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.
Taiwan Should Learn to Say "No, Thanks" to U.S.
Taiwan is destined to be pro-American because of its history and political reality.
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Whose Political Situation？Can the "Tsai-Su System" Continue？
On the question of whether NT$180 billion (about US$6 billion) in over-levied tax revenue should be paid back to the people, the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen has made several turns in the past three days, changing from "rebate" to "no rebate" then back to a cash rebate to the people.
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Tortoise and Hare Race Between Lai and Hou
Recently, leading presidential contenders have begun to emerge. According to polls, Vice President William Lai and incumbent Mayor Hou Yu-ih of New Taipei are the most popular candidates for their political parties, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Kuomintang (KMT), respectively. Mr. Lai is presently running for the DPP chairmanship with hopes to secure the party’s presidential nomination.
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This Week in Taiwan 0101-0108
January 3: Due to disputes over year-end bonuses and salary adjustments, Evergreen Airline Services personnel initiated a strike, and the unrest has spread. It is speculated that personnel of Taoyuan International Airport Services, a subsidiary of China Airlines, may also join in protest and refuse to work over Chinese New Year and the February 28 holidays, affecting transportation over Lunar New Year.
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Conscription Extended to 1 Year, President Tsai: Prepare for War to Avoid War
President Tsai Ing-wen held a high-level national security meeting and decided to extend the compulsory military service to one year.
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Horrible Truth Behind the Extension of Military Service
Recently, the government formally announced that the compulsory military service will be extended from four months to one year, effective January 1, 2024.
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DPP Cross-Strait Narrative："Maintain Peace" to Replace "Resist China" to Protect Taiwan
After the crippling losses in the recent local elections in November, the cross-strait policy narrative of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), "resist China to protect Taiwan," became one of the items for review.
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This Week in Taiwan 1225-0103
December 27: The National Development Council (NDC) released business indicator figures for November. Due to the cooling global economy, the comprehensive score plummeted by six points from the previous month down to 12 points, the lowest score in 13 years. The index light signal changed from a yellow and blue light to a blue light representing contraction, a first in nearly four years. The NDC described the current state of the economic downturn as "cold outside" (referring to international markets) and "warm inside" (domestic demand) and expects the business climate to improve in the second quarter of 2023.
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Vaccine Procurement Controversy：Terry Gou Denounces Officials as Rotten Wood and Brute Beasts
Terry Gou, the founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Company (Foxconn), has been in the spotlight recently for crossing sords with Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan over the government's role in the delayed procurement of BioNTech vaccines.
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Rotten Wood and Brute Beasts：Tsai Administration Shockingly Resembles Late Han Dynasty
Terry Gou, founder of Foxconn, has called for procuring the next-generation BioNTech vaccine, but Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan sarcastically compared Gou to a "BioNTech salesperson."
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