticsRegional Tensions6 min read

Does “Hong Kong Influence” Linger in the 2024 Taiwan Election?

Sanho Chung
It has been widely recognized that Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Movement in 2019 was the turning point of the 2020 General Election in Taiwan. In the last general election, Beijing’s hardline crackdown on the protests in Hong Kong gave rise to the Taiwanese’s mistrust of China and finally brought a big win to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which was expected to lose both their majority over the Legislative Yuan and their presidency. But after three years of National Security Law (NSL) enactment in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong issue in this general election seems no longer as focal as it was. How should we make sense of this huge contrast in attention? Has “Hong Kong Influence” faded out totally...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalJanuary 2023PoliticsRegional Tensions11 min read

KMT Seeks to Attack Tsai Administration Over US and Chinese Vessels Passing Near Itu Aba/Taiping Island

Brian Hioe
The presence of Chinese and US military vessels around Itu Aba, also known as Taiping Island, earlier this month has led to allegations by KMT legislators against the Coast Guard Administration. By extension, the attempt would be to make the Tsai administration look as though it has compromised on national sovereignty...
EnglishInternationalNovember 2023Regional Tensions5 min read

One-Day Uptick in Chinese Military Activity Observed After Lai Transit

Brian Hioe
China launched another set of military drills after vice president William Lai returned from his trip to the US and Paraguay. Lai’s trip involved a stopover in San Francisco and New York City. Though the ostensible main purpose of the trip was to attend the presidential inauguration of Paraguayan president Santiago Peña, there was greater attention to the sensitivity of Lai’s transit through the US, given the possibility of a reaction from China...
August 2023EnglishInternationalPoliticsRegional Tensions6 min read

As China Uses Lai Trip as Pretext for Exercises, Will the Drills be Blown Out of Proportion Internationally?

Brian Hioe
The Chinese government has announced that it will conduct military exercises in the East China Sea starting today until the 14th, in an area approximately 500 kilometers away from Taiwan. Yesterday morning, the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration announced a no-sail order lasting from 12 PM today until 4 PM on August 14th in the area the exercises are slated to take place...
August 2023EnglishInternationalPoliticsRegional Tensions6 min read