Taiwan Insight

From Poppies to Tea Gardens: How Taiwan’s Tea Took Root on Thailand’s Northern Borderland

Written by Po-Yi Hung. Taiwan’s tea is often associated with its mountain landscapes, but its influence extends far beyond the island. This article traces how Taiwanese tea varieties, cultivation techniques, and agricultural expertise transformed the former opium-growing borderlands of northern Thailand. It reveals tea as more than an agricultural commodity, as a vehicle of diplomacy, territorial governance, and cross-border mobility that quietly reshaped the Golden Triangle.

When Tea Becomes Everything (Part 2)

Written by Gawin Tiansuwan. In Part 2, the author follows a deeper immersion into tea culture, spanning Canada, Thailand, and Taiwan. A life-changing move to Taipei to study Mandarin leads to a deep connection with Taiwan’s tea community, historic neighbourhoods, and a young master in Pinglin. Using these Taiwanese tea-making insights, he returns to Northern Thailand to help revitalising local wild tea traditions.

When Tea Becomes Everything (Part 1)

Written by Gawin Tiansuwan. In Part 1, the author traces a personal journey of self-discovery through tea. Moving from Western blends in the UK to traditional gongfu cha in Hong Kong, the author explores how tea provided stability during burnout. Crucially, an inspiring trip to Taiwan’s iconic teahouses sparked a lifelong passion, prompting the purchase of his first Yixing teapot and ultimately bridging a connection to his ethnic heritage.

Field notes from Douliu’s urban resilience drill

13 August 2026 Adrian Chiu

Written by Tom Wilson. Urban resilience drills in Taiwan have been promoted as a cornerstone of President Lai’s whole-of-society approach to preparing for contingencies and crises. How do they look in practice? Drawing on observations of the urban resilience exercise in Douliu, this article explores how everyday state-society relationships can shape and complicate efforts to build resilience.

Taiwan’s view on Free and Open Indo-Pacific

12 August 2026 Adrian Chiu

Written by Dr Madhukar Shyam and Manya Singhal. This article argues that Taiwan’s foreign policy towards the Indo-Pacific should be analysed within the framework of the New Southbound Policy and President Lai’s NSP+. The FOIP strategy is perceived by Taiwan as an approach that will ensure its sovereignty. Beyond condemning China’s expansionism, Taiwan should adopt the “porcupine strategy”, invest more in defence equipment and build whole-of-society resilience.

A Dual-Use Defence Industry for Taiwan: Potential and Pitfalls

11 August 2026 Adrian Chiu

Written by Drake Long. This article explores the opportunities and challenges facing Taiwan’s dual-use defence industry. Although Taiwan’s industry is ambitious to become a manufacturing hub for drones and other dual-use technologies, its success depends on sustained government investment and access to foreign markets, with the EU as an ideal target for deepening ties.

Beyond Flashpoints: Understanding the Politics Behind Taiwan’s Strategic Choices

10 August 2026 Adrian Chiu

Written by Lucy Best. This article argues that issues of everyday governance, such as budgets, industrial development, and energy availability, that underpin Taiwan’s strategic success have become increasingly important for Taiwan’s partners to understand. Taiwan’s resilience is a question of whether its democratic institutions can continue to manage disagreement, produce effective policy and maintain public trust.

Beyond the China Lens and the Silicon Shield: The Case for Taiwan to Explore Credibility Diplomacy

7 August 2026 Adrian Chiu

Written by Noah Metheny. This article argues that the China lens and the silicon shield each capture part of Taiwan’s strategic importance, but neither explains its growing international influence. Moving beyond both narratives requires recognising that Taiwan increasingly derives influence from credibility rather than legitimacy, earned through decades of institutional development and democratic governance.

Small State-itis: The Danger of Defeatism in Taiwan

6 August 2026 Adrian Chiu

Written by Thomas J. Shattuck. This article argues that local and foreign diplomats and politicians should not see Taiwan as a small country and therefore believe it has little chance against the PRC. There is so much more to geopolitical influence than landmass. When considering population, the stock market, per capita GDP, defence, and foreign relations, Taiwan plays a larger role in the world than one might expect.

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