Written by Chee-Hann Wu. his article examines the participation of K-pop fans in Taiwan’s new wave of the Bluebird Movement since December 2024, demonstrating how transnational fandom culture can intersect with social activism and serve as a vehicle for resisting perceived threats to democracy and personal freedoms.
Written by Anthony Li. This article reviews how the government of Taiwan under President Lai Ching-te continued to lead the way in energy transitions in 2024. It discusses its energy policy and outlines the achievements as well as the challenges of how the central government mobilises local governments, solar energy companies, NGOs, and local communities for solar energy development.
Written by Cheng-Ching Lin and Grace Huang. The Judicial Reform Foundation (JRF) unites dedicated allies from Taiwan’s civil society to advance judicial reform. This article highlights their efforts and achievements in 2024, as well as their outlook for 2025. Despite the challenges posed by political turmoil in parliament, JRF remains committed to fostering public engagement, rebuilding trust in democratic governance, and upholding the rule of law.
Written by Robert Wang. Over the past two years, with the support of AIT and MOFA as well as local NGOs, a Taiwan NGO alliance has successfully initiated a Fellowship Program to provide training for young NGO activists in the region and to create an NGO support network in Asia. It is important that this program be continued and expanded in order to strengthen civil societies and bolster democracies in the region.
Written by Shih-An Wang. This article examines the 2024 amendment to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act from the perspective of democratic backsliding. The author argues that the amendment demonstrates an alarming political attempt to undermine the Constitutional Court’s integrity and advocates for greater levels of public oversight to halt the derogation of democracy.
Written by Jacques deLisle. Amidst the focus on potential radical impact under the second Trump administration, this article examines some fundamental trends and challenges in US-Taiwan relations and US-China-Taiwan dynamics. The longstanding US policy of strategic ambiguity is becoming increasingly harder to hold and Taiwan’s capacity to navigate is waning.
Written by Dr Chieh-chi HSIEH. This article examines the domestic political turmoil in Taiwan in 2024, including corruption scandals for all three main parties and ongoing confrontation in the Legislature. However, it argues that these challenges have demonstrated the resilience of Taiwan’s democracy based on the evidence of its institutions, leadership and people.
Written by Dr Chieh-chi HSIEH. This article argues that the path dependencies of the Taiwanese, US, Japanese, and South Korean governments encountered a change of political leadership in 2024, which created some uncertainties for Taiwan in 2025. They are compounded by the conservative stance of President Lai Ching-te towards President Trump since the latter’s election.
Written by Raian Hossain. This article examines Taiwan’s relations and engagement in South Asia, with reference to the cases of India and Bangladesh. It argues that Taiwan has great potential in the region. Taiwan should strategise to interact with different South Asian countries based on their own merit and limitations and find areas of mutual interest to increase its regional footprint.
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 Chen-Dong Tso. This article reviews the cross-Strait strategy of the Biden administration after President Lai characterised the two sides of the Taiwan Strait as “mutual non-subordination”. The administration adopted a nuanced approach of both restraint and support, which the incoming Trump administration might not follow.
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.
Taiwan Insight 