Taiwan Salon

As the Taiwanese government increasingly invests in its space capabilities, civil society is doing what state programs alone cannot: cultivating relations with international space communities which are often closed. With global competition in space technology heated, civil society organizations like Taiwan Space Generation (TSG) are playing an important role in building a resilient and sustainable space sector.

In this episode, former GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Research Associate Jessica Shiao interview Andie Wang, President of TSG. Andie explains TSG’s mission to empower young professionals, foster cross-disciplinary dialogue, and conduct unofficial diplomacy for Taiwan. Together, we also discuss how space innovation can strengthen Taiwan’s image as a rising tech power while creating people-to-people exchange.

Taiwan’s space capabilities are taking off. From developing indigenous satellites to strengthening communication resilience, Taiwan is building its own space industry and seeking more cooperation with international actors.
In this episode, former GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Research Associate Jessica Shiao interview Andie Wang, President of Taiwan Space Generation (TSG). She explores the evolution of Taiwan’s space programs and the policy ecosystem behind it. Andie discusses Taiwan’s satellite program, the role of the Taiwanese government, academia, and civil society, as well as opportunities to deepen US-Taiwan cooperation in this field.
As space is an increasingly strategic domain, Taiwan has opportunities and challenges ahead in participating in international space cooperation. Listen to this episode to learn how Taiwan is building its place in the global space community and how space technology can be an avenue for Taiwan’s international engagement and soft power. 

In the fourth episode of Taiwan Salon Season 5, former GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and GTI Ya-Hui Chiu Summer Fellow Cara Bilson interview Margaret Yun-Pu Tu, a PhD candidate in Law at the University of Washington and co-founder of the Seattle-based NGO Pacific Alliance for Autonomous Traditions, Indigenous Sovereignty (PAFATIS). Ms. Tu explores the impact of AI on indigenous cultures and how maintaining data sovereignty is essential for indigenous groups globally and within Taiwan.

Ms. Tu discusses how unauthorized data collection through large language models (LLMs) and careless AI-generated content undermines the autonomy Indigenous communities have fought hard to achieve. Moreover, such exploitation extends beyond technology into broader diplomatic practices when it comes to Indigenous cultural diplomacy. However, she also highlights how solutions may be found in grassroots tech initiatives and responsible legislation that elevate Indigenous perspectives in the crafting of public policy.

“Taiwan is not only a geopolitical hotspot—it's part of a much longer Indigenous history across the Pacific.”

In Taiwan Salon Season 5 Episode 3, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Spring 2026 Intern Cara Bilson speak with Margaret Yun-Pu Tu, a PhD candidate in Law at the University of Washington and co-founder of the Seattle-based NGO Pacific Alliance for Autonomous Traditions, Indigenous Sovereignty (PAFATIS). Margaret shares her experience representing Taiwan at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), where Taiwanese Indigenous communities can circumvent diplomatic constraints and engage directly with Indigenous movements worldwide.

Facing shared struggles—from language loss to land rights—Taiwan's Indigenous peoples and global Indigenous communities have naturally formed a sibling bond. Margaret explains how connecting with broader Pacific Indigenous networks empowers Taiwan's Indigenous movements to amplify their voices and reshape narratives about Taiwan's identity.

Useful Links:

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• UNPFII: https://social.desa.un.org/issues/indigenous-peoples/unpfii
• PAFATIS (Pacific Alliance For Autonomous Traditions, Indigenous Sovereignty) website: https://www.pafatis.org/about-1

• Upcoming event in Seattle by PAFATIS: https://calendar.washington.edu/Id-Do-Anything-to-Survive-Life-Stories-of-Taiwans-Indigenous-Peoples-in-the-Interstices-of-Authoritarian-Rule/E197857780

“When we saw Leeteuk from Super Junior speak Hakka at his concert, I was really moved because at that moment I realized this was no longer just a television program. It has become a sincere cultural exchange.”

In 2024, Hakka TV launched its first international co-production: Hakka Kitchen, a reality show that brings K-pop stars like Super Junior's Leeteuk together with Taiwanese artists to run a Hakka restaurant. This collaboration marked a breakthrough in Taiwan's media landscape—proving that ethnic media content and global pop culture can thrive together.

In this episode, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee sits down with Paul Shiang (向盛言), Director of Hakka TV, and I-Li Lo (羅亦娌), Program Manager of Hakka TV. I-Li walks us through the behind-the-scenes of this Taiwan-Korea collaboration, while Paul explores Hakka TV’s evolving role in fostering resilience among global democracies.

Useful links

“Hakka culture is not mainly about grand buildings or eye-catching symbols. It's not only about history and festivals. Instead, it lives quietly in everyday life, in our food, our language and our family relationships.”

Characterized by their hospitality and distinctive food culture, the Hakka (客家) are one of Taiwan’s major ethnic groups, comprising about 20 percent of the population. Over the years, however, the Hakka language has experienced a sharp decline in everyday use. Hakka TV (客家電視), a public media platform, leverages creative programming to foster appreciation of Hakka culture while working to revive this beautiful language. Today, it is also expanding its reach to engage a broader international audience.

In the first episode of Taiwan Salon Season 5, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee interviews Paul Shiang (向盛言), Director of Hakka TV, and I-Li Lo (羅亦娌), Program Manager of Hakka TV. Through various TV programs, their work not only sheds light on the vibrant Hakka culture, but also engages in a dialogue with the broader world through their unique Hakka perspectives.

Useful links

• Hakka TV website: https://www.hakkatv.org.tw/
• The trailer of Black Tide Island: https://youtu.be/FNxWjoJgPKI?si=9C8DJ24SL-fNHUei
• The trailer of Gold Leaf: https://youtu.be/7ysn_oBRv_w?si=2RatZkQVbqgqoh82
• TV Program Octopus News special series on the Russo-Ukraine War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDS7YdawwCI

“Don’t ask why nobody is doing this, you are the NOBODY.”

Confronted with frequent natural disasters—such as earthquakes and typhoons—and ongoing political challenges, including Chinese coercion, Taiwan has cultivated a resilient and highly creative civil society. Within this dynamic ecosystem, civic technology stands out as a distinctive force, blending grassroots activism with digital innovation to tackle complex social and governance problems.

In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Summer 2025 Intern Tracy Weener interview Ipa Hsiao-wei Chiu (瞿筱葳), the Co-Founder of Taiwan’s largest civic tech community, g0v (台灣零時政府). Ipa explains what makes Taiwan's civic tech community unique and how it thrives throughout this past decade, highlighting ‘openness’ as the core value of this long-standing digital activism.

Useful links

• g0v’s website: https://g0v.tw/intl/en/

• The book on Taiwan’s civic tech community and the story of g0v, “The NOBODY Movement: Civic Hackers and Digital Activism in Taiwan”: https://a.co/d/6QI27cP

• g0v Summit 2026: https://summit.g0v.tw/2026/

• Sch001 零時小學校 (g0v Elementary School): https://sch001.g0v.tw/

• The Minecraft Project by g0v Elementary School : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj4M7d3qBtk

Taiwanese (台語), also known as Tâi-gí, is the most widely spoken native language in Taiwan. During both the Japanese colonial period and subsequent martial law era (1949-1987), Taiwanese and other indigenous languages faced severe repression. While democratization has restored the freedom to speak Taiwanese openly, new challenges have emerged. As fewer young people speak the language, the question looms: how can this once-flourishing mother tongue survive in an era of globalization?

In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and 2025 Ya-Hui Chiu Summer Fellow Carissa Cheng interview Aiong Taigi, a Taiwan-based American YouTuber dedicated to preserving and promoting Taiwanese. Aiong shared his experience learning Taiwanese as a foreigner, and how Taiwan’s language policies have evolved from the martial law period to today’s democratic society.

Useful links

• Aiong Taigi: https://www.youtube.com/@AiongTaigi/featured

• Chiok-eng-tâi 足英台三聲道磅米芳: https://www.youtube.com/@saveTaiwanese/featured

• Mary Knoll Taiwanese Textbooks: https://journeytothewestresearch.com/tag/maryknoll-taiwanese/

• Taiwanese singer Hsieh Ming-yu (謝銘祐): https://open.spotify.com/artist/38kvukZeDwVBlhLnVVCKWw

• Website that archives lyrics of Taiwanese songs (台語正字歌詞): https://hackmd.io/@Et47FKHKRS2m83n-aEjwAA/HkqwImgdU

In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Senior Programs Manager Adrienne Wu and Intern Trinity Tai interview Honghong Tinn, the author of Island Tinkerers and an assistant professor at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Drawing upon her research of influential Taiwanese “tinkerers,” Dr. Tinn talks about how Taiwan’s rise in high-tech industries has contributed to its international image and engagement.

In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Senior Programs Manager Adrienne Wu and Intern Diarra Molock interview KJ Chang, the founder of Mizo Games. KJ explains how Mizo Games—through board games like 2045 and Raid on Takao—combines fantasy, Taiwan’s history under Japanese colonization, and current cross-Strait tensions to create uniquely-Taiwanese playing experiences.