The Poor People’s Republic of China Sadly has to Threaten Taiwan Because it has No Choice
For years prominent commentator (and my co-host on Current Affairs Taiwan) Michael Turton has pointed out that both the carrots and the sticks employed by the PRC are intended to portray itself as the victim. In their framing, in spite of all their peaceful efforts and generous offers to Taiwan “compatriots”, stubborn Taiwan “secessionists” colluding […]
A Fifth of Column: A few comments on the 2020 Taiwan Election
The dominant narrative of Tsai’s comeback makes great copy but it is the wrong framing. We all know the story. A popular challenger comes out of nowhere to challenge the President, who is down in the polls. The KMT candidate, persistently down in the polls, takes action to suppress and distort embarrassing poll data, which […]
Taiwan Quick Take: NPP tops youth poll, KMT at 2.99%
Depending on where you stand on the political spectrum, a poll held of 11,369 high school and university students was either very good news, middling news, or very, very dire news. Of those students, it’s unclear how many of the college level students were of voting age, but a rough guess might be about half. […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
