U.S. Senators Invite Tsai to Address Congress A group of U.S. senators has called for President Tsai Ing-wen to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress – a proposal that drew a characteristically cautious, non-committal response from the Taiwanese leader. The senators said having the Taiwanese leader speak to Congress would be consistent with…
Su Tseng-chang Takes Office as New Premier Following Premier Lai Ching-te’s resignation due to the poor showing of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the November 2018 municipal elections, President Tsai tapped a senior DPP leader, Su Tseng-chang, to succeed him. The President told the media that she selected Su because he possesses three…
Forecasts for Taiwan’s economic growth next year currently range between 2.18% and 2.5%. The Taiwan economy is expected to undergo a moderate slowdown next year as overseas demand falters for its information technology and other high-tech products. But if that prospect is somewhat disappointing, the consolation is that Taiwan is likely to escape suffering harsh…
KMT Stages Comeback in Local Elections The opposition Chinese Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT) won mayoral seats in three closely watched major constituencies – Kaohsiung, Taichung, and New Taipei City – in local elections held November 24. In Taipei City, incumbent independent Mayor Ko Wen-Je was reelected by a narrow 3,000-vote margin, prompting the runner-up…
Vice President Chen Received by the Pope Leading a delegation to the Holy See to attend canonization ceremonies for Pope Paul VI and others, Vice President Chen Chien-jen was received by Pope Francis at Castel Gandolfo, the former Papal summer residence. Chen said Pope Francis sent his regards to President Tsai Ing-wen and said he…
Transitional Justice Vice Chair Resigns Vice chairman of the Transitional Justice Commission (TJC) Chang Tien-chin resigned over comments, made at a private meeting that were leaked to the press, in which he proposed using the TJC to smear a candidate in the November elections. The TJC, under the Executive Yuan, is an independent body charged…
Tsai Makes 9-Day Trip to Latin America President Tsai Ing-wen departed on August 12 on a trip to Paraguay and Belize, two of the countries with which Taiwan continues to maintain full diplomatic relations, with stopovers in the United States. On her arrival in Los Angeles, Tsai was greeted at the airport by the U.S.-based…
Former KMT Chairman Lien Chan Visits China Former Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan led a party delegation to Beijing in mid-July for a meeting with General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping commemorated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Lien, who served as Vice President during the Lee Teng-hui administration,…
The startup ecosystem has blossomed over the past three years. To accelerate its growth, additional regulatory overhaul is needed. The Taiwanese government has vowed to create a homegrown private company worth US$1 billion or more in the next two years. Known as “unicorns” in tech lingo, these firms are the most celebrated startups in their…
Southeast Asia and Japan edge out ultra-competitive China as the markets of choice. Alex Chen is ebullient about Indonesia. Southeast Asia’s largest nation is integral to the global expansion of EZTable, the online restaurant booking platform Chen established a decade ago in Taipei. It has since become the largest platform of its kind in Asia….
