In an unusual incident, Chinese state-run media has lashed out at KMT legislators Lin Wei-chou and Charles Chen as secretly being advocates of Taiwanese independence. In particular, it was claimed that Lin and Chen were part of a “covert” faction of Taiwanese independence advocates, distinguished from individuals openly supportive of Taiwanese independence...
A significant labor struggle may be upcoming for Taiwanese railways workers. Namely, the Taiwan Railway Labor Union has announced that it may strike next month in response to plans by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to corporatize the Taiwan Railways Administration...
As reported on by international media, it has emerged from US foreign lobbying records that Taiwan is paying for Guatemala to lobby the US government, to the tune of 900,000 USD. In particular, what raises eyebrows is that this is taking place through the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, which was close to the Trump administration. Notably, Guatemala is one of Taiwan’s fourteen remaining diplomatic allies...
The tense situation in Ukraine, given the Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s borders, have led to a string of comparisons with Taiwan. Some commentary has drawn parallels between the two contexts...
As may be unsurprising, Taiwan’s participation in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has led to some political contention, particularly regarding Taiwan’s status vis-a-vis China. As should go without saying, China takes the view that Taiwan is an integral part of its territory. Moreover, as a result of Taiwan’s lack of international recognition, Taiwan participates in the Olympics under the name “Chinese Taipei,” the name by which Taiwan participates in a number of international sporting organizations and international organizations...
After months of speculation, the Tsai administration announced the lifting of a longstanding ban on food imports from the Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, and Chiba prefectures of Japan. The ban lasted for eleven years and was enacted after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, which took place after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, as the five provinces were affected by radiation from the ban...
A recent contest organized by the Ministry of Labor reveals at once the condescending attitude of labor officials to migrant workers in Taiwan. This takes place despite rhetoric from the state touting the pluralism of Taiwanese society and the inclusion of migrant workers in the social fabric...
A report by the Control Yuan released last month emphasized problems regarding sexual abuse in athletics programs in Taiwan. According to the report, there have been 548 reported violations of the Gender Equity Education Act since 2014. Track and field, basketball, baseball, judo, and taekwondo are the sports in which the most violations have been reported...