Current Affairs Taiwan (CAT) 台灣時事 12.23.2019 Episode 25
This week, hosts Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文) and Michael Turton (麥哲恩) delve into the duelling rallies in support of, and calling for the recall of, KMT presidential candidate and Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu. Former president says if President Tsai wins re-election she will raise electricity rates. Tsai’s revival in the polls is no surprise as […]
Taiwan Quick Take: Baby Race to the Bottom
Of all the presidential races in Taiwan’s history, this one has had by far the most absurd moments. Obviously, the absurdity isn’t on the part of President Tsai Ing-wen: It would be tough to find anyone with more discipline in word choices and in action, making even the famously unflappable US President “no drama” Obama […]
Ketagalan Media: Where is the DPP Concentrating Its Firepower?
With the 2020 Taiwan presidential race now an all-but-foregone conclusion, attention is now focussed on the legislative races being held concurrently. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is angling to keep their legislative majority, which they may or may not keep. The party knows from hard experience during the presidency of their own Chen Shui-bian, when […]
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 […]
