Last year I attended Strait Talk at Brown University. Strait Talk, in simple terms, is a closed-door weeklong session on Taiwan’s future. The method is through citizen-to-citizen dialogue, without political jargon, in an open space. In one week we, a group of fifteen divided into “delegations” of five (China/PRC, Taiwan/ROC and the US), opened up to each other. … Continue reading Figuring out Taiwan: Strait Talk
ABC Television Network’s Fresh Off the Boat (FOTB), inspired by Eddie Huang’s memoir of the same name, has been widely praised and has just kicked off its second season. As a Taiwanese American, I appreciate that ABC maintained Huang’s Taiwanese heritage and that the show puts Taiwan in the minds of the viewers around the … Continue reading Fresh Off the Boat delivers a Taiwanese American experience
One of the trending issues in Taiwan is no doubt the ongoing debate about the country’s civics curriculum reform. The Ministry of Education (MoE hereafter) of Republic of China (the official government of Taiwan) claimed that the changes are merely “minor adjustments” to reflect historical facts, and yet, not only were the participants’ names erased … Continue reading Civics Curriculum Reform based on Ethnocentrism May Harm our Children
On June 3, 2015, President Ma Ying-Jeou held a video-conference with the Center of Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University. As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Ma outlines the history of the Republic of China (ROC) and United States, and pinpoints his point of view regarding … Continue reading Annotating President Ma’s Speech on US-Taiwan Relations at Stanford University
Chinese Taipei won the 2015 World Cheerleading Championship, but the Championship was not won by the “Taipeinese”; it was won by the people of Taiwan. This distinction is confusing to many since participants of international organizations act under their country’s name. Why the use of Chinese Taipei? Shouldn’t it and other names of the island … Continue reading Chinese Taipei – What’s in a name?
On April 20th, Columbia University’s Taiwan Focus student organization hosted a discussion, led by Yu-Shiou (Clarence) Chou, about Taiwan’s human rights. Chou is an attorney at law in Taiwan, Executive Commissioner of the Judicial Reform Foundation, PILnet Fellow, public defender for Sunflower Movement activists, and is currently completing his Visiting Scholar term at Columbia Law … Continue reading A Walk Through Taiwan’s Human Rights with Clarence Chou
Two US Marine F/A-18C Hornet aircraft made an emergency landing at an air force base in southern Taiwan last week. Since Taiwan is considered a renegade province by China and does not have formal diplomatic ties with the US, the public is questioning what the fighters were doing near the island and why the US decided … Continue reading The United States did what?!
It was declared a “watershed moment in its democratization”, but there was no jubilation or dancing in the streets. The Nationalists Kuomintang (KMT) still had a strangle hold on Taiwan’s political system, but this was the beginning of political liberalization and the roots of Taiwanization. Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law over Taiwan in July 1987, 38 … Continue reading Taiwan Martial Law and the Aftermath
On January 31, the OFT team drove up to Boston to host a workshop for the Taiwanese Association of Students at Tufts.
This week, Wall Street Journal released an article titled: Taiwan Leaves Itself Behind . In it, the author outlines Taiwan's losing its edge by not signing a free service and trade agreement with China. The article condemns Taiwan for letting the opportunity of the Cross Strait Service and Trade Agreement (CSSTA) slip away due to the … Continue reading Two Sides to Taiwan’s Economic Choice With China
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