Taiwan is at an energy crossroads. After decades of debate, a recent referendum revealed that over 70% favor restarting its last nuclear power plant. What does this shift mean for Taiwan’s energy security? We sit down with Danny Chang, former chairman of Star Buck Power Corp, to unpack Taiwan’s nuclear dilemma and why the island is rethinking its position on nuclear power.

0:00 – How Taiwan’s latest referendum sparks debate on nuclear power
6:00 – Why Taiwan’s anti-nuclear stance is rooted in history
10:30 – Shifting opinions: costs, climate change, and rising power demand
17:04 – Japan and the U.S. show how nuclear comebacks happen
24:27 – Can renewables meet Taiwan’s ambitious energy goals?

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Kuor hsin Chang, former Chairman of Star Buck Power 
  
Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang
＊Tracking Taiwan's nuclear debates：https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4287 
＊Share your thoughts：[email protected]

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Taiwan’s largest military exercise, the Han Kuang drills, now includes a supermarket chain helping with evacuation plans. With China’s military pressure near-constant, Taiwan is expanding its defense strategy to include asymmetric warfare, civil defense, and psychological readiness. Silva Shih, CommonWealth Magazine's defense reporter, joins us to explain how Taiwan is preparing—and what could still be missing.

- 3:10 Why does Taiwan’s defense conversation feel more urgent this year?
- 8:08 The major trends observed through a PLA activities dashboard
- 14:20 What's new with this year's Han Kuang military drills?
- 19:45 Taiwan’s largest supermarket chain joined the drills. What does that tell us?
- 22:16 How worried should Taiwan be about a blockade or gray-zone harassments?

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Silva Shih, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine  
Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Check out CommonWealth's PLA activities dashboard: https://www.cw.com.tw/graphics/pla-activities-around-taiwan-en/ 
＊Share your thoughts：[email protected]

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In 2025, Taiwan is witnessing an unprecedented wave of citizen-led recall campaigns targeting lawmakers—mostly from the opposition Kuomintang. Branded the “mass recall” movement, it raises a question: is this a genuine expression of civic outrage, or a politically driven power play? To unpack the roots and implications of this political upheaval, we speak with Nathan Batto, political scientist and author of the Frozen Garlic blog.

- 8:10 How does the Sunflower Movement connect to today’s recall wave?
- 12:02 What sparked this massive recall push? Perspectives from both sides
- 18:45 Is the movement truly grassroots—or party-driven?
- 21:50 Why hasn’t the KMT been able to mobilize as effectively?
- 30:55 Is mass recall Taiwan’s only option for breaking political deadlock?
- 34:01 How might the results affect Taiwan’s geopolitical position?

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Nathan Batto, Associate Research Fellow at Academia Sinica,  
Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read CommonWealth's explainer on the mass recall and its implications：https://english.cw.com.tw 
＊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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As global powers pour billions into the hydrogen economy, Taiwan is just getting started. In this episode, we ask: Is Taiwan ready for the hydrogen economy? Could hydrogen be Taiwan’s next move for energy security and net-zero goals? We explore what it will take for Taiwan to catch up, from industrial policy to infrastructure.

- 03:30 From flour to fuel: How Linde LienHwa evolved into a hydrogen leader
- 07:40 Why hydrogen? What makes it a game-changer in energy
- 10:02 Hydrogen on the move: Its role in decarbonizing transportation
- 16:00 Taiwan’s challenge: Building up hydrogen infrastructure
- 22:00 Rethinking energy: What must change in Taiwan’s infrastructure to go net-zero

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guests: Christine Miao, Vice President of Corp. Communications & Head of Hydrogen Mobility, Linde LienHwa & Toby Collins, Managing Director of Lien Hwa New Energy 

Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Learn what’s holding back Taiwan’s renewable energy ambitions — and what it will take to overcome. https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=3689 
＊Share your thoughts: [email protected]

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With Trump's return, the push for tariffs, reshoring, and a "great manufacturing renaissance" is gaining momentum. But what does reindustrialization actually look like—and where does Taiwan fit into this vision? Our guest, Jack Hou, COO of Universal Cement, shares insights from both sides of the Pacific, including how he helped turn around his family business and what it would take to rebuild manufacturing in the U.S.

- The mood in Boston and New York about a second Trump term [05:40]
- Can high tariffs bring manufacturing back to the U.S.? [13:14]
- A case study from Taiwan: How Universal Cement engineered a turnaround [18:17]
- What it takes to spark a manufacturing renaissance in America [23:17]
- The opportunities for Taiwan to play a role in America's reindustrialization [28:00]

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Jack Hou, COO, Universal Cement Corporation
Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more about Taiwan's manufacturers are rethinking their strategies going forward: https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4068
＊Share your thoughts: [email protected]

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What does it mean when the world’s most advanced chipmaker—Taiwan’s TSMC—pledges $100 billion to make advanced chips in the US? It’s more than just a business move. In this episode, we explore the geopolitical stakes, national security concerns, and the race for tech dominance between the U.S. and its rivals. Our guest, Jeremy Chang, CEO of Taiwan’s think tank DSET, joins us to unpack how this historic investment might reshape the global semiconductor landscape—and whether TSMC can remain at the top.

- [2:45] How Taiwan’s first tech geopolitics think tank got its start
- [9:10] The tight rope: Taiwan’s delicate balancing act
- [15:12] Why the U.S. is hungry for advanced chips—and what AI has to do with It
- [19:10] Will betting big on the U.S. hurt TSMC’s edge? 
- [22:10] If America makes its own chips, is Taiwan still worth defending?

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Jeremy Chih Cheng Chang, CEO of DSET
Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more about the insider information surrounding TSMC's investment in Intel: https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4006
＊Share your thoughts: [email protected]

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Donald Trump’s return to the White House is shaking up the global semiconductor industry. Rumors are swirling that he wants TSMC to bail out Intel, raising big questions about Taiwan’s role in the U.S.-China tech war. Could TSMC realistically “save” its American rival? And what does this mean for Taiwan’s long-term competitiveness and the so-called Silicon Shield? We break it all down with Rocky Uriankhai, a leading expert on geopolitics and tech.

- How Taiwan became a semiconductor powerhouse [3:40]
- Why are there rumors that Trump wants TSMC to help Intel? [6:45]
- Why isn’t TSMC’s U.S. fab expansion enough? [12:10]
- What are the real scenarios for TSMC “saving” Intel? [14:30]
- Could this jeopardize TSMC’s long-term competitiveness? [19:35]
- Why the "Silicon Shield" might not protect Taiwan [25:35]

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guests: Rocky Uriankhai, CEO of SciTech Power Research

＊Read more about the insider information surrounding TSMC's investment in Intel: https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=3971
＊Share your thoughts: [email protected]

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In late February, RightsCon, often nicknamed the Burning Man of human rights activism, takes place in Taiwan for the first time. This four-day event is expected to bring together thousands of activists, policymakers, and tech leaders to tackle pressing issues at the intersection of human rights and the digital age. What can we expect and why Taipei was picked to be the host city?

- How Access Now and RightsCon began [6:40]
- Why Raman left Google to join Access Now [9:25]
- The origins of RightsCon [16:17]
- What to expect at this year's RightsCon in Taipei [19:40]
- Why Access Now chose Taipei this year [23:00]
- What Taiwan's unique geopolitical position mean for digital rights [29:25]
 
Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guests: Raman Jit Singh Chima, Senior International Counsel and Asia Pacific Policy Director of Access Now; Jason Liu, Senior Policy Analyst of Access Now

＊Listen to the interview with Taiwan's Digital Minister: https://open.firstory.me/story/clyxmnib90fbm01xr7dhu5vgp
＊Share your thoughts: [email protected]

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Taiwan is renowned for its world-class semiconductor manufacturing, but it’s not often recognized as a hub for software startups. So why did Appier, an AI-driven marketing tech company, choose Taiwan as its base—and how did it become the island’s first AI software unicorn? In this episode, co-founder Chih-han Yu shares the lessons learned from eight (!) failures.

- What is Appier, and who are its customers? [4:30]
- Eight failures and their lessons [10:54]
- The ‘aha’ moment: Combining AI and marketing [14:32]
- Why Taiwan? Returning from the U.S. to build a software startup [19:40]
- Why Tokyo was the go-to market [26:14]
- Looking ahead: How Taiwan can foster more software unicorns [34:00]

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Senior Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Chih-han Yu, CEO and Co-founder of Appier

＊Read more about Appier's journey: https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=2950
＊Share your thoughts: [email protected]

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As President-elect Trump returns to the White House, the stakes for U.S.-Taiwan relations are at an all-time high. Wenchi Yu, a renowned global affairs advisor and expert in cross-border strategy, offers her perspective on navigating the intricate dynamics among the U.S., Taiwan, and China during these volatile times. What can we expect from Donald Trump’s second term?

- The mood in Washington, D.C., as Trump returns to power [09:17]
- How Trump’s second term may differ from his first [11:39]
- Will Trump’s approach to China shift this time around? [13:28]
- What Taiwan can anticipate under Trump 2.0 [19:05]
- Is Taiwan’s “Silicon Shield” losing its strength? [23:40]

Host: Kwangyin Liu, Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine
Guest: Wenchi Yu, Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang

＊Read more about how Taiwan can navigate Trump's second term: https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=3812
＊Share your thoughts: [email protected]

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