The Taiwan Take

On July 26th, a third of Taiwan will vote on recall referendums (大罷免) for 24 legislators throughout Taiwan.Our guest is Nathan F. Batto, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica. Taiwan watchers also know him as the writer of Frozen Garlic wordpress on Taiwanese elections. We discuss how we got here: the KMT/TPP coalition in the legislature, the passionate activists who have been organizing the nation-wide movements; how the recall threshold was lowered in 2016 after the Sunflower Movement; the social cost of participating in recall bids, and how that affected the success rate of bids in cities versus in rural communities; And the impact of a perpetual election cycle. Facts & figures: This recall will affect 24 legislators, ie: more than a quarter of elected seats. (Taiwan’s legislative assembly is made of 113 seats. 79 are elected directly by constituents in districts. Another 24 are composed of party seats as decided by proportion of party votes.) All 24 legislators up for a recall on July 26th are from the Kuomingtang (Nationalist Party, KMT). To meet the recall threshold, number of votes in favor of removing a lawmaker must exceed the number of votes against; and surpass 25% of eligible voters in that district. By-elections will be held in the fall. If the DDP gains six seats in the legislature as a result, they will gain majority. Support Ghost Island Media by donating on Patreon http://patreon.com/taiwan Follow and tag us on social media:Ghost Island Media | Instagram | Facebook | TwitterEmily Y. Wu | Twitter @emilyywuA Ghost Island Media production: www.ghostisland.mediaSupport the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Caster, Head of Global China Programme at ARTICLE 19, and I-Chen Liu, Asia Programme Officer, delve into China's powerful influence on global cybersecurity norms. They discuss the Digital Silk Road and its implications for Indo-Pacific countries adopting Chinese digital governance. Key topics include the rise of digital authoritarianism, risks associated with reliance on Chinese tech, and challenges to digital freedoms faced by nations like Taiwan. They also highlight the importance of grassroots activism and international collaboration to counteract these influences.

Mimi Yu (尤虹文) is the author of three memoirs, including the 2019 title “The Unforgetting Body” in which she details her recovery from depression. Yu is a cellist who has worked with musicians like Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Katz, and Robert Levin. She played cello while at The Juilliard School and has a B.A. in economics from Harvard University. Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Mimi Yu went to the U.S. at age 15 to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In her mid-twenties, Yu was impacted by severe depression and had to stop performing.We discuss her path to healing; finding Buddhism, Taosim, the importance of eating well and listening to your body, trailing spouses. She’s now a public speaker, a music healer, and a coach on mental wellness.“There’s a beauty in every person we meet, and when they come to me, there must be a reason, and I am just here to support and to love, and sometimes that love awakens the deep love they have for themselves inside. And when that happens, then healing happens.”“The Unforgetting Body” 因為身體記得：告別憂鬱症的療癒之路 (尤虹文 / 天下文化 / 2019)  ：https://bookzone.cwgv.com.tw/book/BBP445Her podcast at Global View Magazine (in Mandarin)【尤虹文的療癒時光】：https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16bG3gZ12o/Support Ghost Island Media by donating on Patreon http://patreon.com/taiwan Follow and tag us on social media:Ghost Island Media | Instagram | Facebook | TwitterEmily Y. Wu | Twitter @emilyywuA Ghost Island Media production: www.ghostisland.mediaSupport the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jimmy Lai, the 77-year-old media tycoon of British citizenship, has been detained for over five years, mostly in isolation. He is one of over 1,500 political prisoners in Hong Kong.Today's interview contains a clip of a conversation between Jimmy Lai and Natan Sharansky from November 20, 2020, one month before Lai’s arrest. Sharansky is a former Soviet dissident who spent nine years imprisoned as a refusenik during the 1970s and 1980s. “... What you said about physical survival is not important. Spiritual survival is very important. Never back down. The peak of your life is when you were in prison. I totally understand, and that is very important; because I take up the responsibility of imagining myself influencing so many people as an example. If I don’t back down then they won’t back down. So that is a responsibility that is also uplifting spirit for me. And I really thank you so much for inspiring me on this.” - Jimmy Lai in November, 2020. (Transcript)Mark L. Clifford is the author of “The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic” (Simon & Schuster, 2024). He first met Lai in 1993. Jimmy Lai was born in Guangdong, China. At age 12, he cramped into a fishing boat and arrived in Hong Kong as an illegal immigrant. The year was 1961. Hong Kong was still a British colony. In two decades Lai became a leader in the city’s fashion and textiles industry, then became a newspaper publisher. He launched Next magazine in 1990 then Apple Daily newspaper in 1995, both quickly became Hong Kong’s top-selling publications.In 2001, Next opened its Taiwan offices. In this interview, Clifford recounts the importance of the Taiwan operation. It was supposed to have been a stepping-stone to publishing in China, Clifford explains.Jimmy Lai stands out as a business tycoon who is an outspoken advocate for pro-democracy causes.In 1989 Lai sent aid to students protesting at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. In 2014 he joined protesters at the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong, and again in 2019 as million-plus residents marched against China for what became the largest series of demonstrations in the history of Hong Kong. Hong Kong, a special administrative region of People's Republic of China since 1997, implemented its National Security Law on June 30, 2020. Months later, on December 31, 2020, Jimmy Lai was arrested.Apple Daily printed its final edition in Hong Kong on June 24, 2021. Five additional editors were jailed.Our guest today is Mark Clifford, author of the new biography on Jimmy Lai. Clifford spent 28 years in Hong Kong before leaving the city in 2020. Clifford had been a director of Next Digital - publisher of the newspaper Apple Daily, executive director of the Asia Business Council, editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post, and publisher and editor-in-chief of The Standard. Clifford left Hong Kong in 2020 and now serves as the founding president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation, a U.S.-based NGO established in 2022 to fight for Hong Kong and its people in the wake of China’s national security crackdown.Recent updates on the Jimmy Lai trial:  March 6, 2025: Lai wrapped up his testimony. March 10, 2025: Lai’s son, Sebastien, wrote to the U.S. President Trump in an op-ed in the New York Post, “President Trump, we need your help to get Hong Kong to release my dad, Jimmy Lai — before he dies in solitary confinement”. (Trump’s commitment was stated on the Hugh Hewitt Show in October 2024. March 11: Closing argument is set for August 14, 2025 (RTHK) April 1: A bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. U.S. lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill to rename the street next to Hong Kong’s Washington D.C. office in Dupont Circle to “Jimmy Lai Way” (Chris Smith, R-NJ) April 10: Lai will be an honorary recipient of the Bradley Prize for being a “courageous advocate for democracy and freedom of the press.” See “Support Jimmy Lai dot com” for regular updates:https://supportjimmylai.comMore information from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong: https://thecfhk.org/Support Ghost Island Media: http://patreon.com/taiwan Follow and tag us on social media:Ghost Island Media | Instagram | Facebook | TwitterEmily Y. Wu | Twitter @emilyywuA Ghost Island Media production: www.ghostisland.mediaSupport the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join British-Canadian-Taiwanese writer Jessica J. Lee, author of 'Dispersals', and Korean-American writer Esther Kim for a captivating discussion. They dive into the nature of nostalgia through soy, reflecting on its cultural ties and misconceptions. Jessica shares her journey of blending genres in writing, transforming her academic background into rich, sensory narratives. They also explore the cultural significance of wakame, food narratives, and the intricate ties between nature, identity, and political discourse, weaving personal histories into broader environmental themes.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark and NATO Secretary General, discusses urgent global security concerns. He warns of a new world order centered around powerful autocracies and stresses the need for democracies to unite and invest in their defense. Rasmussen advocates for multilateral cooperation in Asia and highlights the dangerous consequences of collective weakness among democracies. He calls for reforms in the United Nations to better reflect contemporary power dynamics and the importance of rebuilding trust between nations.

Mariia Makarovych is Head of the East Asian Office of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine. Today, we discuss the on-going peace negotiations, the role of civil society organizations the past three years, society preparedness prior to 2022, Russian propaganda since 2014, and today, the role of China. Makarovych is an economic and policy analyst with a background in CSO throughout Ukraine and in European think tanks. She had worked to strengthen democratic tools among communities in Donetsk and implemented projects on education, land management, and funding. She was an Information Defense Analyst at the European Values Center for Security Policy. Since 2022, she has shifted her focus to researching Ukrainian economic policy and Russia propaganda. She moved to Taiwan from Ukraine in August 2023. This conversation was recorded on March 10, 2025. Makarovych reflects on the on-going peace agreements led by U.S. President Trump. She warns of the dangers of signing a mineral deal without security guarantees and emphasizes the risk of Russia regaining strength and attacking Ukraine again: a peace agreement without fair conditions could set a dangerous precedent for aggressive regimes worldwide.Drawing from her own experience growing up in Eastern Ukraine and at the onset of the full-scale invasion in 2022, we discuss society's response to pressure, civil defense, and the differences between preparedness for natural disasters versus active hostilities. Liberal Democratic League is a Ukrainian NGO established in 2014 by students in Kyiv as a response to the Revolution of Dignity (Maidan Revolution.)It’s been three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For our retrospectives on year one and two, please the following podcast interviews: Alex Khomenko (Taiwan Stands with Ukraine): https://ghostisland.media/en/shows/taiwan-take/ukraine-war-two-years-taiwan-aid-alex-khomenkoOleksandr Shyn (Ukrainian Voices): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87mQDj9X8rs&list=PLOV_JV4K99T5UF76rRj9z5WUNztzIk0Fi&index=10&t=23sDmytro Burtsev (political scientist), in Mandarin: https://ghostisland.media/en/shows/5-star-nation/ukraine-dmytro-burtsevSupport us by donating on Patreon http://patreon.com/taiwan Follow and tag us on social media:Ghost Island Media | Instagram | Facebook | TwitterEmily Y. Wu | Twitter @emilyywu A Ghost Island Media production: www.ghostisland.mediaSupport the show: https://patreon.com/TaiwanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonas Parello-Plesner, Executive Director of the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, dives into Taiwan's critical role in global geopolitics and recent geopolitical shifts. He discusses Taiwan's semiconductor industry and its strategic significance amid rising pressure from Beijing. The podcast highlights Taiwan's military readiness, the potential impact of political changes, and the importance of indigenous voices in shaping narratives. Parello-Plesner emphasizes global solidarity and international cooperation as vital to support Taiwan's independence and democratic values in a shifting landscape.

Alejandro Mayoral Baños, Executive Director of Access Now and a leader in indigenous rights advocacy, shares insights on the upcoming RightsCon 2025 in Taipei. He discusses the pressing issues of digital authoritarianism, data governance, and AI's impact on human rights. Baños reflects on the shift from traditional resource extraction to a data-driven focus and emphasizes the importance of collaboration among civic organizations. His journey highlights the significance of indigenous data sovereignty and the need for ethical digital practices to protect marginalized communities.

Ben Graham Jones, an international election consultant and author of the "Taiwan POWER" report, dives deep into Taiwan's resilience against foreign information manipulation. He highlights the grassroots strategies that empower civil society and how Taiwan serves as a beacon for combating disinformation globally. The discussion covers the rise of AI and deep fakes, the critical role of social media platforms in preserving electoral integrity, and the unique challenges faced in their turbulent political landscape. His insights reveal essential lessons for the world on safeguarding democracy.