Written by Chiaoning Su. This article examines the reporting controversy faced by TaiwanPlus, a government-funded English-language news platform in Taiwan, following the U.S. election. It highlights how Taiwan’s coverage of the U.S. election goes beyond geopolitical and economic considerations to address issues of press freedom. The article emphasizes the need for Taiwan’s public media to reinforce its independence and create a better environment for press freedom.
Written by Chia-wei Chao. Trump’s return to the presidency could reshape the global energy landscape, challenging Taiwan to navigate a more uncertain climate policy environment. By proactively addressing geopolitical risks, energy flows, and trade opportunities, Taiwan can safeguard its climate ambitions while maintaining robust ties with the US.
Written by Yo-Ling Chen. This article examines how anti-gender groups in Taiwan have appropriated and leveraged Donald Trump’s anti-trans rhetoric during his presidential campaign to bolster their own agenda. It focuses on statements and actions from various anti-gender groups, highlighting their populist strategy that frames transgender rights as opposing public opinion.
Written by Sheng-Hui Tseng. The #MeToo movement in 2023 prompted revisions to gender equality laws, incorporating key changes such as broadening the scope of these laws, defining power-abused sexual harassment, and extending the timeframe for filing complaints. However, challenges in the workplace of politics persist due to deep-rooted patriarchal culture and informal power dynamics.
Written by Frédéric Krumbein. Han Guo-yu is arguably the most definitive example of a populist in Taiwan. This article reviews his quick rise and fall and the media narratives of him and reflects on whether Taiwan is a hard place for populists to succeed.
Written by Billion Lee. Cofacts, a civic technology community, has been developing information technology tools to combat disinformation since 2016. As Taiwan continues to confront disinformation surrounding elections and various social issues, Cofacts aims to empower citizens to verify information and strengthen democratic resilience.
Written by Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy. In 2023, Taiwan continued to present itself as a democracy internationally through subnational diplomacy. As it elected a new president and a new parliament in the new year, this article anlayses how the dynamics of cross-Strait relations are driving the internationalisation of Taiwan. It is expected that the two sides are likely to drift further apart in the coming years and this will further strengthen Taiwan’s identity as a democracy.
Written by Dafydd Fell. There have been a number of major changes in Taiwan’s party system since the November 2022 local elections. This article analyses the decline of Taiwan’s movement parties from the perspective of party system factors and suggests strategies these parties can adopt.
Written by Bonny Ling. A few months before the presidential elections, I gave a talk in Taipei on the responsible recruitment of migrant workers, where they do not bear the cost of their job recruitment and begin their employment saddled by debt. Afterwards, a participant came up to ask me which presidential candidate I thought would stand the best chance to reform Taiwan’s labour recruitment system towards the Employers Pays Principle, where the costs of recruitment are borne by the employers. I was asked this from time to time in the runup to the January 2024 elections, so this alone did not surprise me. What did was his next statement: “And I will vote for them.” I studied his face to see if he was serious. Not sure. Had I just met my first single-issue voter on migration in Taiwan? Are there more?
Written by Jasper Roctus. The polls have closed, and Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has won the Taiwanese presidency, beating Hou Yu-ih of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Ko Wen-je of the upstart Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). With Lai’s victory, 2024 became the first (post-democratisation) Taiwanese presidential election, where the same party’s nominee was elected three times in succession. Different from its triumphs of 2016 and 2020, the DPP did not emerge from the elections scot-free. Lai ‘only’ obtained forty per cent of the vote compared to Tsai Ing-wen’s two majority landslides, and the DPP lost the legislative majority it had enjoyed since 2016. Although this result aligned with earlier predictions, there is still a lot that merits further discussion.
Written by Raian Hossain. Now that the election results are in, the period of intense suspense and electoral speculation has concluded. The issue of cross-strait relations remains unresolved, as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) insists that the Republic of China (ROC), often known as Taiwan, is a separatist province of the mainland and aims for reunification. For the first time in history, Taiwan has re-elected the same political party to govern the democratic island for a third consecutive term. The election of Lai Ching-te on Saturday signifies a strong counter to the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) forceful stance and intimidation tactics towards the island. The primary challenge now is how Lai’s new government will maintain its relations with Beijing and navigate the complex triangular dynamics of the US, China, and Taiwan.
Written by Tsung-Mei Cheng. The January 13 presidential election in Taiwan marked a historic moment in the nation’s burgeoning democracy. For the third consecutive term, voters reaffirmed their confidence in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has been at the helm for the past eight years, entrusting it with the nation’s leadership for another four-year term. High on the agenda of the returning third DPP administration are pressing issues both international, cross-Strait, and domestic. This essay will focus on the future of health care in Taiwan, an important domestic issue that directly impacts the lives of Taiwanese and calls for urgent attention and actions of the new-returning administration and policymakers.
Taiwan Insight 