Ep 195 | John Eastwood: Talks About the Legal Changes in Taiwan Over the Past 20 Years

Jul 5, 2022

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A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

John Eastwood is a partner at the law firm Eiger. He was previously interviewed for Talking Taiwan in 2012 and we’ve invited John back on to Talking Taiwan to talk about some of the changes he’s seen in Taiwan from a legal perspective, in the 20 years that he has resided in Taiwan.

We touched upon how Taiwan’s WTO accession improved the protection of intellectual property rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, migrant worker rights, and laws that should be reformed like the Parade an Assembly law.

This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women’s Association.

NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is:

to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity,
to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality,
to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs,
to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan,
to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.

To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com

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

What brought John to Taiwan
John was a journalist before becoming a lawyer
John spent time in China as a visiting scholar
Eiger has branches in both Taipei and Shanghai
John’s experience with COVID-19 in Taiwan
What John has been up to since his last interview for Talking Taiwan in 2012
John’s involvement with the Democratic National Convention and Democrats Abroad
How John feels its important for people to understand the situation and what’s going on in Taiwan
Taiwan’s health restrictions in things like pork imports
The early days of COVID in Taiwan
How mask wearing is perceived in Taiwan
How Taiwan has changed from a legal standpoint with respect to intellectual property in the last 20 years, since John has lived in Taiwan
How Taiwan’s WTO accession improved the protection of intellectual property rights
Human rights issues in Taiwan that could be improved include: LGBTQIA+ adoption and reproductive rights,
How manufacturing of counterfeit goods has moved to China
How people in Taiwan often call on the police to resolve domestic disputes
How public insult laws in Taiwan need to be reformed
Misuse of the public insult law and how it can be used against foreigners
How the police in Taiwan are often used to harass people
How the police in Taiwan don’t necessarily stop people from pursuing frivolous cases
The Assembly and Parade Law
How migrant workers in Taiwan have been mistreated
Other issues in need of legal reform like abortion