Published since 2019 by the Fair Winds Foundation and Association of Foreign Relations, Taiwan Weekly provides in-depth report and analysis of the major issues facing Taiwan.

250,000 People Rise Up Against Dictatorship; Eric Chu: Recall Lai Ching-te on May 20

250,000 People Rise Up Against Dictatorship; Eric Chu: Recall Lai Ching-te on May 20

Over the weekend, the Kuomintang (KMT) held a rally titled "Oppose the Green Communists, Fight Dictatorship—Stand Together on Ketagalan Boulevard!" in front of the Presidential Office, attracting a crowd of 250,000. KMT Chairman Eric Chu declared that ever since President Lai Ching-te was elected on May 20 last year, he has been dividing and destroying Taiwan. Chu announced that the Legislative Yuan will initiate a recall motion against Lai Ching-te on May 20, and called on people across Taiwan to use the power of the people to bring Lai down.

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President Lai Heading Down the Path of Becoming a Dictator

President Lai Heading Down the Path of Becoming a Dictator

On April 26, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) will hold a joint rally on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei under the banner of "fighting autocracy." In response, Premier Cho Jung-tai criticized KMT vice chairmen for visiting China and "shaking hands with an authoritarian regime." The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rebutted, "If this were truly a dictatorship, how could you march on the streets?"

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Judiciary Cooperating with Ruling Party's Political Purge, Forcefully Criminalizing the Opposition

Judiciary Cooperating with Ruling Party's Political Purge, Forcefully Criminalizing the Opposition

"Political persecution, judicial injustice, interference in party primaries"—these are not accusations made by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) or Taiwan People's Party (TPP) but by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Tai-hua. She was actively running in the DPP's Kaohsiung mayoral primary when prosecutors summoned her for questioning and searched her office on allegations of illegal political donations and assistant salary fraud. Legislator Lin claims this was retaliation from the New Tide faction—a political purge disguised as legal action—and that she has become a casualty of intra-party factional warfare.

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Measures to Respond to Reciprocal Tariffs Inconsistent, Sneaking in Budget Items Previously Rejected by the Legislative Yuan

Measures to Respond to Reciprocal Tariffs Inconsistent, Sneaking in Budget Items Previously Rejected by the Legislative Yuan

The Executive Yuan approved a sprawling NT$410 billion (about US$12.6 billion) special budget yesterday, ostensibly in response to opposition parties' calls to address the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war. However, behind this move lies a political maneuver to quietly revive budget items previously cut by the legislature. From Premier Cho Jung-tai's local tours denouncing the opposition for slashing the general budget to his recent surprise announcement of submitting a report to unfreeze funds and now bundling blocked allocations into a special budget to force the opposition to swallow it whole—this strategy reeks of political scheming aimed at preserving narrative control.

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Central Bank Should Grasp Risks and Reduce U.S. Bond Holdings

Central Bank Should Grasp Risks and Reduce U.S. Bond Holdings

The Central Bank has long demanded that the financial sector maintain a strong sense of risk awareness. Yet now, it finds itself heavily exposed to U.S. Treasury bond risk—making this the moment to self-examine and adjust its asset allocation.

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NSC Secretary General Surrounded by Communist Spy: How to Ensure National Security？

NSC Secretary General Surrounded by Communist Spy: How to Ensure National Security？

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is facing a string of espionage scandals, with confirmed infiltration reaching the Office of the President, Legislative Yuan, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs—even national security officials have a Chinese Communist spy in the midst. While mainland China's infiltration of Taiwan's national security core warrants alarm, what’s more disturbing is the DPP's response: either sleeping soundly through the crisis or diverting attention by indiscriminately accusing others and painting the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) as traitors to fuel the recall campaign.

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DPP Uses Prosecutors and Investigators to Support Recall Campaign and Infiltrate Campuses

DPP Uses Prosecutors and Investigators to Support Recall Campaign and Infiltrate Campuses

As steep tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump draws international attention, Taiwan is simultaneously witnessing another political drama—a wave of recall campaigns. Despite waning public enthusiasm, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) remains steadfast, pushing what was once framed as a movement of “civic autonomy” increasingly off the tracks of democracy and the rule of law.

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President Lai Reveals His Cards, Raising Fears That Taiwan Could Be Divided By Trump

President Lai Reveals His Cards, Raising Fears That Taiwan Could Be Divided By Trump

President Lai Ching-te has announced plans to begin negotiations with the United States for "zero tariffs" and to form a "Team Taiwan for Investing in America." With over fifty countries lining up to negotiate with the United States, the White House has confirmed that Taiwan has initiated contact. Some legislators from the ruling party have even suggested sending former President Tsai Ing-wen or Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim to lead the negotiations. As the stock market crashes, order cancelations, factory closures, unpaid leave, and layoffs loom, if our delegation sits at the table, will they genuinely protect core national interests?

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President Lai Calls for Decoupling from China and Joining the Global North: Aspiring Cession to the U.S.？

President Lai Calls for Decoupling from China and Joining the Global North: Aspiring Cession to the U.S.？

At a recent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Central Standing Committee meeting, President Lai Ching-te, who doubles as the party chairman, invited Wu Chieh-min, a research fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of Sociology, to present a report on solutions to the U.S. tariff war. President Lai strongly endorsed Wu's proposed trend of "breaking away from China and joining the Global North," viewing it as a positive direction and declaring that Taiwan would leverage this strategy to establish a "Global Taiwan."

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Demand for Mainland Spouses to Prove Identity Suggests DPP Preparing for Political Purge

Demand for Mainland Spouses to Prove Identity Suggests DPP Preparing for Political Purge

The immigration directive of President Lai Ching-te's administration has sparked widespread panic among the 140,000 mainland Chinese spouses and their Taiwan-born children, threatening their very status in Taiwan. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration's new policy requiring "supplementary proof of loss of original household registration" explicitly targets this group, driving many into bureaucratic dead-ends. This move exposes the hypocrisy and selective justice of Taiwan's democracy, turning the so-called "witch hunt" against mainland spouses into a full-blown political purge.

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