Taiwan’s domestic politics are getting more trivial as seen from the outside. This is good news and it reveals that Taiwan is becoming a normal nation in many aspects. Taiwan’s domestic politics are concerned with topics as in other nations, including same-sex marriage, pension reforms and labor laws.
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) self-inflicted election loss and internal problems have diminished the voices calling for unification with China. It has also significantly diminished the forces creating democratic problems that we have seen over the past eight years of the KMT government. In other words, the KMT contributed to the unfortunate, non-trivial politics.
Taiwan has changed, so it is time to debate the nation in its own right, outside of the context of China. More than ever, meetings between Taiwanese and European politicians, as well as others, should be considered visits between nations with trade opportunities and other mutually beneficial exchanges. Also, Taiwan should stop explaining its “status quo” policies unless asked and EU members should allow the top five ministers to visit.
Unfortunately, some European politicians are visiting Taiwan for the wrong reasons. It should no longer be enough to visit on “thank you” vacations in return for long-term support. Taiwan still sees European politicians focusing on symbolic handshakes with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) rather than beneficial mutual exchanges.
However, Taiwan and the EU have an excellent trade cooperation and fixed annual meetings, while the European Parliament has passed several resolutions on Taiwan. Moreover, European politicians and governments have in general looked forward to the Democratic Progressive Party-led government for several reasons, including trade. Europe is ready to improve trade agreements with Taiwan and several European companies are already active in Taiwan regarding investments.
Despite this, European politicians could be far more active in understanding the nation’s political dynamics by engaging much more directly with local parties at various levels. US leaders do a much better job.
It is slowly getting better, but the US is the main focus for Taiwanese politicians. This focus is understandable, but the EU is the largest investor in Taiwan. Therefore, it is embarrassing that Taiwan has not yet appointed a new representative to Brussels. The current representative has shown no appreciation of the government’s policies.
It is difficult not to get the impression that the EU, as the largest investor in Taiwan, is not so important. Considering the volatile international situation with an unreliable US president-elect Donald Trump, delivery to European friends is crucial. It is not only a symbolic gesture, but a signal of genuine mutual friendship and cooperation.
European non-governmental organizations can do another job for Taiwan and make connections and events that can ease the volatile international situation, providing solid support no matter the political dynamics in Europe. This requires a more active engagement with European civil society.
Taiwan’s domestic politics are getting more trivial, but the world has not adjusted its policies. It has in many aspects not fully realized the changes in Taiwan. Diversification of trade and improving the bonds between democratic nations are important, and civil society in Europe can help remind the public, politicians and journalists that Taiwan is becoming a normal nation and that it should be treated as such.
There is a long way to go regarding knowledge about Taiwan outside academic, business and diplomatic circles.
Michael Danielsen is chairman of Taiwan Corner.
In the US’ National Security Strategy (NSS) report released last month, US President Donald Trump offered his interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine. The “Trump Corollary,” presented on page 15, is a distinctly aggressive rebranding of the more than 200-year-old foreign policy position. Beyond reasserting the sovereignty of the western hemisphere against foreign intervention, the document centers on energy and strategic assets, and attempts to redraw the map of the geopolitical landscape more broadly. It is clear that Trump no longer sees the western hemisphere as a peaceful backyard, but rather as the frontier of a new Cold War. In particular,
When it became clear that the world was entering a new era with a radical change in the US’ global stance in US President Donald Trump’s second term, many in Taiwan were concerned about what this meant for the nation’s defense against China. Instability and disruption are dangerous. Chaos introduces unknowns. There was a sense that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) might have a point with its tendency not to trust the US. The world order is certainly changing, but concerns about the implications for Taiwan of this disruption left many blind to how the same forces might also weaken
As the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) races toward its 2027 modernization goals, most analysts fixate on ship counts, missile ranges and artificial intelligence. Those metrics matter — but they obscure a deeper vulnerability. The true future of the PLA, and by extension Taiwan’s security, might hinge less on hardware than on whether the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can preserve ideological loyalty inside its own armed forces. Iran’s 1979 revolution demonstrated how even a technologically advanced military can collapse when the social environment surrounding it shifts. That lesson has renewed relevance as fresh unrest shakes Iran today — and it should
As the new year dawns, Taiwan faces a range of external uncertainties that could impact the safety and prosperity of its people and reverberate in its politics. Here are a few key questions that could spill over into Taiwan in the year ahead. WILL THE AI BUBBLE POP? The global AI boom supported Taiwan’s significant economic expansion in 2025. Taiwan’s economy grew over 7 percent and set records for exports, imports, and trade surplus. There is a brewing debate among investors about whether the AI boom will carry forward into 2026. Skeptics warn that AI-led global equity markets are overvalued and overleveraged
RSS