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.

DPP Cross-Strait Narrative:"Maintain Peace" to Replace "Resist China" to Protect Taiwan

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

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

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

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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President Tsai Turns Blind Eye to Underworld

President Tsai Turns Blind Eye to Underworld

The speaker election at the Tainan City Council has been widely reported to pose serious threats to the personal safety of various councilors due to involvement with organized crime syndicates. Councilors affiliated with the Kuomintang (KMT) collectively issued "statements of non-suicide" pressing for protection by the prosecutors.

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This Week in Taiwan 1218-1227

This Week in Taiwan 1218-1227

December 18: In the postponed Chiayi mayoral election, the Kuomintang's (KMT) incumbent Huang Min-hui won nearly 60,000 votes, about 63.6 percent of the votes, winning a big victory over Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) challenger Lee Chun-yi. Huang was successfully re-elected and set a record of being elected mayor four times. 

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Judicial Independence Should Not Be Trampled by Dirty Politics

Judicial Independence Should Not Be Trampled by Dirty Politics

During the Hsinchu mayoral election, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) did not want to lose, used all means to attack the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate Kao Hung-an but still lost.

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Economy in Peril, But Officials Are All Talk

Economy in Peril, But Officials Are All Talk

After the local elections, a series of indicators show that the economy may be approaching downfall.

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TSMC CEO:Export Controls Damage Globalization

TSMC CEO:Export Controls Damage Globalization

Chief Executive Officer CC Wei of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) made a rare warning on December 17 that export controls and banning products from other foreign countries destroy productivity and efficiency gained under globalization, or at least they reduce benefits offered by a free market.

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This Week in Taiwan 1211-1217

This Week in Taiwan 1211-1217

December 12: Tiktok, a short-form video platform developed by the Chinese company ByteDance, has become the subject of public discussions on information security. The Ministry of Digital Affairs on December 5 banned the public sector from using it. Legislator Luo Mei-ling stated on December 12 that TikTok can still be browsed from the Internet at the Legislative Yuan and questioned whether executive agencies are synchronized in complying with the new regulations. Responding to interpellation, Secretary-General Lee Meng-yen of the Executive Yuan stated that he will coordinate with the other four branches of government to follow suit. Spokesman Luo Ping-cheng of the Executive Yuan stated that civil servants who violate the ban will be disciplined according to regulations.

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