As the U.S. and other nations face the rising challenge of electoral interference, Taiwan’s experience offers valuable insights. Leveraging blockchain and image authentication technologies, companies like Numbers Protocol work to protect digital assets’ integrity, aiming to build public trust in election coverage amidst a global surge in AI-driven disinformation.
March Blackouts Raise Supply, Grid Concerns Taiwan experienced widespread blackouts on March 3, affecting over 5 million households around the island. Both human error and mechanical failures were at fault, according to Taiwan’s state-owned electricity monopoly Taipower. Although power was restored by the end of the day, the incident caused significant disruption to households and…
After 13 years in the same office space, AmCham has now started our office renovation. The staff have all moved down into the 6th floor Lincoln Room while the 7th floor main office undergoes a major renovation. Our temporary office resembles a tech startup – very cozy and intimate. The renovation will be complete early next year,…
Landslide Electoral Win for President Tsai Incumbent presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on January 11 won a landslide victory against her Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) opponent, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu, defeating him by almost 20 percentage points. Tsai, who garnered a record-breaking 8.17 million votes (57.13%), in her victory speech…
At a time when democratic values are under siege in many parts of the world, Taiwanese citizens last month demonstrated their continued firm commitment to a free and open political system. In the January 11 elections for president, vice president, and national legislators, nearly 75% of eligible voters cast their ballots. In the U.S., in…
My teenage daughter is interested in Taiwan’s political culture, so I took her to President Tsai Ing-wen’s election victory celebration. Amid the cheers, chants, and the occasional air horn, I heard something that I’ve never noticed before at a political event in Taiwan. It was the sound of people speaking Cantonese. A lot of Hong…
Tsai, Han Announce Running Mates President Tsai Ing-wen, who is up for re-election in January, on November 17 announced that she had chosen former premier William Lai as her vice-presidential running mate on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ticket. Lai also previously served in Taiwan’s legislature from 1999 to 2010 and as Mayor of Tainan…
Terry Guo Leaves KMT, Will Not Run in 2020 Former Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou on September 12 resigned from his honorary position in the Kuomintang (KMT), citing the party’s “culture of reactionary politics and backroom horse-trading” as influencing his decision. His departure was criticized by many in the KMT, who argued that he broke the…
Mayor Ko Establishes new Political Party Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je announced in late July the founding of a new political party. Named the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), a reference to a party of the same name founded by Japanese colonial era democracy activist Chen Wei-shui in the 1920s, the TPP will present an alternative to…
EVA Air Strike Causes Heavy Losses The 17-day strike by EVA Air flight attendants that began on June 20 caused the airline nearly US$1 billion in losses. The strike caused some 1,400 flights to be canceled, affecting over 200,000 passengers. The strikers demanded higher wages, EVA agreement to a “no-free ride” policy that would exclude…
