Regional Tensions

Tsai Recognizes Authoritarian Regime Reminiscent Of The Past KMT In Honduras

Brian Hioe
The irony, not to mention hypocrisy, of Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-Wen acknowledging Juan Orlando Hernandez as president of Honduras is deep. Namely, Honduras is presently in the midst of a voter fraud scandal, with Hernandez accused of having won the election through fraud, much as how the past KMT once controlled Taiwan through stolen elections. This would be Hernandez’s second term as president and under Hernandez's rule, the Honduran police is accused of killing political dissidents, and allowing organize crime to freely carry out street killings, leading Honduras to have one of the world's highest murder rates...
December 2017EnglishInternationalRegional Tensions9 min read

Filipino Accusations of Taiwanese Drug Trafficking Complicate Diplomatic Relations

Garrett Dee
Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte made diplomatic waves last month during a speech at a police academy in the Philippines by claiming that Taiwan was a major source of drugs entering the Philippines, listing Taiwan as a primary origin of the drug trade in comparison to China and other neighboring countries. This action provoked a strong reaction from the Taiwanese government, who rebutted the claims and reaffirmed their strong partnership with the Philippines in combatting cross-border crime and drug trafficking...
EnglishInternationalOctober 2017Regional Tensions6 min read

Dangerous Possibilities Ahead On North Korea Issue, Following Comments By Trump

Brian Hioe
Panic has ensued globally following statements by American president Donald Trump which could be construed as nuclear threats against North Korea. After reports that North Korea had developed the miniaturized nuclear warheads which could be placed on North Korean missiles capable of hitting the United States, Trump stated in public comments that North Korean threats “will be met with fire and fury and frankly power the likes of which the world has never seen before," comments which were apparently largely improvised...
EnglishInternationalJuly 2017Regional Tensions9 min read

中國隨時都能入侵臺灣嗎？

Brian Hioe
中國隨時都能入侵台灣嗎？美聯社前駐台特派員溫逸德（Peter Enav）近日在《台灣守望》發表文章，引起台灣社會廣泛討論，他認為中國最快在 2018 年下半年就能為侵台做好準備，中國近日也再度叫囂將不惜為捍衛領土主權而出兵作戰。但人們對於中國這麼快就能做好準備進攻台灣的說法，其實應保持懷疑。...
August 2017InternationalRegional TensionsWilliam Tsai中文2 min read

Actions From Trump On North Korea Potentially Dangerous

Brian Hioe
With recent news reports that North Korea has developed the missile capacity to strike the United States, tensions are at a high in the Asia-Pacific once again. What now, for America, China, South Korea, and other countries which may be caught in the fray, such as Taiwan? Namely, the possibility of dangerous and unpredictable actions from the Trump administration is high...
August 2017EnglishInternationalRegional Tensions6 min read

China’s Isolation Of The DPP Feeds Taiwanese Independence

Joseph Lewis Reid
As we see in Panama's breaking of diplomatic ties with Taiwan or the kidnapping of Lee Ming-Che, does China think international bullying of Taiwan is effective? What is the end goal? We can assume the CCP's eventual end goal is "reunification", but it is difficult to comprehend how political and economic bullying will win over the hearts and minds of the Taiwanese people...
EnglishInternationalJune 2017Regional Tensions3 min read

What Lessons Should We Take Away From Panama Breaking Ties With Taiwan?

Brian Hioe
Seeing as Latin America has long been a diplomatic battleground for Taiwan and China, with China hoping to poach Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies and Taiwan attempting to hang onto them, news of Panama deciding to break ties with Taiwan in favor of recognizing China should not be the most surprising. But are there any lessons we can take away from this?...
EnglishInternationalJune 2017Regional Tensions8 min read