Cheng Li-wun’s high-profile visit to China highlights deepening divisions within the KMT while underscoring Beijing’s evolving strategy of pairing political outreach with economic incentives. The trip also draws attention to Taiwan’s energy security, which may play a larger role in the upcoming local elections. Key takeaways: Cheng’s China outreach signals an ideological split within the… Continue reading KMT’s Cheng Li-wun in China: The new, the old, and the risky
Questions are being raise worldwide, including in Taiwan, about the credibility of U.S. economic, security, and other commitments under a more openly transactional “Donroe Doctrine.” As the World Economic Forum convenes in Davos, U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will impose tariffs on eight European allies – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the… Continue reading What does Trump’s Greenland grab mean for Taiwan?
Taiwan’s relations with Europe have gone through steady development over the past five years. Catalyzed by a series of global disruptions—the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s growing assertiveness, Europe’s growing expectations fatigue towards China, and the U.S. shift toward a more mercantilist and transactional foreign policy—Europe’s relations with Taiwan have moved from the… Continue reading Old partners and new friends: Despite steady growth, Taiwan-Europe relations need ‘futureproofing’
On the opening pages of Taiwan’s national civil defense manual, citizens are confronted with a stark question: “In the event of aggression, are you aware that adversaries will flood the internet with disinformation to undermine public morale and destabilize society?” For the roughly 23 million people living just 180 kilometers from the Chinese coast, the… Continue reading The handbook you hope never to use: What Taiwan’s civil defense manual reveals about democratic resilience
Taiwan’s solidarity with the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 has largely vanished from collective memory. Yet newly examined archives show that, in the uprising’s aftermath, Taiwan mounted an island-wide campaign to support the Hungarian people. In other words, an authoritarian regime publicly aligned itself with another nation’s struggle for freedom. What first appears to be a… Continue reading “We stand with the brave Hungarian people”: Taiwan’s forgotten solidarity with the Hungarian Revolution of 1956
