April 2022

Academic Petition Criticizes Bilingual 2030 Policy

Brian Hioe
There was some pushback from academics earlier this month against the Tsai administration’s Bilingual 2030 policy, with criticisms that English has been focused on at the expense of local languages. As such, a petition was launched by the Taiwan Languages and Literature Society earlier this month, quickly gaining 1,700 signatories. This includes 400 educators that teach on college campuses and 400 elementary and middle school teachers...
April 2022EnglishPolitics5 min read

CECC Announces Phasing Out of QR Code Registration, Implementation of COVID Test Distribution System

Brian Hioe
The Central Epidemic Command Center which manages Taiwan’s COVID-19 response announced several major policy shifts this afternoon. First, starting from today, the QR code registration system used for contact tracing will no longer be used. This is because the number of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan is too high for contact tracing, as a result of which contact tracing will no longer be carried out...
April 2022EnglishPolitics6 min read

Is Eric Chu Increasingly Embattled in the KMT?

Brian Hioe
With KMT party primaries underway, all indications are that internal divides within the party continue to be strong. Namely, current KMT chair Eric Chu seems to be increasingly embattled, as facing challenges from within the party. This may be the result of the KMT’s current system in which the KMT chair cannot simultaneously serve as the party’s presidential candidate. But, despite that this is the case, it is often thought that Chu in fact harbors presidential ambitions, having served the KMT’s 2016 presidential candidate after he was swapped in to replace Hung Hsiu-chu...
April 2022EnglishPolitics6 min read