Written by Adrian Chiu. This special issue presents a brilliant line-up of scholars and observers of the two movements which provides insights and perspectives to analyse and reflect on the tenth anniversary of the Sunflower and Umbrella Movements. This introductory piece briefly sets the scene for their excellent analysis by reviewing some of the significant political changes both internationally and domestically.
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 Plamen Tonchev. The presidential and parliamentary elections held in Taiwan on 13 January 2024 were closely watched globally, as their potential implications could reverberate far beyond the island’s shores. Two oft-quoted arguments relate to the fact that Taiwan is home to a huge chunk of the world’s cutting-edge semiconductors, and the volume of maritime traffic through the 110-mile-wide strip of water between the Chinese mainland and the self-governed island. Add to that the political significance of Taiwan’s subjugation to Beijing’s “national rejuvenation” vision, as well as the geostrategic importance of the first-island chain to the entire Indo-Pacific region.
Written by T.Y. Wang. Lai’s victory, nevertheless, is a rebuke to Beijing’s sovereignty claim of the island and a hard pill for Chinese leaders to swallow. In the aftermath of the election, observers are pondering how Beijing will react to Taiwan’s electoral outcomes. Chinese leaders view Lai as a “separatist,” and his affiliated DPP is a secessionist political party. A win by Lai, in their mind, means Taipei will continue its policy of pursuing Taiwan independence in spite of Lai’s pledge to continue the incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen’s policy of maintaining the status quo. Prior to the election, Beijing had magnified a “war and peace” narrative, intensified its military and economic pressure on Taiwan and warned the island citizens to make a “correct choice” in the elections.
Written by Chen-yu Lin. On December 28, 2023, Reuters and CNN reported a disconcerting incident involving Mayday, a Taiwanese rock band, who found themselves entangled in a request from Chinese authorities to make pro-Beijing statements. As reported by CNN, the authorities demanded a public statement affirming the unity of China and Taiwan as a single nation. The band’s refusal to comply resulted in consequences related to alleged lip-synching, which is referred to as “deceptive singing (假唱)” in Chinese. This accusation carries the potential for fines or even performance bans under Chinese law. These developments stemmed from their December concert in Shanghai and are potentially connected to Taiwan’s presidential election in January 2024, prompting an ongoing investigation.
Written by Daniel Jia. Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election has concluded. The Taiwanese people have elected the China-defiant candidate as the new president. For Taiwan, the results of the election are important. But what is more important, in view of the presence of China’s meddling with Taiwan’s election, is to lay out new strategies to mitigate China’s interference in the future.
Written by Chia-hung Tsai. Taiwan’s 2024 presidential and legislative elections, held on 13 January, concluded peacefully, revealing key insights into the electorate’s priorities. The results highlight that voters are influenced by both their sense of Taiwanese/Chinese identity, especially in the context of cross-strait relations, and their pragmatic concerns for personal, tangible interests, for instance, low income, high inflation, high unemployment rate and unaffordable housing prices for average middle class in Taiwan. These transcend ideological or identity boundaries. The dual factors set the stage for the critical governance issues and candidate personalities that defined the election.
Written by Kuang-shun Yang. For decades, Taiwan has lived under Beijing’s constant military threat of “reunification.” However, Taiwan is often portrayed by Chinese propagandists as a “troublemaker” capable of destabilising the Indo-Pacific region or making China “upset about everything we [Taiwan] do, about our existence,” as Taiwan’s ex-ambassador to the United States Hsiao Bi-khim noted. Taiwan’s independence, be it a political appeal or an objective reality, is provocative to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP’s mouthpieces have effectively convinced numerous international observers to discourage Taiwan’s quest for independence and characterised Taiwan’s autonomy as an affront to the Chinese people.
Written by Dominika Remžová. A few days prior to this year’s EU-China summit (the first to take place in person since the COVID-19 pandemic), the Financial Times has published an opinion piece by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Secretary-General of NATO, calling for the Union’s stronger support for Taiwan. The article singles out security considerations as the main reason for such a principled stance, which the author acknowledges has been taken up by only a few Central and Eastern European (CEE) leaders. This focus on security issues and small states is noteworthy, as it provides the most fruitful avenue for further strengthening of ties moving forward.
Written by Zeng Ee Liew. The term ‘colonial nostalgia’, or 戀殖 (lian zhi), has appeared more and more since the 2000s in the discourse used by Mainland China to describe the politicians or activists who advocate for democracy or even independence in both Taiwan and Hong Kong. Very often, those democracy or independence activists will be described as ‘traitors’ who still harbour lingering love or affection and pander to the former Western or Japanese colonial power and fail to show full patriotic love to the motherland. The use of such discourse can be seen from the lens of a broader effort by the Chinese government to delegitimise those pro-democracy activists, which will be explored further in this article.
Written by Wayne Huang. On May 15, 2022, a fatal shooting occurred at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California. During a lunch reception, the gunman locked the doors and opened fire with approximately a hundred people present. The church has been recognised for its significant role in Taiwan’s democratisation and independence movements since the 1970s. It has led to the suspicion that this historical connection motivated the assailant to travel over a hundred miles from Las Vegas to target the church. The shooting resulted in six individuals being shot, including Dr John Cheng, who lost his life while attempting to disarm the gunman.
Written by Corey Lee Bell. Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT), recently selected its candidate for the 2024 presidential election. With the main competitors for Taiwan’s top job essentially locked in, each has been interrogated on their policies on cross-strait relations in recent weeks. With tensions high across the Taiwan Strait, and between Beijing and Washington, what each candidate stands for could have profound ramifications for, and perhaps even beyond, the Indo-Pacific region.
Taiwan Insight 