For the past week, Taiwan has been gripped by protests ignited by the controversial bills pushed through by the pan-Blue majority in the Legislative Yuan. These demonstrations, which began before President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration, have been named the “Bluebird Movement” and compared to the Sunflower Movement, Taiwan’s major case of civil disobedience from a decade… Continue reading Where Have All the Sunflowers Gone? The New Wave of Civil Disobedience in Taiwan
In the run up to the inauguration of Taiwan’s incoming President Lai Ching-te on May 20, several English-language media outlets have picked up on a decades-long debate about what to do with the many Chiang Kai-shek statues scattered across the island. The specific issue concerned a question raised by a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator about the… Continue reading Chiang Must Fall? Why Lai Ching-te Won’t Topple Chiang Kai-shek
As expected, Taiwanese Vice President-Elect Hsiao Bi-Khim’s March 2024 trip to Europe received negative reactions from mainland China, although official responses from Beijing were limited to Hsiao’s meeting with the president of Czechia’s Senate, Miloš Vystrčil. Some major Chinese news sources reshared opinion articles about Hsiao’s meetings with other European officials in Brussels, Vilnius, and… Continue reading Chinese Media Watch: After Hsiao Bi-khim’s Europe Trip, State Media Warns Czechia, Bloggers Target DPP “Secessionists” and European “Anti-China Cliques”
The Russian weaponisation of gas supplies has sparked a renewed interest in Taiwan’s energy security, placing the DPP’s anti-nuclear policies at the centre of attention. On the one hand, both energy and national security experts have criticised the DPP’s continuing nuclear phase-out for pushing Taiwan, which in 2022 imported more than 97% of its energy, into an increasingly precarious position. The… Continue reading Neither Green Nor Just: The DPP’s Reckoning With Environmental Justice
Last November, adding further suspense to Taiwan’s gripping election campaigns, presidential candidates presented their running mates and registered as pairs with the national election authorities. The presidential candidates based their choices on very different considerations. Presidential front-runner Lai Ching-te (賴清德), from the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was the first to reveal what many had… Continue reading Balancing and partnering – Why we should pay attention to Taiwan’s vice-presidential candidates
