November 2017

Trump’s Asia Trip So Far Inconclusive

Brian Hioe
Evaluations of Trump’s Asia trip remain ambiguous, with Trump’s unorthodox means of conducting diplomacy leading to difficulties evaluating whether his trip advanced or compromised American interests in the Asia Pacific. However, an early evaluation suggests that while no fundamental shift in the status quo of the Asia Pacific has yet occurred following Trump’s trip, China’s position has been strengthened due to the image that the irregularities of Trump’s actions present to the international world...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalNovember 20175 min read

Ching Fu Scandal Has Far-Reaching Implications For Ma Administration Officials

Brian Hioe
Questions of corruption at Taiwan’s highest levels of government under the Ma administration have been raised with regards to the Ching Fu loan scandal, in which a 35.8 billion NTD contract was awarded to the Ching Fu Corporation to construct six minesweepers for the navy, as well as provided with a 20.5 billion NTD syndicated loan. However, it was announced last week that Ching Fu had defaulted upon its loan and that Ching Fu would be unable to complete the minesweeper contract, raising suspicions regarding why the contract and loan were given to Ching Fu to begin with...
EnglishNovember 2017Politics6 min read

Ultra-Left Or Neoconservative? The Paradoxical Politics Of Coolloud

Brian Hioe
Coolloud has declared itself to be one of the most dedicated, independently funded leftist media in Taiwan. Traditionally, they have reported on social movements and protests that were seldom covered by the mainstream press. However, with the rise of independent media in the recent years, the political direction of Coolloud has increasingly become a position of opposition against the so-called “mainstream” social movements in Taiwan instead of right-wing forces or the state...
EnglishGender/SexualityNovember 2017Social Movements10 min read

極左翼還是新保守主義？苦勞網的悖論政治

Brian Hioe
苦勞網一向自詡為台灣最盡心盡力，且獨立募資的左翼媒體之一。他們傳統上都會報導在主流媒體幾乎得不到版面的社會運動和抗爭。然而，隨著近年來獨立媒體的興起，苦勞網的政治走向越來越趨近於一種反對台灣社會運動的所謂「主流」，而非反對右翼勢力的立場。...
Gender/SexualityNovember 2017Social MovementsWilliam Tsai中文1 min read

CCP’s Renewed Emphasis On Marxism After 19th National Congress Means Nothing

Brian Hioe
Renewed emphasis on Marxism after China’s 19th National Congress is not too surprising, seeing as China has never fully distanced itself from its purported claims to embrace Marxism as an ideology. Nevertheless, despite the fact that China may claim to be Marxist, China has long since embraced a free market economy while clinging to Marxism as a justification for a high degree of state involvement in the economy and the primacy of the state over political affairs...
EnglishNovember 2017Politics4 min read

Will The Foreign Talent Law Better Conditions For Foreigners In Taiwan?

Brian Hioe
Despite the large shifts brought about by the passing of the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals by the Legislative Yuan at present, it seems unlikely that long-term issues concerning Taiwan’s ability to attract and retain foreign or local talent will be resolved or that this will address many of the long-term issues facing foreigners in Taiwan...
EnglishNovember 2017Politics8 min read