Talking Taiwan

In July we took the show on the road bringing Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast that was held at West Chester University. I sat down and spoke with New Taipei City Councilor Chen Nai-Yu (陳乃瑜市議員). We spoke about how she went from being a journalist to a politician, working on Lai Ching-te's presidential campaign, and the controversial bills that got passed in Taiwan's legislature in May and that led to massive protests and the Bluebird Movement.

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/counselor-chen-of-new-taipei-city-talks-about-her-political-career-and-the-controversial-bills-passed-by-taiwans-legislature-ep-295/

Special thanks to Bill Wu who sat in on the interview to provide translation assistance to City Councilor Chen, and to Anmy Lee for additional research and translation assistance.

This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

· How Naiyu went from working as a journalist for 14 years to becoming a politician

· Issues she's focused on as a City Councilor

· Anti-Han Kuo-yu rally in Kaohsiung

· Naiyu's work as a journalist

· How her experience as a journalist prepared her to be a politician

· The challenges she faced in working on Lai Ching-te's presidential campaign

· Cases of state-owned land on which people built personal mansions

· The different communication styles and approaches to social media use of Lai Ching-te and Ko Wen-je

· What Naiyu has to say about President Lai Ching-te's personality and character

· What could happen with the controversial bills that led to the Bluebird movement protests in Taiwan in May

· Cases of ill-gotten assets and how the handling of ill-gotten assets could be reversed

· Naiyu's observations of the Bluebird movement

· The most rewarding thing about being a City Councilor

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/counselor-chen-of-new-taipei-city-talks-about-her-political-career-and-the-controversial-bills-passed-by-taiwans-legislature-ep-295/

I recently spoke with Michael Fahey about some developments on human rights related issues in Taiwan, including the anticipated ruling by Taiwan's constitutional court on the Death Penalty.

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/recently-debated-human-rights-issues-in-taiwan-a-conversation-with-michael-fahey-ep-294/

We spoke on September 16th and Taiwan's constitutional court made its ruling on September 20th. At the time I had spoken to Michael about a campaign and online petition to expand access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan. To learn more about that check out episode 293.

Michael is an American lawyer and resident of Taipei since 1988. He is foreign counsel at Formosa Transnational (萬國) and also founder of Forward Taiwan.

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/recently-debated-human-rights-issues-in-taiwan-a-conversation-with-michael-fahey-ep-294/

Did you know that there is a campaign underway in Taiwan that is calling for foreign permanent residents to be able to apply for dual nationality, effectively allowing them to obtain Taiwanese citizenship after 5 years without giving up their original passport?

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dual-nationality-for-long-term-permanent-residents-of-taiwan-discussion-with-michael-fahey-ep-293/

An online petition for this proposal was launched on August 19th and they are trying to collect 5,000 signatures to support it by October 19th: https://join.gov.tw/idea/detail/951c745d-4484-4923-953f-4cdaefe7f344

I recently spoke with Michael Fahey, about this campaign which was initiated by Crossroads and Forward Taiwan. We talked about many of the most common concerns raised by a proposal like this, given the sensitive position that Taiwan is in due to the threats it faces from the PRC (People's Republic of China).

Michael is an American lawyer and resident of Taipei since 1988. He is foreign counsel at Formosa Transnational (萬國) and also founder of Forward Taiwan.

If you'd like to sign the online petition to expand access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan, please note a few things:

1) In order to be able to sign the petition you must be a citizen of Taiwan or holder of an A(P)RC (Alien Permanent Resident Certificate) and have a Taiwan mobile number.

2) When filling out the petition form it's best to use a computer not a smart phone but have your phone nearby and have patience when going through the process.

3) Whether or not you are personally able to sign the petition, please consider also sharing this with friends, family or colleagues who would and are able to support it.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

· How the proposal to expand access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan came about

· The case of Michael Boyden, a British citizen and permanent resident of Taiwan

· How Taiwan's nationality law was drafted in the 1920s and how it compares with other countries laws on nationality

· How Taiwan's nationality law is not symmetrical for native-born Taiwanese and naturalizing foreign citizens

· How expanding access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan could make Taiwan more resilient

· How immigration could be a way to deal with Taiwan becoming a super-aged society

· Concerns about whether this proposal will make it easier PRC (People's Republic of China) citizens to immigrate to Taiwan and become citizens

· PRC (People's Republic of China) citizens are governed by a different law; the act for the relations between peoples of the mainland and the Taiwan region

· The proposal is to change the nationality law not the act for the relations between peoples of the mainland and the Taiwan region

· How to handle concerns about PRC citizens who've naturalized in third countries using their foreign citizenship to come and naturalize in Taiwan

· How the fear that crime would go up is unfounded because foreign nationals in Taiwan commit crimes at a rate of 50 percent of the native population

· What exactly is being proposed

· The procedure for foreign permanent residents in Taiwan to obtain dual Taiwanese citizenship

· The types of people and special cases that have been granted dual Taiwanese citizenship

· The standards required for foreign permanent residents in Taiwan to be granted dual Taiwanese citizenship

· Cases of foreign permanent residents in Taiwan that applied and failed to attain dual Taiwanese citizenship

· How the process to get the nationality law amended could actually be a very long process that could take 5-20 years

· Arguments for and against the proposal

· How people who wish to sign the online petition must be citizens of Taiwan and have a Taiwan mobile number

· When filling out the petition it's best to do so on a computer and not on a smart phone, but to keep your mobile phone nearby

· Have patience in filling out the online petition form because the interface is a bit difficult to use

· How foreign permanent residents can't get household registration and how that limits them

· Reasons people would like to get dual Taiwanese citizenship

· How to deal with individuals who have dual nationalities

· How male citizens of Taiwan under the age of 36 are required to serve in the military

· How Taiwan could take steps to ensure that people serve in the military

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dual-nationality-for-long-term-permanent-residents-of-taiwan-discussion-with-michael-fahey-ep-293/

In September the UN General Assembly takes place at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. This year, the 79th session of the UN General Assembly opened on Tuesday, September 10th and will conclude on Monday, September 30th. The theme of the General Debate is "Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations."

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/un-membership-for-taiwan-a-nyc-press-conference-peace-truck-and-a-rally-ep-292/

Since 1992, the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York has promoted UN membership for Taiwan and organized the UN for Taiwan rally and march to coincide with the UN General Assembly. This year the UN for Taiwan rally and march was held on Saturday, September 14th.

Delegates from the Taiwan United Nations Alliance or TAIUNA, an NGO from Taiwan have been coming to New York for the past twenty years to call for Taiwan's membership in the UN.

On Friday, September 13th representatives from TAIUNA held a press conference in Ralph Bunche Park, which is across from the United Nations Headquarters. The open letter from TAIUNA Chairman Yet-Min Lin addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was read. The full letter will be posted in the Relate Links section of Talking Taiwan website for this episode. The letter urged the UN to hold a formal hearing to clarify the interpretation of UNGA Resolution 2758.

China's distortion of Resolution 2758 has been used to block Taiwan from being included in the UN.

TAIUNA (The Taiwan United Nations Alliance) was founded on October 24, 2003:

1. To realize UN's purposes and to foster justice, peace and security for Taiwan and the world.

2. To promote Taiwanese understanding of and education on the UN and its related organizations.

3. To elevate the global perspectives of the Taiwanese people and to participate in such international activities as human rights protection, humanitarian assistance, and environmental protection.

4. To campaign for Taiwan's membership in the UN and to make Taiwan a Normal State both in name and in fact in the world community.

Talking Taiwan covered TAIUNA's press conference in Ralph Bunche Park on Friday, September 13th. On Saturday, September 14th we stopped by the "Peace Pop-up Truck" organized by the Taipei Economic Cultural Office of New York (TECONY) with the theme being "UNity through Peace: Chip in with Taiwan." Afterward we also participated in the UN for Taiwan rally and march.

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/un-membership-for-taiwan-a-nyc-press-conference-peace-truck-and-a-rally-ep-292/

Earlier this summer, in June, I spoke with John Groot the author of An Emergency Preparedness Guide for Expats in Taiwan.

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/an-emergency-preparedness-guide-for-expats-in-taiwan-our-discussion-with-survivalist-author-john-groot-ep-291/

John has made the book is available for free on his website and you download a copy of it by >> clicking herehttps://thecultureshack.blog/2023/12/04/emergency-preparedness-guide-for-expats-in-taiwan/

Taiwan is of course no stranger to natural disasters since it often experiences earthquakes and typhoons. What's raised eyebrows about John's book is that it has a section that specifically addresses what to do in case of a military attack by China.

Since 2020 China has upped its grey zone tactics by sending planes into Taiwan's ADIZ on a daily basis. Concerns about civil defense preparedness in Taiwan peaked in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, and then there was the PLA's military actions in August of 2022 in response to Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. House Speaker at the time visiting Taiwan.

John and I talked about the research involved in writing the guide, how people can be prepared in case of and emergency or disaster and why he felt it was necessary to include a section in the guide to address dealing with a possible invasion of Taiwan by China.

John Groot is a long-time Canadian expat in Taiwan. He is an independent writer-researcher and has done one book and many articles about Taiwan's history, culture, and geography. Recently he has focused more on the security situation with regards to Chinese aggression toward Taiwan. One of his major recent projects was a 68 page PDF e-book called "Resilience Roadmap: An Emergency Preparedness Guide for Expats in Taiwan."

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

· John's background and upbringing

· How John got interested in civil defense and emergency preparedness

· How Russia's invasion in Ukraine in 2022 heightened interested in civil defense in Taiwan

· How John learned about the NGO Open Knowledge aka OK Taiwan

· Documentary filmmaker Tobie Openshaw

· The PLA's military actions in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August 2022

· The civil defense handbook that was issued by Taiwan's government and how it showed the difference between uniforms of Taiwan's military and China's PLA

· How many expats there are in Taiwan, and the different types of expats

· Issues with the path for expats to apply for nationality in Taiwan

· The research John did for the book

· Tobie Openshaw's experience with the 921 Earthquake in Taiwan

· Sweden's defense system

· Israel's military service system

· How France supports its citizens abroad

· How long it took John to write the book

· How the book is organized

· The earthquake in Taiwan that caused a crane to fall from Taipei 101

· John's experience with natural disasters in Taiwan

· The acronyms in the book

· The origin of the term "bug out"

· How people can be prepared for emergencies or disasters

· Having a communication plan in case of emergency or disaster

· What students learn about dealing with natural disasters and emergencies

· Liability issues in Taiwan when it comes to medically intervening to help someone

· Why John felt that the book should address what to do in case of threat of war i.e. an attack on Taiwan by China

· Meetings amongst the American communities in Taipei after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August 2022

· The response John's received to the book

· Whether or not it is advisable to go to a government evacuation center

· How in times of need it's important to consider the needs of others

· How families can prepare their children for dealing with disasters

· How Taiwan and the U.S. do not want war with China

· What John would like people to take away from the book

· How John hopes that people can be prepared for emergencies or disasters

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/an-emergency-preparedness-guide-for-expats-in-taiwan-our-discussion-with-survivalist-author-john-groot-ep-291/

The recent Paris Olympics has just passed and may already be fading into memory. This year Team Taiwan won 2 gold medals and 5 bronze at the Olympics.

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/my-conversation-with-mike-chinoy-award-winning-journalist-on-his-new-film-decathalon-ep-290/

Do you know when and who won Taiwan's first Olympic medal?

It happened at the 1960 Rome Olympics, which was the first Summer Olympics that was televised in North America. The man who was known as the "Iron Man of Asia," C.K. Yang won a silver medal in the decathlon. C.K. was of the Amis indigenous tribe from southeastern Taiwan. His Amis name was Maysang Kalimud, but then Japan colonized Taiwan he had a Japanese name when, and then after the Chinese Nationalists the Kuomintang lost the civil war in China to the Chinese Communist and fled to Taiwan, his father gave him a Chinese name, Yang Chuan-kwang.

Like many Amis, he used his athletic prowess to gain status and success that might otherwise have eluded him. But not much is known about how heavily he identified as Amis.

The gold medal winner at the Rome Olympics was Rafer Johnson, an African American.

Rafer and C.K. trained together under the same coach at UCLA and then competed against each other in the decathlon at the Rome Olympics. They were not only rivals but also the best of friends.

Their extraordinary and unlikely friendship inspired the making of a documentary film and I sat down recently to speak with Mike Chinoy, the co-creator, co-writer, and co-producer of that film which is called "Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story,"

Mike Chinoy is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the University of Southern California's US-China Institute and is based in Taipei. Previously, he spent 24 years as a foreign correspondent for CNN, serving as the network's first Beijing bureau chief and as Senior Asia Correspondent.

"Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story" is currently streaming on the Taiwan Plus Docs YouTube channel.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

· Team Taiwan's performance during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris

· How flags and signs in the shape of Taiwan or with the word Taiwan on them were confiscated from fans during the men's doubles badminton finals at the Paris Olympics

· How China's state-run broadcaster CCTV cut the feed during parts of the men's badminton doubles match and did not broadcast the medal ceremony

· Why Taiwan has to compete under the name "Chinese Taipei" at the Olympics

· The "Iron Man of Asia"

· The man that won Taiwan's first Olympic medal

· C.K. Yang was Amis and had three names, an Amis name (Maysang Kalimud), a Japanese name and a Chinese name (Yang Chuan-kwang, 楊傳廣)

· How C.K. first met Rafer Johnson at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956

· How C.K. and Rafer were trained by the same coach at UCLA and became close friends

· The International Olympic Committee (I.O.C) told the government of Chiang Kai-shek that the team sent to participate at the 1960 Rome Olympics could not be called the Republic of China

· Chiang Kai-shek almost boycotted the Olympics but didn't because he realized that C.K. Yang could possibly win a medal and bring glory to Taiwan

· How Taiwan competed under the name Formosa during the 1960 Rome Olympics

· C.K. Yang was the first person with a Chinese surname to win an Olympic medal

· At the opening ceremony of the 1960 Rome Olympics Rafer Johnson was the first African American to carry the American flag at the Olympics

· At the opening ceremony of the 1960 Rome Olympics, the Taiwan team marched in carrying a placard that said under protest, which was the first overt political protest by a team in Olympics history

· Where the idea for "Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story" came from

· How Mike's co-creator, co-writer, and co-producer, John Krich sought out, befriended and interviewed C.K. Yang in 2006

· How Mike met and befriended Rafer Johnson and C.K.'s widow Daisy in Los Angeles

· Taiwanese Canadian film director of "Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story," Frank W. Chen also directed "Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story"

· How C.K. Yang, Rafer Johnson and athletes have become political symbols

· How C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson were intense athletic rivals and close friends

· The close personal friendship between C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson

· How C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson had the same coach, Ducky Drake at UCLA

· How C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson joked that they were the "Two-Man United Nations"

· How C.K. Yang's story tells the story of Taiwan in an unconventional way

· Why C.K. was sent to UCLA to train for the Olympics

· The 1958 Kinmen Matsu Crisis (aka The 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis)

· How C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson's coach, Ducky Drake showed no favoritism

· When U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, Rafer was next to him, Rafer grabbed the assassin, tackled him and grabbed the gun

· Rafer's involvement in the Special Olympics

· What happened to C.K. at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

· C.K. later became the coach of the Taiwan track team for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada

· Why the team from Taiwan was barred from participating in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal

· Rafer Johnson lit the flame at the 1984 Olympic games in L.A.

· How C.K. went into politics briefly in Taiwan, switching from one party to another

· The Iron Man house that the government of Taiwan built for C.K.

· How statues of C.K. are in a locked fourth floor room of the National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung

· There cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in 1963 with the headline " C.K. Yang, the world's greatest athlete."

· The tremendous sportsmanship and loyalty that C.K. and Rafer exemplify

· C.K.'s performance at 1954 Asian Games in Manilla

· The use of animation in "Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story,"

· The National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung

· How the film addresses the Taiwan, China conflict, and the fight for social justice and equality in the United States; 64 years later the world is still wrestling with these issues

· Mike's future projects

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/my-conversation-with-mike-chinoy-award-winning-journalist-on-his-new-film-decathalon-ep-290/

This is the second part of our interview with Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo, Ai Linda (艾琳達). Earlier this year when we were in Taiwan in January for the presidential election, we sat down to interview Linda about the era and events that precipitated the Kaohsiung incident also known as the Formosa Incident, which is widely considered the watershed moment in history that led to Taiwan's democratization. The Kaohsiung Incident happened in December of 1979.

If you haven't had a chance to listen to the first part of this interview, you can go back to episode 287 and give it a listen. By the way, that episode of Talking Taiwan, episode 287 got us shortlisted in the top 15 podcasts selected in the category of "Moment of Visionary Leadership" for the 2024 International Women's Podcast Awards. This year the IWPA had 700 submissions from over 33 different countries. Results were announced in London on Wednesday, June 19th.

While we were not selected as the winning podcast in this category, we are deeply honored to have our work recognized. Any increased visibility for Talking Taiwan also means greater visibility for Taiwan. In case you didn't know, Talking Taiwan is also on YouTube, and we did video record my interview with Linda, so we do plan on releasing it on our YouTube channel, but please be patient with us since we are only a two-person team. We do have some interesting content on YouTube that's different from our podcast episodes, so if you haven't already, we encourage you to look for Talking Taiwan on YouTube and to subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@talkingtaiwan Issues of Formosa Magazine

Photo Credit: Linda Gail Arrigo The Kaohsiung Eight (from left to right): Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏), Huang Hsin-chieh (黃信介), Chen Chu (陳菊), Yao Chia- wen (姚嘉文), Shih Ming-teh (施明德), Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Lin Hung-hsuan (林弘宣 ), and Lin Yi-hsiung (林義雄)- not pictured

Photo Credit: Screenshot from Formosa Incident, Explained YouTube video from Taiwan Explained by TaiwanPlus: https://youtu.be/2eaxPhA9RN8?si=_YF0brrtyjOwlu6D International Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Taiwan (ICDHRT)- Lynn Miles' organization

Photo Credit: Linda Gail Arrigo

Linda Gail Arrigo (艾琳達) wearing the three-colored sash, and the three-colored banners and signs of the dangwai (黨外) i.e. outside party or opposition.

Related Links:

Early last year I spoke with Boba Guys co-founders Andrew Chau and Bin Chen. At the time Andrew had just gotten back from visiting Taiwan and other parts of Asia, so it was interesting to hear his observations. Andrew and Bin shared so many great nuggets. We talked about how they got started with a pop-up shop while working fulltime and how they continued to so even after they opened their first few stores.

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-boba-guys-andrew-chau-and-bin-chen-bubble-tea-entrepreneurs-bridging-cultures-for-11-years/

Other topics covered include how Boba Guys weathered the pandemic, Andrew and Bin's book called The Boba Book, and how they see boba as a way to bridge cultures. What has Boba Guys been up to since we spoke? Lots of interesting collabs with other brands, and the release of a loyalty program called "Passport" which gamifies the experience through loot boxes instead of linearly earning points to redeem for a drink.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

· How Andrew and Bin first met when they both worked at Timbuktu

· How they decided to start a bubble tea business

· Andrew's recent trip to Taiwan and the other Taiwanese Americans he met up with while there

· Andrew's thoughts on Taiwan's bubble tea scene

· How they started with a pop-up shop

· How they have not taken any VC (venture capital) money

· The social costs and risks of being an entrepreneur

· How other Taiwanese American entrepreneurs like Steve Chen and Kevin Lin mentored them

· How Andrew does advising for the small business council and testified in Washington D.C. on behalf of small businesses

· How they were working on Boba Guys Japan when the pandemic hit

· How Boba Guys dealt with the pandemic

· The biggest challenges they've experienced

· The third wave of boba

· The meaning of the word boba and how Andrew's mom reacted to the name Boba Guys

· How Boba Guys name their drinks

· Their book, The Boba Book and how they choose their co-author Richard Parks

· What happened when they went to Taiwan and tried to determine which tea shop invented bubble tea

· The Boba Guys' merchandise and aardvark mascot

· The Boba Home Kit and how they created a boba kit that was on Williams Sonoma

· How they teach people how to make boba online

· How they have mentored other entrepreneurs

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-boba-guys-andrew-chau-and-bin-chen-bubble-tea-entrepreneurs-bridging-cultures-for-11-years/

Earlier this year when we were in Taiwan in January for the presidential election, I sat down to interview Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo, Ai Linda (艾琳達).

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-linda-gail-arrigo-taiwan-democracy-fighter-talks-about-events-leading-up-to-the-kaohsiung-incident-ep-287/

She talked about the era and events that precipitated the Kaohsiung incident aka Formosa Incident (on December 10, 1979) which is widely considered the watershed moment in history that led to Taiwan's democratization. This is part one of a two-part interview.

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-linda-gail-arrigo-taiwan-democracy-fighter-talks-about-events-leading-up-to-the-kaohsiung-incident-ep-287/

After fights broke out in Taiwan's legislative yuan on May 17th sending several legislators to the hospital, the public gathered in protest outside of the legislative yuan. There have been over 30,000, 100,000 and 70,000 people gathered at three of the major protests which are being called the Bluebird movement. The name is a play on the name of the road nearby the legislative yean where protests began (青島東路).

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/bluebird-movement-3-experts-discuss-the-controversial-bills-leading-to-protests-at-the-legislative-yuan-ep-286/

I spoke with Taipei Times columnist Michael Turton and his son Sebastian on May 27th about the controversial bills that have caused such widespread dissent. Sebastian shared what he saw at the protests in Taipei on Tuesday, May 22 and Friday, May 24.

I also spoke with Sean Su after a set of the controversial legislative reform bills passed on May 28th.

There have been protests all over Taiwan in 15 different cities, and even globally. The New York Bluebird, a group of politically conscious New York City-based Taiwanese have worked with Keep Taiwan Free to raise funds for a billboard in New York's Times Square to promote awareness of the Bluebird movement. The billboard will appear on Tuesday, June 4 at 6:00pm.

Related Links:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/bluebird-movement-3-experts-discuss-the-controversial-bills-leading-to-protests-at-the-legislative-yuan-ep-286/