The Grand Hotel is one of Taiwan's most iconic landmarks. No foreign tourists have stayed there for two years now, since Taiwan shut its borders. But this week, Taiwan cut quarantine to just three days. That raises the question: is the Grand Hotel about to welcome foreign tourists again? 

Natalie speaks with Ian Easton, the author of "The Final Struggle - Inside China’s Global Strategy", to find out how big a threat to democracy China is.

Taiwan and the US are finally moving forward on a new trade agreement. A new framework was announced Wednesday night. Senior government officials announced a breakthrough in economic ties with Washington on Wednesday: the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade. Top trade negotiator John Deng says he has waited 30 years for this deal. He says he hopes the negotiating platform will help Taiwan and the US build even closer ties. This came after Taiwan’s disappointment however of not being included in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a regional framework led by the US. Stanford University Political Scientist Kharis Templeman tells us why Taiwan was left out.

US President Joe Biden has made global headlines for his remarks on the US defending Taiwan. Biden also elaborated on the US’s one China policy and determination to deter China from attacking Taiwan. Does that mean the US would send troops if China attacked?  Stas Butler speaks with Stanford political scientist Kharis Templeman and asks him first if he thinks Biden has been saying YES deliberately.

2022-05-21

Taiwan is learning to live with COVID. Now how concerned should we be about the surge in domestic cases? Natalie speaks with National Taiwan University Public Health Professor Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權). He tells us what we can expect in the coming months and why he thinks Taiwan should loosen its quarantine policies.

The Swedish Parliament has approved the name change of their trade office in Taipei to the House of Sweden. What does that mean? The House of Sweden is the iconic building in Washington DC that’s home to the Swedish embassy. Natalie speaks with Boriana Aberg, who recently led a delegation of Swedish parliamentarians to Taiwan. She tells us about the significance of the parliament’s passing of the House of Sweden proposal.

Daily COVID-19 cases have been hitting record highs and that has a lot of people worried. Doctors, though, are telling us not to panic and Taiwan has just begun a rapid test rationing system through pharmacies and public health centers. Now one of our own, Stas Butler, has COVID and is recovering at home. 

Later, Emma takes a trip to Tainan, the country’s original capital, and find the Narrow Door Cafe: a hidden gem in the most unlikely of places.

International travel has taken a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving parts of the tourism industry time to reflect on how to cut their carbon footprint. Hotels in Taiwan are showing the rest of the world how it’s done.

Sweden sent their first parliamentary delegation to Taiwan this week. One of the leaders of the delegation is MEP Charlie Weimers who authored the EU Parliament’s EU Taiwan Report, which calls for closer ties with Taiwan. Stas Butler spoke with Weimers about their landmark visit.