Geopolitics – Taiwan Insight

From ‘China’s Last Frontier’ to ‘Ghost Nation’: Rethinking Taiwan Across Three Decades of Change

7 May 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley. The article compares Simon Long’s 1991 book, Taiwan: China’s Last Frontier and Chris Horton’s recent publication, Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle for Survival (2025). The author traces Taiwan’s transformation from an authoritarian frontier within a China-centric framework to a democratic, identity-driven political subject central to global geopolitics, yet still diplomatically constrained. By examining the two frameworks, the author reveals both profound change and enduring discourse on Taiwan’s self-determination and the limits of international recognition.

U.S.-China Competition and the Rise and Fall of Taiwanese Firms

10 October 2025 Yu-Chen

Written by Thung-Hong Lin and Chun-Yin Lee. This article discusses the impact of China’s tightening control and U.S.–China trade tensions on Taiwanese firms. The authors find that traditional electronics firms have suffered revenue and profit declines, while high-end semiconductor companies have shown counter-cyclical growth. Ongoing tariff negotiations leave future prospects uncertain.

The ROC Flag in Outer Space: Astronaut Visits During the Cold War Era (1960s-1980s)

4 August 2025 Yu-Chen

Written by Yi-Ting Chang. This article revisits Taiwan’s overlooked space history by tracing astronaut visits and the symbolic journeys of ROC flags into space during the Cold War. It reveals how diplomacy, identity, and geopolitics shaped Taiwan’s unexpected role in early space exploration.

The Power of “Taiwan Can Green”: Energy transitions as a discursive response to Cross-Strait Geopolitical Tensions

23 May 2025 Yu-Chen

By Anthony Ho-fai Li. This article explores why the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been so committed to the aggressive target of domestic solar energy installation despite intensified controversies since 2016. It argues that its commitment goes hand in hand with enhancing its ideational power through the narrative of “Taiwan can green,” which helps Taiwan navigate the escalating cross-Strait geopolitical tensions and the DPP to cope with domestic political challenges.

Navigating Geopolitical Turbulence with Taiwan’s Energy Transition Policy

21 May 2025 Yu-Chen

Written by Yun-Ling Ko and Chia-Wei Chao. Taiwan’s reliance on imported fossil fuels presents a critical energy security vulnerability and makes a transition to renewable energy a vital pathway to greater national resilience. This article argues that developing domestic renewable energy and strategically addressing supply chain dependencies are crucial for Taiwan to enhance its energy and national security in an evolving geopolitical landscape.

Taiwan’s Semiconductor Industry in the “Chip Wars” Era

9 August 2024 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Gunter Schubert. Taiwan’s security is largely determined by the government’s ability to promote the resilience of Taiwan’s high-tech industries, especially semiconductors, to ensure their international competitiveness and crisis resilience. Based on this fact, this article raises two subsequent questions: what strategies are the Taiwanese semiconductor industry pursuing to secure its technological edge and markets in the new global power constellation? And what is the Taiwanese government doing to strengthen the country’s economic security, which arguably depends essentially on maintaining Taiwan’s leading position in the global high-tech industry over the long term?

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