Written By Paula Perez. This article analyses the promises and positions of Cheng Li-wun. It argues that Cheng offers nothing new in terms of its identity claims and the 1992 Consensus and questions who is the audience Cheng is speaking to. However, she brings something other leadership candidates did not, personifying the redemption of a generation who she claims is misled by de-Sinicised education.
Written by Brian Hioe. This article compares the new KMT party chair Cheng Li-wun to Hung Hsiu-chu. Both made waves on the basis of their deep blue political leanings and hardline stance on advocating for unification. She already faces some internal pushback against her leadership, though it remains to be seen whether Cheng will follow Hung’s trajectory of falling from grace.
Written by Ching-yuan (Joy) Hung and Mu-Chen (Jenny) Liu. This article tells the shared journey of two NTU graduate students who interned at the Kew Gardens. Immersed in diverse experiences, including seed imaging, herbarium tours, and a culture of scientific exchange, they found renewed purpose in research, which led both to reimagine their paths toward doctoral studies and global collaboration.
Written by Tzu-Li Yang. The author shares his engagement in specimen curation, trait data building, and cross-cultural learning while interning at Kew Gardens, which transformed his view of herbaria – from static collections to dynamic data systems supporting global botanical collaboration.
Written by Ni-Chen Lin and Chih-Wei Hsieh. Two NTU students, Ni-Chen and Chih-Wei, joined Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank through the NTU Overseas Internship Programme. Their experiences, studying seed survival and tree seed diversity, broadened their global perspectives on conservation. Returning to Taiwan, both apply Kew’s collaborative, research-driven values in academic and governmental roles.
Written by Ssu-Han (Evelyn) Chiu. This article recounts the author’s 2024 internship at Kew Gardens. Working with Kew’s Science Education Team, the author explored citizen science initiatives, attended the International Botanical Congress, and co-organised a workshop on public engagement, which reshaped the author’s understanding of collaboration, communication, and innovation in global plant science.
Written by Richard Gianfrancesco. This article introduces the collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the National Taiwan University (NTU) to train future biodiversity experts. Beginning in 2022, the partnership has provided NTU students with research placements in Kew’s collections and laboratories.
Written by Neeraj Mehra. This article examines the growing educational partnership between Taiwan and India as a strategic soft power tool. Nearly 1,500 Indian students now study in Taiwan, primarily in engineering and technology fields, facilitated by a 2010 MOU and Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. This collaboration offers complementary benefits: Taiwan’s semiconductor expertise paired with India’s demographic dividend and emerging tech sector. While recent high-level delegations signal strong governmental commitment, challenges remain in administrative barriers, visa processes, and funding stability. The author argues that with proper institutional mechanisms, this partnership could become a major Indo-Pacific academic alliance serving both knowledge diplomacy and technological self-reliance.
Written by Bryn Thomas. This article interviews one of the thousands of Taiwanese who fought for Japan in the Battle of Okinawa. With at least 1000 Taiwanese troops took part and suffered a casualty rate of over 90% during the battle, the Okinawa Peace Memorial only listed 34 names of Taiwan’s war dead. The postwar political situation in Taiwan made it complex to honour these fallen soldiers.
Written by Bryn Thomas. This article remembers the survivors of the US bombing of Taipei in May 1945. Although the day was one of the deadliest in Taipei’s history, there are no public memorials to the Taipei Air Raid. In the 80 years since the war, a combination of political realities and dominant narratives has left it largely forgotten, except by those who lived through it.
Written by Bryn Thomas. This article takes us behind the scenes in the creation of the From Empire to Republic docuseries of TaiwanPlus News and this special issue. Taiwan’s World War II history made it to the headlines time and again in 2025, including President Lai Ching-te marking the 80th VE day in May to Lai drawing parallels between current Taiwan and the 1930s’ democracies when commemorating the VJ day.
Written by Alexandra Whitehead. This article asks what the China spy scandal in the UK means for Taiwan and analyses both its opportunities and risks, including the need to reassess its relations with Beijing and to clarify its legal framework to match its political rhetoric. Putting them together, the case is unlikely to drastically change the course of UK-Taiwan relations.
Taiwan Insight 