Taiwan Weekly is a newsletter released every week by Fair Winds Foundation, Association of Foreign Relations and Taipei Forum that provides coverage and perspectives into the latest developments in Taiwan.
U.S. Throws Curveball to Test Direction on Taiping Island Sovereignty
Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) legislators intended to visit Taiping Island before the inauguration of incoming President William Lai on May 20 but unexpectedly faced scrutiny by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus of the Legislative Yuan, which has suggested that this trip is to "cheer" for China and claimed that it may release a "wrong signal" to the international community.
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President Tsai Plans to Pardon Former President Next Week：Commutation of Sentence, Not Acquittal
Former President Chen Shui-bian's case is understood to be receiving a presidential pardon next week, just before May 20.
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Taiwan's Aid to Ukraine：Another Instance of Corruption？
With Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin as the main target, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been excited with collective witch-hunting.
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This Week in Taiwan 0505-0511
May 5: Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin presented diplomatic documents revealing a confidential agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Czech Health Technology Institute (CHTI). The agreement involves $10 million in aid to Ukraine, with at least 30 percent allocated for purchasing Taiwanese medical equipment. There are concerns that the government may favor specific vendors and that there could be interference in Czech internal politics. MOFA filed a complaint against Hsu for leaking diplomatic secrets. However, Hsu countered that the so-called "secret" content had already been disclosed in an official Czech journal in March.
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MAC Hesitant about Beijing's Goodwill Gestures
In the wake of Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent remarks that he "would like to see more mainland people visit Taiwan," mainland China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on April 28 that it would, Fujian residents, first resume tourism for to Taiwan’s outlying Matsu and conditionally restore group tours to Taiwan.
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China Unveils New Cross-Strait Tourism Plan to Test Waters
Seventeen Kuomintang (KMT) legislators visited Beijing after former President Ma Ying-jeou's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, prompting an unusual show of goodwill from mainland China, which announced the opening of travel for Fujian residents to Matsu.
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Lai's Position Under U.S.-China Joint Management
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink recently stated in a hearing at the House of Representatives that the United States has explicitly informed Beijing not to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait around May 20.
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This Week in Taiwan 0428-0504
April 27: The People's Liberation Army Air Force and Navy conducted joint combat readiness patrols near Taiwan, with a total of 12 aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. At one point, they flew as close as 37 nautical miles northwest of Keelung. It is estimated that the shortest distance to the north coast of Taiwan was only 40 kilometers, which is the closest distance since the Ministry of National Defense began reporting on mainland Chinese military activity.
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Lai Urges China to Respect Democratically Elected, Legitimate Government Entrusted by Taiwanese
On April 24, President-elect William Lai, in his capacity as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman, for the first time proposed "constructive dialogue led by ruling parties on both sides of the strait."
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First Step for DPP-Communist Party Dialogue
Less than a month before the presidential inauguration on May 20, President-elect William Lai expressed his stance during the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Central Standing Committee meeting, urging both sides of the Taiwan Strait to responsibly engage in constructive dialogue.
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