September 2025

Han Kuang Exercises Illustrate Government’s Publicity Dilemma

Brian Hioe
The Taiwanese government's dilemmas can be observed in questions about OpSec that have arisen after military drills conducted as part of the annual Han Kuang exercises earlier this year. Such drills put Taiwan’s military equipment, as well as plans for how they would be deployed in wartime, in public view more than in past years. However, this raises questions about whether the public nature of the drills is revealing details of Taiwan’s defense that should otherwise be kept under wraps, given that China was in all probability observing the drills carefully...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalPoliticsSeptember 20254 min read

Deportation of Japanese Pro-China Influencers Points to Securitization of Social Media

Brian Hioe
A Japanese influencer was deported last month over filming a video by Ximending’s Rainbow Crosswalk in Taipei in which he and another Japanese man raised the flag of the People’s Republic of China and declared that Taiwan was part of China. The man in question, referred to as Aira Todomi on his social media presence, carried out the act along with another man referred to as Hiroyuki Tanaka on social media...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalPoliticsSeptember 20254 min read

Why Did Hung Hsiu-Chu Travel to China’s Military Parade?

Brian Hioe
Former KMT chair Hung Hsiu-chu traveled to Beijing recently for a military parade commemorating the end of World War II. In China’s case, this was fought against Japan. The military parade has attracted attention internationally, mostly on the basis of appearances not only by Chinese President Xi Jinping alongside other world leaders. This includes a number of authoritarian or dictatorial political leaders, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, Narendra Modi of India, Kim Jong-un of North Korea, Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia, Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar, and others. Xi appearing alongside Modi, in particular, serves as a signal to the US that India will not simply fall in line with Donald Trump’s US...
Cross StraitEnglishInternationalPoliticsSeptember 20254 min read

Why is Indonesia Protesting?: An Interview with Iftitah Sari of the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform

Brian Hioe
Starting in late August, protests have broken out in cities across Indonesia. The demonstrations initially broke out in anger against luxurious housing subsidies received by members of the legislature, to which Indonesian police responded with overwhelming force. But after a delivery driver, Affan Kurniawan, was killed by police, this led to a new wave of demonstrations. To shed light on the situation, New Bloom's Brian Hioe spoke to Iftitah Sari, researcher at the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform...
EnglishInterviewsPoliticsSeptember 2025Social MovementsYouth Movements10 min read