Chinese Nationalist Party

KMT Criticized After Claim that the National Palace Museum Collection is a Party Asset

Brian Hioe
A wave of backlash has ensued against the KMT after comments by a party representative at the party’s recent national congress arguing that the contents of the National Palace Museum’s collection belong to the party and can be considered a party asset. In particular, the comments are seen as reflective of the authoritarian views of the KMT, in that despite Taiwan’s democratization, some members of the party still view the KMT as synonymous with the state... Read More
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20200 Comments 05 min read

KMT Reaffirms Commitment to 1992 Consensus at National Congress, to Send Delegation to China

Brian Hioe
The KMT National Congress, which took place over the weekend, led to the party reemphasizing its commitment to the institutions of the ROC and the 1992 Consensus as the core values of the party. As such, the results of the National Congress indicate that the KMT intends to stay the course where cross-strait policy is concerned... Read More
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20200 Comments 07 min read

Tsai Administration Opens Taiwan to American Beef and Pork Imports, Angling for a Trade Agreement

Brian Hioe
The Tsai administration surprised last week, with the announcement that it intended to open Taiwan up to beef and pork imports from America. The move is one which is clearly aimed at removing one of the major political hurdles to a bilateral trade agreement with the US, the US having made this into a precondition of a bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan for well over a decade... Read More
EnglishFeaturedPoliticsSeptember 20200 Comments 08 min read

Taiwan Opens Representative Office in Somaliland

Brian Hioe
Plans for Taiwan to set up a representative office in Somaliland and, in turn, for Somaliland to set up a representative office in Taiwan have continued apace, despite pressure from China and Somalia. Taiwan’s representative office in Somaliland opened earlier this week, while Somaliland’s first representative to Taiwan, Mohamed Omar Hagi Mohamoud, arrived earlier this month... Read More
August 2020EnglishInternationalRegional Tensions0 Comments 07 min read

Surprising Few, Chen Chi-mai Wins Kaohsiung Mayoral By-Election with Large Lead Over Opponents

Brian Hioe
It took few by surprise that Chen Chi-mai of the DPP was the winner of the Kaohsiung mayoral by-election today. Chen won by large margins, winning 70% of the vote, and defeating KMT candidate Jane Lee and TPP candidate Wu Yi-jheng. The by-election was the first by-election to replace a mayor who had been recalled from office in Taiwanese history... Read More
August 2020EnglishPolitics0 Comments 010 min read

Comments by Ko at the TPP Congress Seek to Attack Tsai, While Appealing to Pan-Green Voters

Brian Hioe
Comments by Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je at the TPP's first national congress last week are telling about the current political orientation of the party, as well as the challenges it faces going forward. Ko raised eyebrows by calling for a ‘Silent Revolution” in Taiwanese politics at the party congress, a pointed criticism of the Tsai administration indicative of the party’s pan-Blue leanings. At the same time, Ko did not lean as heavily into pan-Blue rhetoric as much as he did during the TPP’s founding one year ago... Read More
August 2020EnglishPolitics0 Comments 09 min read