The Taiwan Take

Ben Graham Jones is an election observer. In his new report “Taiwan POWER” on the 2024 presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan, Jones sets up Taiwan as a model for resilience against foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). Jones identifies a set of strengths that's the core of Taiwan’s resilience against FIMI: Purpose-driven, Organic, Whole-society, Evolving, Remit-bound. Jones stresses it’s the bottom-up approach of Taiwan’s civic society that’s made it particularly resilient. “What’s interesting about Taiwan is we often consider Taiwan to be patient zero of Chinese information operations, Beijing’s information operations… If we are to move from not just defining the problem, but also defining the solution, I think Taiwan is a place that provides a good deal of inspiration to the wider world.” Jones points to Chinese PRC influence of political elites, often through tourism, and why countries need to understand the work of the United Front. We also talk about AI, deep fake, media literacy, and where he stands on the responsibility of social media platforms against false information. The Taiwan 2024 elections took place on January 13, 2024. While the ruling DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) won an unprecedented third consecutive term in office, it lost the majority in parliament. Elections take place in Taiwan every two years. They alternate between national and local elections. The next local elections for mayors, city counselors, and village chiefs should be in November 2026. Taiwan POWER by Ben Graham Jones, commissioned by DoubleThink Lab, was released in August 2024: https://medium.com/doublethinklab/taiwan-power-a-model-for-resilience-to-foreign-information-manipulation-interference-70ea81f859b7 Previous episodes from Ghost Island Media on disinformation: “Disinformation: Building Digital Resilience” on Dispatch From Taiwan - with voices from Taiwan FactCheck Center, DoubleThink Lab, and Citizen Lab: https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/01/disinformation-building-digital-resilience “Influence Operations on PTT” with Oddis J.F. Tsai and J.M. Hung (INDSR): https://ghostisland.media/en/shows/taiwan-take/indsr-ptt-influence-operation “Disinformation” with Puma Shen (Doublethink Lab): https://ghostisland.media/en/shows/taiwan-take/disinformation-doublethink-lab “China Information Warfare” with Jeremy Hung (INDSR): https://ghostisland.media/en/shows/taiwan-take/indsr-china-information-war Support us by donating on Patreon http://patreon.com/taiwan Follow and tag us on social media:Ghost Island Media | Instagram | Facebook | TwitterEmily Y. Wu | Twitter @emilyywu A Ghost Island Media production: www.ghostisland.media Support the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taiwanese writer Chi Ta-wei (紀大偉)'s 1996 novel “The Membranes” has seen global success in recent years, with translations in French, English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Spanish, Danish, and forthcoming editions in Portuguese, Greek, and Vietnamese. “The Membranes” is a dystopian fiction set in the 22nd century. Climate change has devastated Earth, and humans now live at the bottom of the sea. The protagonist is a dermatologist named Momo who can read her clients’ memories through their skins. Chi Ta-wei is an important voice in Taiwanese queer literature. We talk about the year 1994 - the era of Pulp Fiction, Nine Inch Nails, and Nirvana. In Taipei, a bookstore called FemBooks (女書店) was opened. Artists and students wanting international cinema flocked to the Golden Horse Film Festival. One of Ta-wei’s contemporaries is the late author Qiu Miaojin (邱妙津). Ta-wei talks about why he and Qiu shared a fondness for Europe. We also talk about the Australian writer and translator Ari Heinrich who worked on English translations for both Chi Ta-wei and Qiu Miaojin. Chi Ta-Wei also talks about his appreciation for translators, and advice for writers, editors, and publishers who are working on bringing Taiwanese books to the world. For French listeners, here’s our Interview with theater director Cédric Delorme-Bouchard on the stage adaptation that premiered in Montreal 2024: https://ghostisland.media/en/shows/france-taiwan/membrane-cedric-delorme-bouchard More on Chi Ta-wei: www.taweichi.com/ Links to the novel “The Membranes”: (In English) “The Membranes” translated by Ari Heinrich (University of Columbia Press, 2021) - https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-membranes/9780231195713 (En français) “Membrane” traduit par Gwennaël Gaffric (L'Asiathèque. 2020) https://www.asiatheque.com/fr/livre/membrane 《膜》繁體中文版 (聯經出版, 1996) https://www.linkingbooks.com.tw/LNB/book/Book.aspx?ID=184182&vs=pc Tag and follow Ghost Island Media on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter Support us by donating on Patreon - http://patreon.com/taiwan EPISODE CREDIT Host / Emily Y. Wu @emilyywuEditing / Zack Chiang, Wayne TsaiResearcher / Skylar NguyenA Ghost Island Media production / @ghostislandmeSupport the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Khomenko is the organizer of Taiwan Stands with Ukraine 台灣烏克蘭陣線. We talk about conducting citizen diplomacy at a time of war, Taiwan’s humanitarian aid to Ukraine and public donations that amounted to the sending of power generators and ambulances, Taiwan and Ukraine relations, and the internal politics the Ukrainian government may be facing at home. Ukraine has no representatives based in Taiwan. When the war broke out on February 24, 2022, there were around 250 Ukrainians living in Taiwan. Many have had to do the difficult job of citizen diplomacy at a time of war. They have formed groups to rally support from the Taiwanese public, the Taiwanese government, and foreign offices based in Taiwan. They have held fundraiser events, cultural days, demonstrations near the Moscow office, exhibitions at the National Human Rights Museum, and the two-year anniversary march.They are the best example of citizen diplomacy, but at the worst of times. Ukrainian Food day in Taipei (More info)1-7pm on Sunday, March 10Location: Bar FEST 台北市汀州路三段149號 - (Google Map)For our previous interviews on Ukraine -Olek Shyn on Game Changers with Emily Y. Wu - Watch VideoDmytro Burtsev on Five Star Nation (Mandarin) - ListenFollow and tag us on social media:Ghost Island Media | Instagram | Facebook | TwitterEmily Y. Wu | Twitter @emilyywuSupport us by donating on Patreon http://patreon.com/taiwan A Ghost Island Media production: www.ghostisland.mediaSupport the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This 5-episode limited series delves into policy debates within Taiwan that could have implications for the region and beyond. Each episode features Taiwanese local experts and voices weighing in on social, economic and defense issues as they discusses how Taiwanese society is responding to these challenges.From Ghost Island Media in Taipei and U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C, this is "Dispatch from Taiwan." Subscribe -Apple Podcasts: https://gimpod.me/usip-taiwan-appleSpotify: https://gimpod.me/usip-taiwan-spotifyAmazon: https://gimpod.me/usip-taiwan-amazonEpisode 1: Defense — Rising Awareness and PreparationTaiwan elects a new president on January 13, 2024. Peace across the Taiwan Strait is on people’s minds, but where the candidates and their political parties differ is how to maintain it. All three presidential candidates have indicated they would continue Taiwan’s current foreign policies, though they have different views of what shape relations with China and with the United States should take, as well as different priorities for Taiwan’s defense preparedness. As China continues its military aggression in the region, many in Taiwan are thinking of how best to defend their home. In 2024, Taiwan will see a record-high national defense budget of 19.4 billion USD. Military conscription also was extended to one year. In his New Year’s speech, Chinese leader Xi Jinping renewed the Chinese Communist Party’s threats to take over Taiwan, which China considers its own but has never ruled. This episode includes expert views from Ying-Yu LIN from Tamkang University and CHIEH Chung from the National Policy Foundation, as well as the civilian voices of Robin HSU from the TaiwanADIZ club and Tsung-lin TSAI.Ghost Island Media: https://dispatchfromtaiwan.com/USIP: https://www.usip.org/dispatch-taiwanSupport the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As global attention on Taiwan intensifies, so does the significance of the work undertaken by domestic journalists. Today we speak with Taipei-based journalists as Taiwan gears up for its presidential and legislative election on January 13th, 2024. This is a collaboration with the NüVoices Podcast. Many thanks to the team at NüVoices partnering with us for this collaborative episode. Today's guests are: Silva Shih - Head of data journalism at CommonWealth Magazine (天下雜誌) in Taiwan, where she’s also a managing editor. Silva had previously spent five years at the Financial Times Chinese in Beijing where she oversaw data-driven stories, graphics and cross-strait relations coverage. Wen-Yee Lee - A tech reporter with Business Weekly Magazine (商業周刊) in Taiwan, covering Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain. She has been covering the semiconductor industry since 2018. Afore Hsieh - A local fixer for the Asia bureau of the French-language network of CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Prior to being a news assistant, Hsieh was a digital project manager at United Daily News in Taiwan. Taiwan’s upcoming election has become one of the most closely monitored events in decades, drawing the attention of foreign press members, international scholars, and think-tanks. This heightened interest is reflected not only in the increased number of books published about Taiwan, spanning countries such as Denmark, Germany, and the U.S., but also in the creation of numerous high-quality newsletters dedicated to Taiwan this year. Links to stories mentioned in the discussion: “The Direst Straits : Why the Chinese Military Has Increased Activity Near Taiwan” by Silva Shih (Commonwealth Magazine, 2021) “Uncovering the US-China Tech War: The Chip Rush in 21st Century America” by Wen-Yee Lee (Business Weekly, 2022) “Un musée pour combattre le tabou des menstruations à Taïwan” by Philippe Leblanc with Afore Hsieh (CBC/Radio-Canada, 2022)Support us by donating on patreon.com/taiwanTag and follow us on social media: Ghost Island Media | Instagram | Facebook | TwitterHost - Emily Y. Wu @emilyywuResearch - Khera GanongoEditing, Music - NüVoicesSupport the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winner of 2023 Golden Melody Award in Best Arrangement, Jen-Ting Chien 簡任廷 and Jen-Yu Chien 簡任佑 are the two pieces of Twincussion 雙子二重奏. Jen-Ting and Jen-Yu trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. In 2018 they played in Carnegie Hall. In 2023 they were selected for Center Stage, a cultural-exchange program from the U.S. Department of State. The brothers are versatile in Western classical music, Taiwanese folk, and new works by contemporary composers. This episode is fun to listen to, but it’s even more fun to watch!This is the podcast edition of "Game Changers with Emily Y. Wu". Watch the video of this conversation on TaiwanPlus - https://gimpod.me/gamechangers-twincussion-musicGet in touch with Ghost Island MediaFacebook - https://fb.com/ghostislandmeInstagram - @ghostislandme Twitter - @ghostislandmeProduced by Ghost Island MediaProducer, Host - Emily Y. Wu Associate Producer, Co-Writer - Ting YehResearcher - Min Chao Podcast Editor - Dino LinProduction Assistance - Teresa Yen, Gerald WilliamsDirector for Video - Laticia Fan Post-Production Supervisor - Kaley EmersonVideo Editor - Emma Chou, Vivi WangCopyright by, and First Broadcasted on TaiwanPlusExecutive Producer - Shirley Keng, Kelly Kuo Supervisor - Eric Yang Production Coordinator - Jenny LuoSupport the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.