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.
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 Yi-Ting Chung. Taiwan faces significant challenges amid global tensions. At the 2024 NATSA conference, FAPA discussed grassroots advocacy to enhance US-Taiwan relations, addressing misconceptions and emphasising bipartisan support. They stressed the need for long-term commitment to effectively promote Taiwan’s democracy and human rights.
Written by Dah-Wei (David) Yih. This article describes a workshop hosted at the NATSA conference that aimed to empower participants to communicate Taiwan’s significance to American audiences. The workshop emphasised Taiwan’s multifaceted importance to the United States, ranging from economic and geopolitical ties to shared democratic values and technological cooperation. It used interactive activities and facilitated discussions to help attendees understand why Taiwan matters and how to communicate this understanding to others effectively.
Written by Wen Liu. This article highlights three major contributions of Wendy Cheng’s historically grounded book Island X, including the understanding of Taiwan through the US-China-Taiwan stance, the need for Asian American studies to incorporate geopolitical analysis and situating Taiwan in Asian American studies.
Written by Min-Hua Chiang. William Lai (Lai Ching-te) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secured his election as Taiwan’s 16th president on January 13, 2024. As the DPP extends its rule for another four years, the administration is likely to maintain President Tsai Ing-wen’s economic policies, notably diversifying the economy away from China. Navigating Taiwan’s export-oriented economy through the evolving US-China relationship will pose the most significant challenge for the new administration.
