Military planners say asymmetric platforms will boost Taiwan’s overall warfighting capabilities, raising the cost to Beijing of an invasion. The People’s Republic of China has been threatening to annex Taiwan by force for seven decades. The threat has not been credible until recently, with the ruling Communist Party becoming increasingly emboldened by the country’s rapid…
A visiting Henry Luce Fellow looks at the progress Taiwan has made on its urban digitization efforts and what is needed to make those programs more effective and equitable for all citizens. Over the past five years, Taiwan has placed “smart cities” – urban centers that run on data collected through sensors and other electronic…
Palau President Visits Taiwan Surangel Whipps Jr., President of the Micronesian country of Palau, one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies, made a five-day official visit to Taiwan in late March to celebrate the opening of a special travel bubble between the two partners. Accompanying Whipps on his visit was U.S. Ambassador to Palau John…
Taiwan Domestic Vaccinations Begin The first batch of vaccines to be delivered to Taiwan arrived on March 3. According to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), the 117,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses manufactured by AstraZeneca will be offered to groups of individuals prioritized for vaccination by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Top priority is…
By Austin Babb and Jason Wu New Chief Named for Mainland Affairs Former Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san was sworn in on February 23 as the new Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) minister. He replaces Chen Ming-tong, who has been appointed to head the National Security Bureau (NSB). During the swearing-in ceremony, Chiu pledged to resume…
By Austin Babb and Jason Wu Taiwan Secures COVID Vaccines As of February 21, Taiwan has secured around 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from three different sources. It is expected to begin a rollout of the vaccine by early March, according to Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung. Taiwan will obtain 10 million doses…
The government is seeking to greatly increase the level of English fluency in the Taiwan population by 2030 through a variety of programs, mainly focusing on improving the effectiveness of English teaching in the schools. The goal is to raise Taiwan’s international competitiveness. But classroom learning will need to be supplemented through the creation of…
Though sweeping in its ambition, the Bilingual Nation plan seems to have largely overlooked one key area: culture. The Blueprint refers to “promoting bilingual services at cultural and educational venues,” but neglects the need to address cultural influences in a larger sense – factors that need to be taken into account in any attempt to…
A more hostile environment for journalists and NGOs in China and Hong Kong could make Taiwan an ideal location to open regional bureaus and offices. Taiwan is arguably one of the world’s most misunderstood places. Even major media corporations often get it wrong. For example, last December U.S.-based ABC News mistakenly referred to Tsai Ing-wen…
By Austin Babb and Jason Wu Hsiao Attends Biden Inauguration Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s representative to the U.S., was formally invited to attend the inauguration of U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on January 20, the first such invitation extended to a Taiwanese diplomat in four decades. In previous years, envoys from Taiwan were granted entry…
