June 2025

KMT Proposal Aims to Change Authority to Designate Waters

Brian Hioe
A proposal by KMT legislator Chen Yeong-kang would aim to change authority over seas around Kinmen and Lienchiang counties from the Ministry of National Defense to the Ocean Affairs Council. This has led to alarm from civic groups, in that while the bill frames the transfer of authority as a means of de-escalation, in shifting authority to designate restricted waters from military to civilian authorities, it would follow China’s framing of the Taiwan Strait as an “internal water” rather than international waters...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalJune 2025Politics5 min read

To Exist Is to Resist: The Memory of Tiananmen and the Entangled Struggles of Formosa, Tibet, and Palestine

June
Last year, at a Palestine solidarity encampment on campus, I had a tense exchange with a Zionist student. He sneered, pointing at a map: “Where is Palestine? I only see Israel.” In that moment, it hit me again—some identities, some memories, are not erased because of what they’ve done, but simply because they exist. This is the reality in Tibet, East Turkestan, Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia, and across China itself: even remembering the Tiananmen Massacre is a punishable offense. Existence itself is treated like a crime...
EnglishJune 2025Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements14 min read

China Offers Bounties on Purported Taiwanese Military Hackers

Brian Hioe
In an unusual move, the Chinese government has publicized the names and issued bounties for individuals it claims to be Taiwanese hackers who are members of the Information, Communications, and Electronic Force Command. The national identification numbers of the purported hackers are also listed. A paltry 10,000 yuan is named as the bounty per individual...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalJune 2025Politics4 min read

Controversy Over Table Tennis Player “Manipulated” into United Front Photo Op

Brian Hioe
Reports indicate that Taiwan’s top male table tennis player, Lin Yun-ju, was “manipulated” into wearing a red scarf and singing a United Front-linked song during a trip to China. The incident occurred at a publicity event at an elementary school in Zouping City. Lin was present in China to play at the China Table Tennis Super League tournament in Shandong, playing as part of the Shandong Weiqiao Table Tennis Club. Lin’s teammates, who are Chinese, were also present at the event...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalJune 20254 min read

Why is Taiwan Still Listed as “Taiwan, China”?

Tim Chng
When people from Taiwan travel internationally, one frustrating experience they face happens long before they board a plane or check into a hotel. Whether booking airline tickets, hotel reservations, or simply registering for a conference online, they are often forced to select their country of origin from a dropdown menu—and more often than not, what they see is “Taiwan, China” or “Taiwan, Province of China.”...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalJune 2025Self-DeterminationSocial Movements3 min read

KMT Recall Campaigns Against DPP Legislators Run Aground

Brian Hioe
The KMT’s recall campaigns against DPP legislators have run aground. With fifteen recall campaigns, compared to the 35 recall campaigns facing KMT legislators, recall efforts against DPP politicians were always smaller in scale than the other way around. Even if eight of the pan-Blue recall campaigns against DPP legislators still have time to collect further signatures, a number of the high-profile KMT recall campaigns have not succeeded. The overall effort to launch recalls of DPP legislators, then, is largely viewed as a failure...
EnglishJune 2025PoliticsSelf-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements5 min read