July 2017

The Trump Administration’s PRC-ROC Gaffe Funny, But Also Illustrative

A mix-up on a press release by White House spokesman Sean Spicer referring to Xi Jinping as the president of the “Republic of China” may be funny, but also a demonstrative sign of the Trump administration’s continued ineptitude regarding its Taiwan policy and handling of America’s delicate balancing act between Taiwan and China. All the more reason to be back away from hasty claims about the Trump’s administration’s “maturation” or its “normalization”...

With Recent Comments, Are Ko Wen-Je And William Lai Misreading Trends In Taiwanese Identity?

With Ko Wen-Je and William Lai increasingly taking flak from the public regarding statements that are perceived as too compromising of Taiwanese sovereignty to China, one generally suspects their attempt establish independent foreign relations with China is doomed if they aim to accomplish this through placating China. Both may be misreading current trends in Taiwanese identity and views of what Taiwan's international status should be...

Trump, North Korea, And Taiwan

As a result of a recent US-Taiwan arms deal and increased tensions between the US and North Korea, an ally of China, some claim that this represents the worsening of US-China relations under the Trump administration after a period in which the Trump administration became strangely friendly with China, a country long at odds with the United States historically. This is a premature conclusion...

Forward-Looking Infrastructure Plan Passes: Public Outrage To Follow?

With the passage of the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Bill yesterday night after its third reading, Taiwanese youth activists have reacted angrily to the bill's, seeing as the DPP does not rule out forced land expropriation in the bill. Still others have has also raised concerns that the Forward-Looking Infrastructure Bill could lead to unaccountable spending and an extreme arrogation of power to the Executive Yuan. ...

US-Taiwan Arms Deal Temporary Extension Of Status Quo, Nothing More

News of an arms deal between the US and Taiwan will no doubt prove reassuring to those who bank on America as Taiwan’s guarantor of its existing de facto independence from China. Nevertheless, in truth, skepticism is needed. This is merely indicative of a temporary extension of the US-Taiwan status quo, rather than affirming a stronger stance on behalf of Taiwan by the Trump administration...

Liu Xiaobo’s Cancer Diagnosis Comes At Time Of Global Retreat On Human Rights

China may soon be facing a PR nightmare on its hands from the possible death of Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and an imprisoned political dissident since 2008, from a late stage cancer diagnosis. But the irony of this raising awareness of China's human rights situation is that it comes at a time of a global retreat from human rights discourse...