Talking Taiwan

Michael Fahey, an American lawyer and Taipei resident since 1988, discusses a vital campaign for dual nationality for foreign permanent residents in Taiwan. He highlights the proposal's potential benefits for integration and economic resilience while addressing national security concerns. Fahey emphasizes the grassroots mobilization needed to overcome historical legislative challenges. The conversation also sheds light on personal stories of long-term residents, advocating for inclusivity and reform in Taiwan’s citizenship rights.

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/

In a captivating discussion, Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo, also known as Ai Linda, a prominent activist and scholar, delves into the transformative Kaohsiung Incident of 1979 and its profound impact on Taiwan's democratization. She highlights the tense atmosphere leading up to the event and the bravery of protestors amidst governmental repression. The role of overseas support and legal advocacy emerges as a focal point, shedding light on the emotional struggles within the democracy movement. Arrigo also reflects on the incident’s aftermath and its pivotal place in contemporary Taiwanese aspirations.

Andrew Chau and Bin Chen, the co-founders of Boba Guys, share their entrepreneurial journey of bridging cultures through bubble tea. They discuss how they began with a pop-up shop while juggling full-time jobs, their observations from a recent trip to Taiwan, and the evolution of the boba scene. The duo reflects on their innovative loyalty program that gamifies customer experience and highlights the significance of community support during the pandemic. Through their work, they emphasize the importance of authenticity and cultural storytelling in their brand.

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/

On May 26th we stopped by the annual Passport to Taiwan in New York City's Union Square Park and I caught up with a few of our past guests, Taiwanese hip hop and rap artist, Dwagie who performed at this year's Passport to Taiwan, and Lisa Cheng Smith who was also there with her Yun Hai co-founder Lillian Lin her co-founder. Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry 雲海 offers a selection of premium ingredients for Taiwanese and Chinese cooking online and at their shop located in Brooklyn. I spoke Dwagie about his thoughts on the protests that have been happening around the legislative yuan in Taipei. Stay tuned for our next episode which will cover the protests around the legislative yuan that started around May 17th. I also spoke to Lillian and Lisa, co-founders of Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry about what it was like to have President Tsai Ing-wen visit their shop in Brooklyn, and a few of their products including their qq dragon T-shirt and dried mango. To learn more about Dwagie check out episode 50 of Talking Taiwan and to learn more about Yun Hai check out episode 135. Related Links:

Vanessa Hope is the director of Invisible Nation, a documentary film that takes a look at the presidency of Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's first female president and events that happened during her tenure. We talked about what first brought Vanessa to Taiwan which meant that she was there in 1996 during the inauguration of Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan's first directly elected president. Then in 2016 after Vanessa came to Taiwan with an international delegation to observe Taiwan's presidential elections and witnessed the election of Tsai Ing-wen, she came up with the idea for a film about Tsai Ing-wen's presidency. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/invisible-nation-director-vanessa-hope-discusses-her-documentary-about-tsai-ing-wens-presidency-ep-284/ Vanessa's first feature length documentary, All Eyes And Ears examined relations between the U.S. and China through the stories of U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, his adopted Chinese daughter Gracie Mei, and blind legal advocate Chen Guangcheng. When I asked Vanessa about her experience making a documentary film in China, she recounted a story that explained why she personally related to the backlash and pressure from China that Chou Tzu-yu, a Taiwanese member of a K-pop band has faced. We also talked about the challenges in making Invisible Nation over a seven year period, Vanessa's personal motivations for making the film and where Invisible Nation is going to be screened in the near future. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · What brought Vanessa to Taiwan and got her interested in Taiwan · What Vanessa observed when she was in Taiwan for the inauguration of Lee Teng-hui, the first directly elected president of Taiwan · The first time she dabbled in filmmaking · How Vanessa wrote and recorded the podcast, Love Is a Crime, which tells the story of her family's connection to film · The state of the film industry which Vanessa's husband Ted Hope writes about on Substack · How Vanessa came up with the idea for the film, Invisible Nation · Vanessa worked at the Council on Foreign Relations · Vanessa came to Taiwan with an international delegation to observe Taiwan's presidential elections in 2016 and witnessed the election of Tsai Ing-wen · How Vanessa secured a grant focused on women, peace and security · How film producer Sylvia Feng helped Vanessa with submitting a proposal to President Tsai's office regarding her idea for a documentary film · How they filmed an interview with Chen Chu before hearing an answer from President Tsai's office about the documentary film proposal · How Vanessa originally envisioned working a film about Taiwan's first female president · The backlash President Tsai received from China initially · The discrimination that Taiwan faces internationally · How Taiwan has been excluded from international organizations like the WHO, the United Nations, the Olympics and others · How Russia's invasion of Ukraine highlighted concerns about the threat Taiwan faces from China · How Xi Jinping has said that he will not renounce the use of force against Taiwan · Where the name of the film, Invisible Nation came from · The film Vanessa produced, Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America, about · If President Tsai had any say in the film Invisible Nation · What personally motivated Vanessa to make the film, Invisible Nation · How the interview and scene with Chen Chu in the film came about · How Chen Chu wrote her will when she was in prison and dedicated her life to the people of Taiwan · What it was like meeting former President Ma Ying-jeou · How Vanessa's mentor at the Council on Foreign Relations, Jerome Cohen had been a professor at Harvard Law School to Ma Ying-jeou and Annette Lu · What Vanessa learned from working at the Council on Foreign Relations · What fascinated Vanessa about how the singer Chou Tzu-yu was forced to apologize for waving a flag that represented Taiwan · Wen Liu's comments about President Tsai that didn't make it into the film Invisible Nation · How it was decided that historical facts to keep in the film or not · How part of the editing process for the film Invisible Nation was to test it on audiences · How Vanessa has had to edit down Invisible Nation from 85 minutes to 55 minutes for television · Who is the target audience of the film, Invisible Nation · Why some of the Taiwanese who worked on Invisible Nation had to use pseudonyms · China's 3 T's that you are not supposed to talk about, Taiwan, Tibet, and Tiananmen · The difference in working on documentary films in China vs. Taiwan · What happened to Vanessa when she was in Tibet and tried to board a train with U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, who she was filming for her first documentary film, All Eyes and Ears · Why Vanessa could relate to what happened to the singer Chou Tzu-yu · Scenes that had to be cut from the film, Invisible Nation · The challenge in making Invisible Nation · Feedback that Vanessa has received at screenings of Invisible Nation · What Vanessa hopes that people take away from the film Invisible Nation · If Vanessa has gotten any negative feedback or threats from pro-China media or parties · Where Invisible Nation is going to be screened · Vanessa's future film projects Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/invisible-nation-director-vanessa-hope-discusses-her-documentary-about-tsai-ing-wens-presidency-ep-284/