Taiwan Quick Take: Global Views poll shows fears of PRC, and support for ROC status quo, on the rise
Global Views Research has released their 2020 Taiwan Public Sentiment Trend poll results, and if any trend jumps out most, it is fear of the PRC is on the rise. There has been a sharp shift towards the DPP and away from the KMT. Impressions of China have sharply deteriorated, and people’s willingness to go […]
Ketagalan Media: How Was Taiwan’s Presidential Debate? Sorry I Fell Asleep
Two nights ago, Taiwan held the first of what people are erroneously referring to as a presidential “debate”. A debate might have actually held out the possibility of being interesting, but this was a rotating set of three rounds of inaction-packed canned presentations by each of the three candidates. For those of you who were […]
Taiwan Quick Take: You might think women would have more of a problem with the KMT. They don’t.
From the Taipei Times: Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday defended calling President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) an “ill-starred woman” (衰尾查某, literally “droopy-tailed woman”) on Tuesday, despite criticism from politicians across party lines. Wu made the remark in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) during a rally for Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) That […]
Taiwan Quick Take: A coming rematch between Wu Den-yih and Han Kuo-yu for KMT chair?
As those of you who follow Current Affairs Taiwan (CAT) or have been reading posts here on Taiwan Report know, KMT chair Wu Den-yih’s (吳敦義) tenure has been a disaster on almost all fronts. In spite of his term officially ending in May of 2021, the local press has been openly speculating on which KMT […]
EBC News: Tainan billboard hidden message mocks Han Kuo-yu
A bill board in Tainan, featuring the KMT emblem, features a poem touting typical KMT presidential candidates themes, such as “if elected everyone will become wealthy”…but only when read from left to right. If read from top to bottom, the first line reads “hoping (or praying) straw bag (ie, idiot) Han Kuo-yu loses the election”. […]
Taiwan Report 12.16.2019, flirting with president, Love River love motel, cabinet, F-16s, free press
This is an inaugural, trial run of what may become a several times a week 10 minute report. Unlike an ICRT news report (which we recommend you listen to throughout the day) this is intended to provide context on political and foreign affairs topics, and to provide background information for our longer weekly show Current […]
Taiwan Report 12.16.2019, flirting with president, Love River love motel, cabinet, F-16s, free press
This is an inaugural, trial run of what may become a several times a week 10 minute report. Unlike an ICRT news report (which we recommend you listen to throughout the day) this is intended to provide context on political and foreign affairs topics, and to provide background information for our longer weekly show Current […]
Taiwan Quick Take: Wu’s woes: Han promises to reform “out of touch” KMT, candidates dodge party list
KMT Chair Wu Den-yih’s (吳敦義) woes are compounding, and even the man he bent over backwards to put forward as the party’s presidential nominee (over his own ambitions) has knives out gunning for his job. In theory, Wu has until (if I recall correctly off the top of my head) May 2021 left on his […]
Local Taiwan media: Poll shows Su Tseng-chang’s cabinet hits new highs, Lin Chia-lung sweeps tops spots
A Taiwan Brain Trust (新台灣國策智庫) poll, reported in various local media, shows that the Tsai administration’s Executive Yuan cabinet headed by Su Tseng-chang (行政院長蘇貞昌) has hit a new high in popularity, with 48.7% expressing satisfaction and 35.5% dissatisfied. Of his various ministers, Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and his Ministry of Transportation came out tops in all […]
Taiwan Quick Take: Han says outsiders not allowed in Kaohsiung recall march (update)
UPDATE: It turns out that the two march routes are perpendicular to each other, and at one point their paths will cross. Hundreds of police are being mobilized to avert trouble. Dueling Kaohsiung marches on December 21 will be widely viewed as a test of strength. On the one hand is a march in support […]