Taiwanology

Frédéric Laplanche first came to Taiwan in 1995 as a graduate student. This year, he returned as the new director of the French Office in Taipei. In this interview, he emphasized the importance of building strong partnerships. Taiwan's chipmakers depend on French industrial gases, ultrapure water and silicon substrates, while Foxconn and ProLogium invest in France. What does a trusted partnership look like in practice? The answer involves a French chip designer, TSMC and a Statue of Liberty exhibition in Paris.

Episode highlights:

00:10 A "son-in-law of Taiwan" returns, 30 years on

09:17 Why Taiwan matters more to France now

15:24 Sovereignty through an ecosystem of trust

19:54 Why Taiwan investment is flowing into France

26:13 Why French suppliers and startups came to Semicon

31:37 People-to-people ties and priorities ahead

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth Magazine

Guest: Frédéric Laplanche, Director of French Office in Taipei

Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw

＊Share your thoughts：[email protected]

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Why has China Coast Guard made it a routine to patrol the east of Taiwan? Why has retired US Air Force colonel Ray Powell called this a quarantine? CommonWealth's cover story details the reporting behind "Broken Chain," built on 1.8 billion vessel data points. Our reporters recount our exclusive interview with National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu. This episode traces a shared playbook across the first island chain, and why normalization may be the greatest danger.

Episode highlights:

00:00 The quarantine warning behind Broken Chain

03:26 Su'ao fishermen grown numb to Chinese patrols

10:09 Mapping 1.8 billion vessel data points

14:38 Coast Guard SOPs and a Philippine warning

17:33 Exclusive interview with NSC SecGen

21:34 Indo-Pacific stakes, CSIS partnership, what's next

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth Magazine

Guest: Steven Yeo, Data & Graphics engineer; Hazel Hsu, Reporter

Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4930

＊Share your thoughts：[email protected]留言告訴我你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cledx9shs004801v3cmkogc7e/comments

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Taiwan's biggest semiconductor trade show just got more international. This year, Semicon Taiwan marks its 30th anniversary with a record 18 national pavilions, from the US to Mexico and Finland. Veteran tech journalist Judy Lin explains why so many countries now want proximity to Taiwan's chip ecosystem. Plus: whether AI chip demand is real or a bubble.

Episode highlights:

00:30 Why watch Taipei for the AI race

01:50 Judy's path from Reuters markets desk, and what Semicon is

06:33 A record 18 pavilions: Catalonia, Chihuahua, Finland, and Dresden's ripple effect

11:55 Why countries want in: complementary tech, reversal of roles, and China's absence

17:11 The legacy-chip risk, TSMC's dominance, and path dependency

24:55 Chip bubble fear and why everyone should care about Semicon

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth Magazine

Guest: Judy Lin, founder of TechSoda

Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw

＊Share your thoughts：[email protected]

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TSMC in Dresden. Foxconn in Bordeaux. A German chemicals giant in Kaohsiung. EU-Taiwan industrial ties are deepening fast, and it's mutual: EU states have invested more in Taiwan than the US and Japan combined. EETO head Lutz Güllner explains what Chips Act 2.0 changes, where Taiwan fits into Europe's industrial strategy beyond chips, and how Taiwan's civil society is countering foreign information manipulation.

Episode highlights:

07:23 How EU-Taiwan relations reached their most active point yet

09:09 The EU Council's landmark Taiwan statement

17:01 The Industrial Accelerator Act and the EU Chips Act 2.0

24:15 FIMI: naming foreign information manipulation and interference

32:44 Why understanding Taiwanese politics matters for a diplomat

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth Magazine

Guest: Lutz Güllner, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taipei

Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw

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Canada's top trade envoy in Taipei, Marie-Louise Hannan, reflects on four decades of Canada-Taiwan ties, growing LNG and offshore wind cooperation, and why Prime Minister Mark Carney's case for middle-power democracies resonates with Taiwan's own search for agency in a fractured world.

Episode highlights:

00:00 Launching a new diplomat interview series

02:44 Arriving in China in 1989, before the Tiananmen incident

09:31 Dr. Mackay and the roots of Canada-Taiwan ties

12:26 Taiwan as a top Indo-Pacific trade partner

15:05 Energy dependence and the case for Canadian LNG

20:37 Inside Canada's first ever Indo-Pacific Strategy

26:59 Carney's Davos speech and middle-power democracies

31:00 Life in Taipei: food, family, and safety

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth Magazine

Guest: Marie-Louise Hannan, Executive Director of Canadian Trade Office in Taipei

Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw

＊Share your thoughts：[email protected]

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Is the AI boom a bubble? AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su joins Commonwealth Magazine to share why the AI revolution is just getting started, and why Taiwan remains the center of this universe. Find out why she believes open ecosystems and "AI everywhere" are reshaping our future.

Episode highlights:

01:45 What's behind AMD's $10B investment in Taiwan and 2nm partnership with TSMC?

06:12 Why is Taiwan the only place that can pull off this level of tech manufacturing?

11:00 "Coopetition": How can supply chain rivals stay friendly with each other?

13:00 Who actually makes money in AI?

22:00 What is "Physical AI" and why is it the next technological wave?

27:00 Open vs. Closed: Which tech ecosystem will grow the fastest?

32:00 – Are we in an AI bubble?

Host: Yishan Chen, Editor-in-Chief of CommonWealth Magazine

Guest: Lisa Su, CEO of AMD

Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4791

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For decades, Taiwan has been known as the “Bicycle Kingdom.” But it is now under mounting pressure. From the rapid rise of China’s e-bike giants to a growing push in Europe to reshore manufacturing, Taiwan’s bike industry is entering a period of change. How can it navigate this new landscape?

Episode highlights:

04:20 How Taiwan became the “Bicycle Kingdom”

07:20 Why China is not the only challenge facing Taiwan’s bike industry

12:30 Bridging traditional manufacturing with ICT capabilities

21:35 How Taiwan should respond to Europe’s reshoring push

25:10 Why more Taiwanese companies are becoming open to change

27:05 Adapting to the emerging e-bike ecosystem

33:20 Why Anchor Global is launching an Industry Lab with Walmart as the pilot case

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine

Guest: Elisa Chiu, founder of Anchor Global

Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4684

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Is artificial intelligence a threat to human agency, or an opportunity for civic innovation? 2025 Right Livelihood Laureate and Taiwan Cyber Ambassador Audrey Tang discusses the shift from algorithms to symbiotic "local Kami" AI. Find out why she has no fear for AI agents and OpenClaw. It’s a masterclass in staying human in a world of synthetic intimacy, with one life hack that will help you sleep better.
[05:46] How Audrey "translated" the Taiwan model to be adopted in California
[09:40] How her book inspired Anno to run for Tokyo Governor
[12:05] What do "Civic AI" and "6 Pack of Care" have to do with AI anxiety?
[14:20] How Civic AI principles played out in Taiwan's combat on fraud
[20:50] Why conflict is not a bug but a power source
[24:15] When AI agents do all the jobs, what's left for humans?
Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Audrey Tang, Taiwan Cyber Ambassador
Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more on Audrey’s take on AI: https://civic.ai/
＊Read more on Audrey’s take on AI: https://civic.ai/openclaw/
＊Read more: https://english.cw.com.tw
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As China becomes increasingly opaque, how can Taiwan maintain a clear-eyed perspective? We are joined by Professor Tao to dissect the China Monitoring Report by Thinking Taiwan Foundation. They move past the headlines to analyze 50 indicators across economy, finance, and society, revealing a dual-speed reality and rising systemic social unrest.
[03:00] Thinking Taiwan 2.0: Former President Tsai Ing-wen’s platform for policy analysis
[05:53] The 50-Indicator Framework
[16:16] Dual-Speed Economy: Record exports vs. trapped savings
[20:30] How China’s low consumption triggers global de-industrialization
[22:05] Record-low birth rates and the rise of "systemic unfairness" grievances
[30:50] Why Xi prioritizes military/tech over social welfare stimulus
Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Yifen Tao, Associate Professor of National Taiwan University
Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang
＊Read more: https://english.cw.com.tw
＊Share your thoughts：[email protected]

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Is Taiwan’s biggest ally still reliable? For years, the U.S. and Taiwan were "best friends" because of democracy. But now, the conversation has changed to "protection fees" and business deals. This shift is creating a wave of U.S. skepticism across the island. We look at why people in Taiwan feel anxious and what happens to Taiwan’s security when friendship becomes a transaction.
[00:34] Why Taiwan’s mood is a global warning sign.
[01:43] The "might makes right" dynamic at Davos.
[07:33] The shift from "shared values" to "protection fees."
[11:43] Understanding the gap between anxiety and trust.
[18:24] Is moving chip capacity to the U.S. a dangerous move?
[34:47] The U.S. warning: Pay more to be "worth defending."
Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: William Yang, Senior Analyst of the International Crisis Group
Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang
＊Read more: https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action
＊Share your thoughts：[email protected]

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