KMT Reverses Course on Drones, Passes Caning Referendum

Brian Hioe

KMT Hits Out At Internet Disruption Drill as “Martial Law”

Brian Hioe

歷史重複時，第一次是悲劇，第二次是一團混沌：三大洲研究所中台灣勞動黨對台灣歷史的觀點

Brian Hioe

科爾比的推文發飆事件，顯示出川普政府既想建立帝國，又想坐享其成

Brian Hioe

Politics

Firings Of Taiwanese In Australia Points To Effects Of Chinese Influence On Overseas Taiwanese

Brian Hioe
Firings of Taiwanese in Australia by their Chinese employers for their views that Taiwan is not a part of China, as raised in a recent New York Times article, raise fears about growing Chinese influence internationally and how that could affect overseas Taiwanese. This points to a relatively under-examined aspect of Chinese influence on Taiwan...
EnglishMarch 2018Politics5 min read

Toilet Paper Panic Humorous, But Points To Low Wages And Dominance Of Market By Conglomerates

Brian Hioe
Alarm in the past week regarding planned hikes in toilet paper prices in Taiwan has been bizarre, leading to a consumer panic in which entire stores have been sold out of toilet paper. But while humorous, the panic points to structural issues regarding dominance of the market by large conglomerates and the low salaries paid to Taiwanese workers which would lead them to panic about price increases...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics7 min read

Dangerous Times Ahead, As Xi Seeks To Consolidate Power Towards Lifetime Rule

Brian Hioe
The recent proposal by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party to remove term limits on the presidency of China from the current limit of two five-year terms has been read correctly as Xi Jinping making moves towards lifetime rule. With Xi emerging as the most powerful Chinese leader since Deng Xiaoping after he took power in 2013, it has been speculated in recent years whether Xi would move to remove these lifetime limits as he approached the end of his term...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics5 min read

Hualien Disaster Relief Demands Long-Term Solutions, Rather Simply Urging For Renewed Tourism

Brian Hioe
Comments by Premier William Lai urging renewed tourism to Hualien, which was struck by 6.4-magnitude earthquake that killed 16 and injured hundreds on February 6th, illustrate the Tsai administration’s lack of creative solutions to address long-standing issues facing areas of Taiwan frequently struck by earthquakes. This would be a failure to think in the long-term by the Tsai administration...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics5 min read

Rumors Of Base Construction In Pakistan Likely Indicate Global Base-Building Ambitions By China

Brian Hioe
With reports that China may seek to acquire a military base in Pakistan, with hopes to build naval and air facilities in Jiwani, this would be the second of China’s overseas military bases. This first of China’s overseas military bases was built in Djibouti, as acquired originally in December 2015, and likely points to ambitions by China to build a global network of military bases not unlike America's global network of bases...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics5 min read

Chinese Hip Hop Ban Signals Crackdown On Artistic Subcultures

Brian Hioe
A recent ban on hip hop on Chinese television and radio may be vaguely humorous, seeing as even just a month prior to the ban, Chinese state-run media was singing the praises of Chinese hip hop as a nationalistic export. Nevertheless, the unexpected nature of the ban evidences how quickly Chinese authorities react against social trends they see as threatening at present, as well as how the window for free expression in China—which has always been restricted when it came to politically sensitive topics—is sharply moving in a socially conservative direction...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics5 min read

Will Guosheng Reactor Restarts Lead To Protest?

Brian Hioe
The announcement this week by state-run power utility Taipower that it plans to seek approval from the Atomic Energy Commission for restarts of a nuclear reactor at Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant should be of little surprise. Namely, even if little discussed, the Tsai administration quietly approved nuclear reactor restarts in June of last year. It remains to be seen whether it will not only be the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant reactor that is approved for restarts...
EnglishFebruary 2018Politics5 min read