The appointment of moderate Yoshimasa Hayashi as Japanese foreign minister has elicited a good deal of discussion in the Chinese news media, with voices on both sides of the Taiwan Strait trying to interpret what it means for the region in an era of heightened tensions.
As the tumultuous and controversial Tokyo Olympics came to an end, the world set its eyes on Beijing, where the Winter Olympics is to be held in just six months. The 2022 Games could become even more contentious than the event which just closed.
An hour’s drive from central Taipei lies a wasteland for Chiang Kai-shek statues, symbols of Taiwan’s authoritarian past.
This SNA Speakeasy features Brian Hioe on the theme of “Taiwan’s Response to the Hong Kong Crackdown.”
Paintings by traumatized Hong Kong protesters have gone on display for the first time in Taiwan, with the images of despair and hope that lay bare their enduring anguish.
Chinese military activities around Taiwan have visibly escalated in past weeks. Apart from military exercises conducted in the area, a visit to Taiwan by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach saw consecutive days of warplanes sent into Taiwanese airspace.
A political spat between high-ranking Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians broke out last month after comments by former President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT regarding Taiwan’s national defense.
A proposal by the Ishigaki city government in Okinawa, Japan, to rename the disputed Senkaku-Diaoyutai Islands in order to reaffirm Japanese claims of sovereignty over the islands has led to nationalistic responses in Taiwan from among members of the Nationalist Party (KMT) and members of the Pan-Blue camp.
Campaigners for the removal of Kaohsiung’s mayor in an unprecedented vote on Saturday have linked their fight to get rid of the populist, China-friendly Han Kuo-yu with Hong Kong protesters’ fight for democracy.
As politicians in Beijing gathered for the annual meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the skies outside darkened, providing grim foreshadowing of events that could alter the fate of Hong Kong forever. Hours later, international news outlets were announcing “the end of Hong Kong.”
