May 2022

Thousands Demonstrate on Ketagalan Boulevard for International Workers’ Day

Brian Hioe
Organized labor groups rallied on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building today for International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day in other parts of the world. Though the rally was not as large as in past years, prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gradual accommodation to COVID-19 in Taiwanese society is what has allowed for International Workers’ Day demonstrations to again take place. Last year, for example, only saw a few hundred workers participate in International Workers’ Day commemorations that were significantly scaled down...
EnglishLaborMay 2022Social Movements6 min read

從臺灣到烏克蘭：戰爭年代的地緣政治重組與反殖民團結

Wen Liu
儘管在俄國入侵之前，烏克蘭和東歐地緣政治都與臺灣人的意識相去甚遠，但開戰以來，卻激起了關於美俄中帝國競爭、以及臺灣備戰能力的熱烈討論。就在2022年2月24日攻擊開始之後，臺灣登上了推特的趨勢排行榜，因為世人一致注目於中國和美國將要如何回應烏克蘭的地緣政治衝突。問題在於中國是否將與俄國結盟對抗西方的一切批評，以及衝突在歐洲開展之際，美國將如何調整它在亞洲太平洋區域的軍事和外交戰略。在這層意義上，即使臺灣與烏克蘭各有不同歷史，影響兩者的地緣政治動力各不相同，這場戰爭仍讓人感到與臺灣命運休戚相關。臺灣的統派和獨派陣營，都用「今日烏克蘭，明日臺灣」這個口號表達戰爭的急迫。這句口號出自先前的「今日香港，明日臺灣」。...
InternationalMay 2022PoliticsRegional Tensions中文3 min read

WHO Push for Taiwan Quieter This Year, With Shift Away From COVID Narratives Globally

Brian Hioe
The annual meeting of the World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization, is currently taking place from May 22nd to May 28th. Taiwan was allowed to participate in the WHO as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under the Ma administration. But after the Tsai administration took power, Taiwan was not allowed to participate, as a result of Chinese pressure. As with past years, Taiwan has sought to call attention to its exclusion from the WHA and WHO, to call for its inclusion as an observer. Nevertheless, efforts to gain admittance to the WHA have been comparatively quiet this year, compared to past years....
EnglishInternationalMay 2022Regional Tensions6 min read

Inside the 2022 Philippine Elections in Taiwan

Girard Mariano Lopez
The Philippines has officially elected the former dictator’s family, Marcos, back into the presidency, specifically, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or known as Bongbong Marcos, as well as the incumbent president’s daughter, Sara Duterte as vice president. Though election day in the Philippines was fraught with countless cases of violence, voter disenfranchisement, vote buying, machine “errors”, electioneering, military intimidation and various more instances that challenge claims of a “clean and fair elections”, the landslide victory of Marcos and Sara Duterte in Taiwan was won fairly via a peaceful and incident free month-long voting process. I should know–I was part of the poll-watcher group at the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei for the largest opposition candidate, specifically, Leni Robredo and her running mate, Kiko Pangilinan...
EnglishMay 2022Politics8 min read