Letters from Taiwan

Letters from Taiwan is an online diary of what engages and interests me about Taiwan, as well as a record of my journeys and discoveries. It is an extended letter of admiration and gratitude to this beautiful country, that has so patiently given me a home. Originally from the UK, I arrived in 2000 as a teacher and now work full time in the field of medical devices. This blog does take an active, passionate, and often partisan interest in Taiwan's current affairs, with particular emphasis on its history, politics, and economy. Taiwan is geographically and politically situated at an important juncture of global hegemonic struggle. The identity of the nations and the peoples living here, and the ongoing contest over the definition and meaning of those identities, is a field study in contemporary nationalism and nation building. It is because this contest is far from resolved that I find 'contingent' to currently be the most suitable descriptor. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-21929244-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://' : 'http://') + 'stats.g.doubleclick.net/dc.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

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The UK’s misplaced China focus - Taipei Times

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

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Trump’s dangerous appeasement of Xi - Taipei Times

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

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Lessons to take from Tsai Ing-wen - Taipei Times

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

My latest Op-Ed for the Taiwan Policy Centre

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Promises, Promises, Promises (Lai Ching-te 賴清德)

Since 2024, Democratic Progressive Party candidate, and later President of Taiwan (ROC) Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has …

2024

Jan 29: vowed to … deepen bilateral relationship with Palau

Apr 06: vowed to ... 'safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty'

Sep 23: vowed to ... strengthen disaster prevention system

Sep 26: vowed to ... strengthen civil defense in Taiwan

oct 16: vowed to ... work with democratic partners and organizations including Reporters Without Borders to safeguard press freedom and sustainable democracy in the world

Dec 09: vowed to ... 'safeguard Taiwan's democracy'

2025

Jan 06: vowed to ... build Taiwan into an artificial intelligence hub

Jan 21: vowed to ... expand law enforcement in Taiwan

Feb 04: vowed to ... enhance Taiwan’s investment environment

Feb 05: vowed to ... reduce the cancer mortality rate by one third by 2030

Feb 17: vowed to ... reform national defense, bolster Taiwan-U.S. ties and develop the semiconductor industry

Feb 24: vowed to ... enhance Taiwan’s investment environment

Feb 24: (VP Hsiao) vowed to ... strengthen self-defense capability

Mar 03: vowed to ... expedite the opening of political archives to further the implementation of transitional justice

Mar 21: vowed to ... enhance Taiwan-US economic partnership

Mar 28: vowed to ... advance Taiwan’s defense resilience

Apr 02: vowed to ... maintain regional peace

Apr 08: vowed to ... deepen democracy

May 26: vowed to ... shape Taiwan into AI hub

Jul 03: (VP Hsiao) vowed to ... strengthen two-way ties (with USA)

Aug 25: vowed to ... continue improving the ROC (Taiwan) armed forces

Sept 11: vowed to ... shape secure, sustainable Taiwan

Other PromiseWatch Lists: 

Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九

Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文

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My review of John Sullivan and Lev Nachman's new book: Taiwan, A Contested Democracy Under Threat LINK

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Hey, just saw your post about taking the APEX flight course modules. I'm also a foreigner (from Malta, Europe) currently living in Taiwan (Hsinchu right now) and was thinking about following my dreams of becoming a pilot. I'm 27 and was hoping to carry out the PPL-CPL-IR route but found out theres a bit of confusion around Taiwan's ICAO status and licenses being not accepted out of Taiwan. Is it true that flying out of Taiwan is not possible if you get the CPL? Also don't they offer the ATPL?

Hi, my advice is don’t use APEX if you want to start a career in flight. I would advise you to join a course in your home country or in Europe.

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Respect, protect self-determination - Taipei Times

Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

My latest Op-Ed for the Taipei Times, for the Taiwan Policy Centre.

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Time for Taiwan’s global inclusion - Taipei Times

Over the past few months, various media outlets, think tanks and lobby groups have published numerous opinion columns and reports about the implications for Taiwan given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. About a week ago, the Taiwan Policy Centre, a non-partisan research and advocacy group, complemented this coverage with the publication of its launch report, “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow?” As the center’s director of communications, I have worked with colleagues across party lines to produce a paper that refocuses the conversation around the unique circumstances of the nation’s current security context. The war has briefly made Taiwan relevant and visible again, but too

My latest Op-Ed for the Taipei Times. 

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Healthcare workers denied fair pay - Taipei Times

If ever there was a time when a country should come to appreciate the value of having a functional (semi) universal national healthcare service, it would be during a pandemic. Despite there being glaring and unacceptable gaps in Taiwan’s health insurance and healthcare systems, which often have detrimental effects on unemployed people and those with severe illnesses who cannot afford necessary treatment, even with a government discount, most Taiwanese are the beneficiaries of a high-quality and relatively cheap service that has worked tirelessly to ensure that COVID-19 has not spread unchecked around the country. Much of Taiwan’s success in tackling the

My latest Op-Ed for the Taipei Times

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Hysteria on cannabis hinders the discussion - Taipei Times

The recent editorial “Cannabis use booms on campuses” (Sept. 10, page 8) by retired military instructor Chen Hung-hui (陳宏煇) — whatever a person’s opinion on the use and dangers of the popular recreational drug are — contains a startling claim. Despite stating that an autopsy did not confirm the cause of death, Chen inferred that a student who had smoked cannabis had died as a result of the substance. If true, this would be the first recorded death worldwide from the use of cannabis and therefore a matter of grave concern and international attention, especially given the ubiquity of the

My latest Op-Ed for the Taipei Times in response to this earlier Editorial:

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2021/09/10/2003764113

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Facing a COVID-19 culture shock - Taipei Times

International travel during this age of COVID-19 can induce a jarring culture shock. Recently, I flew out of the UK, a state with one of the worst cases and deaths per million population figures, and into Taiwan, a country with one of the best records for containing the spread of the disease. Off the ramp in Taipei, I am steered to a line for non-residents who need to quarantine, which is everyone. I pay NT$1,000 for a 30-day 4G mobile phone number, I confirm my quarantine details and contacts, go through customs, collect my luggage and am steered to a

My latest Op-Ed for the Taipei Times

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Progressive adultery ruling is a test - Taipei Times

The Liberty Times editorial, published in this newspaper, essentially argues that the Council of Grand Justices Constitutional Interpretation No. 791 on May 29, ending 85 years of criminal punishment for adultery, is an act of judicial activism that ran ahead of what Taiwanese society is willing to accept (“Adultery ruling is too progressive,” June 14, page 6). That 14 of the 15 justices came to consensus on the ruling was evidence, the editorial claims, of a divide in values between the justices and the public, who were unready for such “controversial” changes. The editorial is uncomfortable with the Judicial Yuan

My latest Op-Ed for the Taipei Times following the Council of Grand Justices Constitutional Interpretation No. 791 on May 29 which ended the criminalisation of adultery.

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Britain needs to learn from Taiwan - Taipei Times

Having returned to the UK late last year and with a Taiwanese spouse remaining in Taiwan, I have been afforded the chance to compare and contrast the UK and Taiwanese governments’ responses to the COVID-19 crisis. My early conclusions are that Taiwan benefits from a rational, competent government, which quickly recognizes, adapts to and confronts large-scale disasters. It is led by a government that does more than just talk of respecting democracy and human rights, one that is scrutinized and responds to criticism, one that is concerned about public opinion, and one that is used to dealing with emergencies on

My latest Op-Ed for the Taipei Times.

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Lessons from UK Labour’s defeat - Taipei Times

Simon Tisdall, a foreign affairs commentator for the Guardian, last week wrote that the results of the UK’s general election can be attributed to the Labour Party’s move to a supposedly “radical,” “revolutionary,” socialist left (“How will Labour’s meltdown change tactics of the US and European left?” Dec. 19, page 9).

My latest Op-Ed for the Taipei Times, on the UK General Election and the implications for the US Democratic Primaries.

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CASE STUDY: English-Language Media Reaction To The End of China’s FIT Policy

Written by Ben Goren. On Wednesday 31st July, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that it would stop issuing individual travel permits to residents in 47 Chinese cities. The announcem…

My latest piece for the University of Nottingham Taiwan Studies programme.

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Taiwan has other options than UN - Taipei Times

On Oct. 25, 1971, Albania’s draft resolution A/L 630 and Add. 1 and 2 passed by a roll-call vote of the UN General Assembly 76 to 35, with 17 abstentions. This recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sole legal China and was encoded as General Assembly Resolution 2758. Sensing that the Republic of China’s (ROC) eviction from the UN was inevitable, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) ordered his representatives to formally leave the UN in protest before the vote.

My Op-Ed in the Taipei Times today.