The National Assembly elections will take place in less than a month. Campaigning, however, is nonexistent. A recent opinion poll suggest that most voters don't know the election date -- May 14 -- and that half don't know what the elections are for, or what impact they will have. This is largely due to the media's obsession with the China trips by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
There have been some who have been trying to cool Lien and Soong's China fever. Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Opposition between localization and pro-China forces is building up again. Both sides are eloquent. The general public is unable to decide who is right and who is wrong, and neither side is capable of persuading the other. Perhaps the National Assembly elections could be seen as a vote of confidence, with the public deciding if Taiwan should continue to engage with, or distance itself from, China.
The assembly is being elected to vote on constitutional amendments to halve the number of legislative seats, adopting a single-member district, two-vote system for the legislative elections and abolishing the institution of the National Assembly.
Although President Chen Shui-bian (
If the political parties wish to increase the political significance of the assembly elections by turning them into a vote of confidence, the TSU and the PFP should begin by ending their technical obstruction and speed up the passage of the law governing the National Assembly's exercise of power (
Lien and Soong's trips to China are certain to be seen by Beijing as a great opportunity to promote its unification agenda and blur national consciousness in Taiwan. This is an important political issue for this country, not a judicial issue. Courts will not be able to determine if Lien and Soong's visits are the right thing to do. Only by bringing their ideas and actions to the public and letting the Taiwanese people as a whole decide if their political judgment and opinions go against the public's wishes will we get a clear answer to that question.
If the parties want to increase the significance of these neglected assembly elections as well as their own political responsibilities, they could do so by intensifying their campaigning. This would be a great opportunity to educate the public in civic politics, and the best way to resolve the conflict over constitutional amendments and China policies.
Congratulations to China’s working class — they have officially entered the “Livestock Feed 2.0” era. While others are still researching how to achieve healthy and balanced diets, China has already evolved to the point where it does not matter whether you are actually eating food, as long as you can swallow it. There is no need for cooking, chewing or making decisions — just tear open a package, add some hot water and in a short three minutes you have something that can keep you alive for at least another six hours. This is not science fiction — it is reality.
A foreign colleague of mine asked me recently, “What is a safe distance from potential People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force’s (PLARF) Taiwan targets?” This article will answer this question and help people living in Taiwan have a deeper understanding of the threat. Why is it important to understand PLA/PLARF targeting strategy? According to RAND analysis, the PLA’s “systems destruction warfare” focuses on crippling an adversary’s operational system by targeting its networks, especially leadership, command and control (C2) nodes, sensors, and information hubs. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, noted in his 15 May 2025 Sedona Forum keynote speech that, as
In a world increasingly defined by unpredictability, two actors stand out as islands of stability: Europe and Taiwan. One, a sprawling union of democracies, but under immense pressure, grappling with a geopolitical reality it was not originally designed for. The other, a vibrant, resilient democracy thriving as a technological global leader, but living under a growing existential threat. In response to rising uncertainties, they are both seeking resilience and learning to better position themselves. It is now time they recognize each other not just as partners of convenience, but as strategic and indispensable lifelines. The US, long seen as the anchor
Kinmen County’s political geography is provocative in and of itself. A pair of islets running up abreast the Chinese mainland, just 20 minutes by ferry from the Chinese city of Xiamen, Kinmen remains under the Taiwanese government’s control, after China’s failed invasion attempt in 1949. The provocative nature of Kinmen’s existence, along with the Matsu Islands off the coast of China’s Fuzhou City, has led to no shortage of outrageous takes and analyses in foreign media either fearmongering of a Chinese invasion or using these accidents of history to somehow understand Taiwan. Every few months a foreign reporter goes to
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