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.
With the presidential inauguration on May 20 approaching, the Legislative Yuan is abuzz with discussions on parliamentary reform, with a primary focus on how the president should deliver his state of the nation report to the Legislative Yuan.
DetailsWhat should President Tsai Ing-wen do before she steps down?
DetailsMay 12: Due to geo-political tensions, U.S.-China trade competition, and downturn risks associated with the Chinese economy, the Financial Supervisory Commission reported a first-quarter exposure of NT$1.3 trillion (about US$42.6 billion) to mainland China. This represents a decline compared to the same period last year and the previous quarter, with expectations that the figure will fall below the trillion mark this year.
DetailsOpposition 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.
DetailsFormer President Chen Shui-bian's case is understood to be receiving a presidential pardon next week, just before May 20.
DetailsWith Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin as the main target, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been excited with collective witch-hunting.
DetailsMay 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.
DetailsIn 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.
DetailsSeventeen 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.
DetailsAssistant 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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