ISSUE 229                                                                                January 25, 2024
Taiwan Weekly
Reliable report and analysis of the most important issues in Taiwan
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● This Week in Taiwan: 
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Nauru Severs Diplomatic Relations with Taiwan, 12 Allies Remain
taiwanweekly2019@gmail.com
According to media commentary, Nauru's severing diplomatic ties is only Beijing's response to William Lai's election as president. It also means that Beijing will hardly give Mr. Lai any observation period.
(Photo from: The Storm Media)
Featured Editorial

Beijing Won't Give Lai Observation Period

The Storm Media Editorial, January 17, 2024 

 

Immediately following Vice President William Lai’s victory in the presidential election, Nauru announced the termination of diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) in a lightning-fast manner. This is not the first time for Nauru to do so. When he assumed office in 2000, former President Chen Shui-bian tried every means to reconcile with Beijing until Nauru severed relations with Taiwan in 2002. Mr. Chen then declared the “one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait” stance, challenging Beijing's bottom line. As the old script of Nauru breaking off diplomatic ties is replaying, how long can President-elect Lai, dubbed “Chen 2.0,” endure before making a similar move?" 

Featured Editorial
taiwanweekly2019@gmail.com
According to a commentator, the results of Taiwan's 2024 elections reflect the split of the opposition and not a referendum on cross-strait relations as interpreted by some of the international press.
(Photo from: United Daily News)

Lai's Election Not Referendum on Cross-Strait Relations

By Wang Hsin-hsien

United Daily News, January 15, 2024  

 

The 2024 presidential election has concluded. The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) ticket of William Lai and Bi-khim Hsiao won the election with 40 percent of the vote. In the Legislative Yuan, none of the three major parties, Kuomintang (KMT), DPP, or Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), won a majority. Thus, there is a possibility of forming a "small ruling party, large opposition" political pattern. On cross-strait relations post-election, we have the following perspectives: 

read more

From: https://udn.com/news/story/7339/7709758 

Featured Editorial
taiwanweekly2019@gmail.com
According to a commentator, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) attributes the main reason for the loss of the youth vote in the presidential election to TikTok's false information which has affected the people's literacy. It is obvious that the DPP does not know where its problems lie.
(Photo from: The Storm Media)

Losing Youth Vote, DPP Treats TikTok as Culprit

United Daily News Editorial, January 20, 2024 

 

While the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) continues its rule after this election, it now faces the challenge of being a “double minority” government in both the presidential and parliamentary arenas. This signals a shift from the past eight years when the DPP could wield considerable influence. The main reason for the DPP's less-than-stellar victory lies in the significant loss of support from the younger demographic. However, rather than proactively evaluating why it lost the backing of the younger generation, the DPP has shifted blame onto TikTok, claiming misinformation on the platform affected voters' perception. By using TikTok as its primary scapegoat, it appears the DPP is either unaware of its own shortcomings or, if aware, is choosing to bury its head in the sand. 

read more

From: https://vip.udn.com/vip/story/122365/7722012 

This Week in Taiwan
taiwanweekly2019@gmail.com
In the contest for speaker and deputy speaker of the Legislative Yuan, the Kuomintang (KMT) nominated Han Kuo-yu and Johnny Chiang, while the DPP nominated incumbent You Si-kun and Tsai Chi-chang. Both parties seek cooperation with the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), which has a key minority in terms of legislative seats.
(Photo from: Legislative Yuan)

January 14: A senior bi-partisan delegation from the United States visited Taiwan, including former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and former Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, accompanied by Chair Laura Rosenberger of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Although both Taiwan and the United States have emphasized following precedent, the speed at which the U.S. delegation arrived in Taiwan (the day after the election) was considered unusual in the political sphere.

 

January 15: The Republic of Nauru announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Taiwan and establishment of official ties with mainland China. This is the 10th country to sever ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan) during the tenure of President Tsai Ing-wen, reducing Taiwan's total number of diplomatic allies to 12. The Office of the President expressed deep regret and criticized Beijing for using diplomatic pressure as retaliation against Taiwan's democratic values and as a blatant challenge to international stability and order.

 

January 15: Nauru severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan based upon United Nations General Assembly Resolution No. 2758. Chair Laura Rosenberger of the AIT indicated that the resolution does not determine Taiwan's status, exclude any country from establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan, or exclude Taiwan's meaningful participation in the United Nations system. The United States is disappointed that the content of Resolution No. 2758 has been interpreted and used as a tool to exert pressure on Taiwan.

 

January 16: Shih Ming-teh, former chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), passed away at the age of 83. Shih was one of the iconic figures of the Tangwai movement during Taiwan's authoritarian period and was imprisoned for more than a quarter century. He served as commander during the 1979 Formosa Incident and the 2006 Red Shirt Army movement.

 

January 17: The New Tide faction of the DPP announced that out of respect for the presidential office, President-Elect William Lai is no longer a faction member. During his first report to the DPP's Central Standing Committee after the election, Mr. Lai stated that while sub-groups within the party have their role to play, in order to conduct state affairs more objectively, unite and lead the party, he will leave the New Tide faction with immediate effect.

 

January 18: According to documents released by Politico, former Prime Minister Liz Truss secretly lobbied the British government in August 2023 to "accelerate" the sale of defense equipment to China. Truss is known as an anti-China hawk. She was invited to visit Taiwan in May 2023 and had urged her government to label Beijing as a threat.

 

January 18: At an investor's conference and media exchange meeting, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) revealed its decision to build a third 12-inch wafer plant in Kaohsiung and enter the 2-nanometer advanced process. As for investment in a second plant in Arizona, it will be determined according to customer needs and U.S. government subsidies. This is a rare proactive announcement of the company's careful investment plans. The move was interpreted as a show of determination to retain advanced processes in Taiwan.

 

January 19: Campaigning for the speaker and deputy speaker of the Legislative Yuan has begun. The Kuomintang (KMT) is expected to nominate 2020 presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu and former Chairman Johnny Chiang, while the DPP will field Speaker You Si-kun and Deputy Speaker Tsai Chi-chang for re-election. Both parties extended olive branches to the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), which has critical minority seats. The KMT stated that it could yield the deputy speaker position, while You stated that it is normal in a democracy for a small party to serve as speaker. The TPP put forward four demands for legislative reform and seeks the support of the two major parties.

Taiwan Weekly is a newsletter released every week by Fair Winds Foundation and Association of Foreign Relations which provides coverage and perspectives on the latest developments in Taiwan.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Taiwan Weekly article are solely those of its author(s) and do not reflect the views of the institutions that publish the newsletter.

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