Talking Taiwan

In July we brought Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast (aka TAC-EC) at West Chester University where we set up an on-location podcast studio and I interviewed 12 people in 3 days. It was pretty nonstop but it was well worth it. One thing we strive to do with Talking Taiwan is to record oral histories, so it was my pleasure to sit down with several of TAC-EC's past organizers to talk about the conference's history. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/oral-histories-by-three-tac-ec-past-organizers-talking-with-terry-tsao-sue-mei-kao-and-powen-wang-ep-298/ First, I spoke with Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文), who told me about how TAC started out as a summer retreat for Christian families in 1970 and later evolved into a conference for the entire Taiwanese American community. At the time Taiwan was under Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese Nationalists authoritarian regime, and Pok-wen recounts how the Chinese Nationalists (KMT) tried to interfere with TAC in those early years. I also spoke with past TAC organizers Su-Mei Kao, and Shih-Chieh or Terry Tsao. TAC is a conference with a 50 year plus long history and its programs have covered diverse issues impacting Taiwanese Americans, including human rights in Taiwan, and momentous social, historical, political events related to Taiwan and their implications. About TAC-EC: The first Taiwanese American Conference East Coast (TACEC) was held in 1970 in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. It was a summer retreat for the area's Christian families but has turned into an event for the entire Taiwanese American community. Over the years, the conference has expanded its programs to encompass diverse issues impacting Taiwanese Americans, including human rights in Taiwan, and momentous social, historical, political events and their implications. TACEC invites Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans from diverse professional backgrounds to share their experiences. The number of participants has steadily grown, numbering over 2,000 in the late 80s and 90s. TAC-EC is hosted by Taiwanese Communities in four different regions: New York, New Jersey, Washington and Philadelphia (including south Jersey and Delaware). Each region is currently on a four-year rotation and takes turns chairing the TACEC board that oversees the operation of TAC-EC. The conference today draws about 600 - 800 participants annually, with the majority being first generation Taiwanese Americans. Many second generation Taiwanese Americans who now have children have eagerly expressed interests in developing TAC-EC programs for their children and re-engage their peers who were past participants. TAC-EC's MISSION: To stimulate public interest in the cultural, religious, educational, socioeconomic and other activities of Taiwanese/Taiwanese Americans To pass down Taiwanese cultural and religious heritage in the Taiwanese Americans community To facilitate exchanges among Taiwanese Americans organizations, and to foster exchange, mutual support and collaboration between Taiwanese American organizations and Taiwanese or other ethnic groups' organizations To organize an annual conference or workshops of various topics about current affairs and future development of the United States and Taiwan 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: Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文), an early participant and organizer of TAC-EC talks about how he got involved in TAC-EC, the formation of TAC-EC, and its early years How the conference started as a Christian summer camp and then the Formosan Club (aka Taiwanese Association) joined What caused a split between the Christians and Formosan Club The year Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文) organized the conference (1989) How TAC-EC has evolved from the 1970s to 2013 The formation of TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation) Su-Mei Kao, organizer of TAC-EC in 2015 talked about her experiences organizing the conferences and how changes were made to create more interaction and shared events between TAC-EC and TANG attendees The speakers and topics covered at TAC-EC 2015 How Su-Mei Kao had attended TAC in the southern region before TAC on the East Coast and how the conferences in these regions differ Shih-Chieh (Terry) Tsao, organizer of TAC-EC 2023 talked about how he got involved in TAC-EC Shih-Chieh (Terry) talked about the theme of TAC-EC How China reacted to Nancy Pelosi's (former speaker of the United States House of Representatives) visit to Taiwan in August of 2022 Some of the most memorable speakers that were invited to speak at TAC-EC 2023 How FAPA (Formosan Association for Public Affairs and GTI (Global Taiwan Institute) and WUFI (World United Formosans for Independence) were instrumental in helping to organize TAC-EC 2023 How Shih-Chieh (Terry) hopes that TAC-EC can welcome more participants with a wider spectrum of political leanings on Taiwan Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/oral-histories-by-three-tac-ec-past-organizers-talking-with-terry-tsao-sue-mei-kao-and-powen-wang-ep-298/

Last year in August of 2023 I interviewed Dr. Jung Tsai about the medical mission to Ukraine that he had organized. If you haven't already had a chance to hear my first interview with Dr. Tsai about his medical mission to Ukraine, check out Episode 251: Dr. Jung Tsai: On His Courageous Medical Mission to Ukraine for Taiwan. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/aftermath-of-his-medical-mission-to-ukraine-one-year-later-dr-jung-tsai-ep-297/ This past July we took Talking Taiwan on the road to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast that was held at Westchester University. And we set up an on-location podcast studio there. Dr. Tsai was one of the speakers at TAC, so nearly a year after his return, we sat down with him to hear how his medical mission went. This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/aftermath-of-his-medical-mission-to-ukraine-one-year-later-dr-jung-tsai-ep-297/

Since 2020 Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has been reporting the number of incursions China makes by sea and air into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone. These incursions now happen on a daily basis and already the tally for this year alone has surpassed the total number of occurrences that took place last year in 2023. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/psychological-defense-and-practices-to-manage-stress-for-the-people-of-taiwan-a-talk-with-dr-hsiao-wen-lo-ep-296/ Recently, on October 14th, just days after President Lai Ching-te's Double Ten Day speech, China's military initiated the "Joint Sword-2024B" drills, a simulated blockade which took place in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan. According to Taiwan's MND, a record number of 153 Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan within a 25-hour period. We've previously discussed China's gray zone military tactics and civil defense preparedness, on this podcast, but just as important is something called psychological defense. In July we brought Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast that was held at West Chester University. I sat down with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo (駱筱雯) who spoke at the conference about Psychological Defense for the People of Taiwan. We also got into a discussion about the related topics of trauma and practices to manage stress and maintain good mental health. 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 Dr. Lo got interested in psychological defense · What is psychological defense · The importance of the mind-body connection · Types of trauma: psychological trauma, generational trauma, collective trauma · What is psychological warfare · The Chinese People's Liberation Army's psychological warfare tactics · The impact of long-term stress · Post traumatic growth · Fight or Flight states · Strategies to deal with stress · The erasure of Taiwan by China Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/psychological-defense-and-practices-to-manage-stress-for-the-people-of-taiwan-a-talk-with-dr-hsiao-wen-lo-ep-296/

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/

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.