iQiyi Not Guilty Ruling Overturned, Though Legal Contention to Continue

Brian Hioe

What Can We Expect from Lai’s Inauguration Address?

Brian Hioe

Ko Wen-je Faces Scrutiny Over Taipei Development

Brian Hioe

KMT Takes Aim at Ukraine-Related Issues

Brian Hioe

Politics

China Quarterly Censorship Prompts Shock And Anger

Brian Hioe
Outrage and shock has broken out in the academic world and beyond with the censoring of articles from the China Quarterly, a leading journal of the China studies published by Cambridge University Press, in order to comply with orders from the Chinese party-state. Apart from this being revealing about the Chinese party-state's need to suppress information in order to prevent dissent, this may also return to inherent challenges of China Studies...
August 2017EnglishPolitics7 min read

Is China Planning To Carve Out Spheres Of Influence In Hong Kong?

Brian Hioe
China may at present be adopting the strategy of arrogating territory within Hong Kong as subject to Chinese law in the Chinese mainland, rather than Hong Kong law as specified by the Hong Kong Basic Law, with the claim that this land is being leased to China. We see this with regards to the West Kowloon train station, in which sections of the station will be subject to Chinese rather than Hong Kong law. There is the dangerous possibility that China is establishing future legal grounds to put down resistance against its rule in Hong Kong—perhaps even using armed force...
#19August 2017EnglishPolitics6 min read

Recent SCMP Op-Ed Reveals Extent To Which Newspaper Has Become Pro-China Propaganda Organ

Brian Hioe
A recent article written by Alex Lo, op-ed columnist at the South China Morning Post, has prompted ire in Taiwan because of its citing of claims by Taiwanese political pundit Chang Yu-Hua that at least four student leaders of the Sunflower Movement. Such sentiments are no surprise from Lo, a pro-Beijing pundit and political conservative, who publishes articles for the South China Morning Post daily as part of his “My Take” column. We might question the claims of his article, ultimately a sign of how the South China Morning Post is increasingly a Chinese propaganda organ...
August 2017EnglishPolitics8 min read

中國對於「白左」的討論顯露出民族主義與左派主義之間的衝突

Brian Hioe
觀察中國網友近期嘲笑以移民制度、少數民族、同志或環保的議題來批評川普的西方批評者為天真的"白左"，這真是一種奇怪的自相矛盾。在中國民族主義者眼中，美國顯然是中國在國際上興起的最大障礙。 但是，所有的民族主義者皆有相同的想法，並認為他們與川普志趣相投。 ...
August 2017Politics中文狄叡頡0 min read

Taiwanese Government Eyes Driverless Vehicles As Part Of Its Transportation Plan

Garrett Dee
The concept of driverless vehicles is an idea that has been floated around for decades, first in science fiction, though in Taipei, automated vehicles may soon become a reality. Despite the controversy surrounding the recent Forward Thinking Infrastructure Plan, automated vehicles have received quite a bit of attention, with plans being laid to have them on the road as early as this year...
EnglishJuly 2017Politics7 min read

What Does Terry Gou Aim To Accomplish Through A Deal With Trump?

Brian Hioe
With the recent announcement by FoxConn CEO Terry Gou that FoxConn would be building a $10 billion USD LCD panel plant in Wisconsin in a high-profile press conference with Donald Trump, some in Taiwan question what Gou exactly aims to accomplish with this deal cementing ties between his company and the Trump administration. Given Gou’s close ties with both the KMT and CCP, is Gou acting on behalf of China? Of the KMT? Both? Neither? One wonders...
America and the Asia PacificEnglishInternationalJuly 2017Politics7 min read

KMT’s Green Terror Accusations Show Fundamental Disrespect For Taiwanese Democracy

Brian Hioe
Recent actions by members of the pan-Blue camp once again go to show how the pan-Blue camp has largely failed to reckon with its authoritarian past in demonstrating its fundamental disrespect for the institutions Taiwanese democracy. We can point to widely discussed recent events as an example of this, as seen in accusations of Facebook censorship by the DPP as part of a "Green Terror" and an incident in which a China Times intern took to throwing water balloons at pan-Green legislators...
EnglishJune 2017Politics6 min read