Online Discussion on Taiwan

This event is online as a podcast here.

Announcement: Taiwanese politics and society have often been primarily viewed through the lens of its relationship with China in the international mainstream media. This has obscured and reduced the complex political developments and vibrant social movements in Taiwan into one of antagonism with China. In this conversation, we will speak to Brian Hioe of New Bloom, who has been writing about Taiwanese politics and movements, to explore the progressive forces in Taiwan, their history and their multiple currents and tendencies, as well as their comparisons and connections with progressive forces in mainland China and Hong Kong. What are the possibilities of progressive changes in Taiwan? And, what are the conditions of, and barriers to alliances of progressive forces in the wider region? Finally, in the context of rising tensions in the region, we would like to understand Taiwanese Left’s positions on China and the US, and how recent developments in Hong Kong have impacted on the politics and movements in Taiwan.

Date: Saturday, January 23, 2021
Time: 2 p.m. CET/Europe – 9 p.m. CST/China – 8 a.m. EDT/U.S.
Topic: Taiwan’s Left in the Era of Chinese-American Rivalry
Speaker: Brian HIOE
Moderators: Kevin Lin + Ralf Ruckus

Reading list for the event’s Q&A:
Viewing Taiwan From the Left. An Interview with Brian Hioe
What comes next for Taiwan, after a Biden victory? (Brian Hioe)
Movements in Taiwan and Hong Kong must not idealize America (Brian Hioe)
Let a Hundred Collectives Bloom! (Brian Hioe)

The speaker: Brian HIOE is a freelance translator, a writer on social movements and youth culture in Asia, and founding editor at New Bloom Magazine, a news website that covers social issues, politics, and culture in the Asia Pacific region.

Sponsors: This event is co-sponsored by gongchao.org, Made in China Journal, positions politics, and Critical China Scholars. The foundation Stiftung Menschenwürde und Arbeitswelt (Berlin, Germany) provided financial support for the technical platform.

For other events, please, see the “China and the Left”-series page.