Taiwan and China Continue to Contest Air Traffic

Brian Hioe

No, the DPP is Not About to Remove Chiang Kai-shek Statues En Masse

Brian Hioe

Tsai Administration Seeks to Reassure on US Support After Aid Package

Brian Hioe

Pension Reform Set to Become a Battleground Issue Between the Pan-Blue and Pan-Green Camps

Brian Hioe

Politics

Huang Kuo-shu Controversy Reveals Issues of Complicity, Collaboration During Authoritarian Times

Brian Hioe
DPP legislator Huang Kuo-shu announced that he would be withdrawing from the party and not pursuing reelection in 2024 earlier this week after the Liberty Times reported that he had served as an informant during the KMT during authoritarian times. According to the report, Huang was involved in spying on fellow students who were involved in political dissidence in university...
EnglishOctober 2021Politics6 min read

Calls for Punitive Treatment of the Mentally Ill After Violent Incidents Prove Unsurprising

Brian Hioe
Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare has made a name for itself in past years through its firmly progressive political stances. This has been demonstrated in public service announcements calling for respecting freedom of gender expression, particularly from the young, and calls for migrant workers to be able to undergo COVID-19 screenings without having their working papers checked, something that might discourage undocumented workers from visiting hospitals...
EnglishOctober 2021Politics5 min read

China Leverages on Taiwan’s Reputation for Dollar Diplomacy in Somaliland Criticisms

Brian Hioe
In the past week, the Chinese government has sought to tar Taiwan’s efforts to build stronger diplomatic relations with Somaliland, with state-run tabloid Global Times alleging that the Taiwanese government is paying off politicians in Somaliland in return for diplomatic recognition. Such claims, which have been denied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, draw on Taiwan’s reputation for “dollar diplomacy” ...
EnglishOctober 2021Politics5 min read

Academics Call for Academia Sinica Name Change

Brian Hioe
Proposals for Academia Sinica to change its name have been floated several times in the past. For example, the idea came up in March 2020 in the Taiwanese legislature after the Chinese government sought to take credit for a virus reagent developed by Academia Sinica scientists to test for COVID-19. Since then, pan-Green lawmakers have continued calls for a name change on several occasions. The issue was floated again recently, however, after the circulation of a Chinese-language petition by two dozen Academia Sinica researchers...
EnglishOctober 2021Politics5 min read

Flag Removal in Swimming Competition Latest Incident Regarding Taiwan’s Participation in International Sporting Events

Brian Hioe
Many in Taiwan were surprised by a wave of support from international countries after the ROC flag was removed from the livestream of a swimming competition on Wednesday. This took place because of displeasure from Chinese authorities, who blocked the livestream because the ROC flag is not allowed to be shown in China...
EnglishOctober 2021Politics6 min read