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”
In recent years, EU-Taiwan, namely relations between Taiwan and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), have grown stronger. What do the 2024 Taiwan election results mean for the next four years of CEE-Taiwan relations? The DPP’s presidential victory implies a certain degree of continuity in Taiwan’s posture towards the outside world, considering that foreign policy is… Continue reading CEE-Taiwan Relations: Current State and Outlook Following the 2024 Taiwan Elections
As might be expected, Chinese media reactions to Taiwan’s general elections earlier this month have focused on one question: does the victorious Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have legitimacy to govern Taiwan? This apparently refers to President-elect Lai Ching-te’s failure to receive more votes than the two opposition candidates, combined, as well as to the opposition… Continue reading Chinese Media Watch: “DPP Does Not Represent Taiwan Anymore”, China’s State Media Tells Us
