We sat down to speak with Claire Wang (王婉諭), chairwoman of the New Power Party, one of Taiwan political parties, that emerged from the Sunflower Movement. While she never imagined herself going into politics, personal circumstances changed that. She’s a powerful example of transforming personal tragedy into action. Wang is a passionate advocate for progressive values and local democracy, from judicial reform and child protection to housing justice. Now she’s leading a new chapter for the New Power Party. Last July we brought Talking Taiwan to TAC-WC, the Taiwanese American Conference West Coast hosted in San Francisco/Silicon Valley.
It was just weeks before the historic July 26th vote to recall 24 Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang lawmakers. At the time it was the largest recall effort attempted by the citizens of a democracy. As a result of what was called the Great Recall Movement, a total of 31 KMT legislators were put up for a recall vote. Another 7 KMT legislators in addition to the first 24 would be up for a recall vote on August 23. Last July Talking Taiwan traveled back to witness the first recall vote on July 26th. To learn more about the Great Recall movement we encourage you to listen to our past episodes 316 with recall campaigners Carol, Acho and Eric, and 317 with Courtney Donovan Smith.
This episode is sponsored in part by the Pacific Times (太平洋時報).
Related Links:
Get Exclusive Access to the REPLAY VIDEO of the 2026 Talking Taiwan Gala by making a contribution of $50 or more: https://events.humanitix.com/talking-taiwan-2026-fundraising-gala
New Power Party’s website: https://newpowerparty.tw/en
Sunflower Movement: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_Student_Movement
Mother of slain girl urges public to donate to charity: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2016/03/31/2003
Huang Kuo-chang: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huang_Kuo-chang
Donovan’s Deep Dives: Huang Kuo-chang’s bid to take over the TPP: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2025/02/04/2003831292
Freddy Lim: https://www.freddylim.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_Lim
Kuomintang (KMT): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Progressive_Party
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_People%27s_Party
Ko Wen-je: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Wen-je
Tony Chang on the Sunflower Movement (Episode 44): https://talkingtaiwan.com/tt044-tony-chang-3/
Sunflower Movement: Reflecting Back from the Civil Unrest of 2020 Ep 78
Sunflower Movement: Reflecting Back from the Civil Unrest of 2020 (Episode 78): https://talkingtaiwan.com/sunflower-movement-reflecting-back-from-the-civil-unrest-of-2020-ep-78/
Eric Chang on the Occupation of the Executive Yuan During the Sunflower Movement Ep 121
Eric Chang on the Occupation of the Executive Yuan During the Sunflower Movement (Episode 121): https://talkingtaiwan.com/eric-chang-on-the-occupation-of-the-executive-yuan-during-the-sunflower-movement-ep-121/
Reliving the Sunflower Movement from Ground Zero: Jiho Chang Tells the Inside Story Ep 174
Reliving the Sunflower Movement from Ground Zero: Jiho Chang Tells the Inside Story (Episode 174): https://talkingtaiwan.com/reliving-the-sunflower-movement-from-ground-zero-jiho-chang-tells-the-inside-story-ep-174/
Eric Chang: On the Unfolding Situation at the Legislative Yuan during the Sunflower Movement Ep 231
Eric Chang: On the Unfolding Situation at the Legislative Yuan during the Sunflower Movement (Episode 231): https://talkingtaiwan.com/eric-chang-on-the-unfolding-situation-at-the-legislative-yuan-during-the-sunflower-movement-ep-231/
Background of Taiwan Presidential Candidates 2024: Political Analyst Courtney Donovan Smith’s Rundown for Upcoming Election Ep 271: https://talkingtaiwan.com/background-of-taiwan-presidential-candidates-2024-political-analyst-courtney-donovan-smiths-rundown-for-upcoming-election-ep-271/
Our Post Presidential Election Analysis 2024 with Courtney Donovan Smith Ep 274
Our Post Presidential Election Analysis 2024 with Courtney Donovan Smith Ep 274: https://talkingtaiwan.com/our-post-presidential-election-analysis-2024-with-courtney-donovan-smith-ep-274/
Bluebird Movement: 3 Experts Discuss the Controversial Bills Leading to Protests at the Legislative Yuan Ep 286: https://talkingtaiwan.com/bluebird-movement-3-experts-discuss-the-controversial-bills-leading-to-protests-at-the-legislative-yuan-ep-286/
The Great Recall Movement in Taiwan: A Historic Unprecedented Boots on the Ground Exercise in Democracy Ep 316: https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-great-recall-movement-effort-in-taiwan-boots-on-the-ground-ep-316/
The Great Recall Explained by Courtney Donovan Smith Ep 317: https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-great-recall-explained-by-courtney-donovan-smith-ep-317/
Day After Recall Analysis with Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo Ep 322: https://talkingtaiwan.com/day-after-recall-analysis-with-dr-linda-gail-arrigo-ep-322/
Jiho Chang: Why Did the Recall Fail, and How Can the DPP Do Better? Ep 323
Jiho Chang: Why Did the Recall Fail, and How Can the DPP Do Better? Ep 323: https://talkingtaiwan.com/jiho-chang-why-did-the-recall-fail-and-how-can-the-dpp-do-better-ep-323/