Last year I spoke with Robin, Jerry and Peng-Hsuan about the U.S. Taiwan Watch after they organized a hackathon at the Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast that’s held annually around July 4th.
U.S. Taiwan Watch was founded in 2017 to synthesize data on Taiwan-related bills in Congress. Later, they expanded their work to include analysis on U.S. foreign policy and podcasts discussing U.S.-Taiwan relations.
Jerry Hsu is Co-founder and President of US Taiwan Watch
Robin Liao is Co-founder of US Taiwan Watch
Peng-Hsuan Chen is Project Manager of the Hackathon Project, Program and Policy Specialist of US Taiwan Watch
Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:
- How the U.S. Taiwan Watch got started
- How the U.S. Taiwan Watch educates people in Taiwan about the U.S.’s Taiwan-related bills, U.S. Congress, how bills are passed
- Taiwan’s ban of pork from the U.S. containing ractopamine
- Taiwanese people’s perceptions of the U.S.
- Misinformation from Chinese language media in Taiwan
- Taiwan-related bills for messaging vs. passage
- How they synthesize data on the U.S’s Taiwan-related bills
- How the U.S. Taiwan Watch has changed over time
- The U.S. Taiwan Watch’s connection to American Citizens for Taiwan
- How the U.S. Taiwan Watch started as a civil tech project
- How the U.S. Taiwan Watch deals with anti-American sentiments from their audience
- U.S. Taiwan Watch publishes articles, and produces a podcast
- How in 1979 the U.S. switched recognition from the Republic of China to the People’s Republic of China
- U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to China in June 2023 and his statement that the U.S. does not support the independence of Taiwan
- U.S. President Joe Biden’s remarks on the U.S.’s willingness to help defend Taiwan
- Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August of 2022
- The controversy over expansion of the A.I.T office in Neihu, Taiwan
- How the U.S. Taiwan Watch deals with disinformation
- How the pro-China media in Taiwan is anti-American
- U.S. Taiwan Watch’s podcast covers its articles. Taiwan-related bills and U.S. news
- The U.S. Taiwan Watch’s most popular podcast episodes
- How WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused Taiwan of slandering him
- The U.S. Taiwan Watch hackathon at TAC-EC 2023 (Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast)
- How the U.S. Taiwan Watch concept came out of a hackathon at the 2017 TAC-EC
- Projects created at the U.S. Taiwan Watch hackathon at TAC-EC 2023
- How the U.S. Taiwan Watch hackathon at TAC-EC 2023 was run
- What is so meaningful about the work that U.S. Taiwan Watch does
- How people have volunteered to wok for U.S. Taiwan Watch
- How Peng-Hsuan got involved with U.S. Taiwan Watch
- How Jerry got involved with U.S. Taiwan Watch
Related Links:
U.S. Taiwan Watch: https://www.ustw.watch/en
U.S. Taiwan Watch’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ustaiwanwatch
U.S. Taiwan Watch’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ustaiwanwatch
U.S. Taiwan Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/USTaiwanWatch
U.S. Taiwan Watch’s podcast: https://www.ustw.watch/en/podcast
The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA):
Pan-Blue Coalition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Blue_Coalition
Taiwan Relations Act:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/96th-congress/house-bill/2479
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Relations_Act
Taiwan set for contentious referendum on US pork imports: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/17/taiwan-set-for-contentious-referendum-on-us-pork-imports
The politics behind Taiwan’s controversial ractopamine pork policy: https://thechinaproject.com/2021/01/26/the-politics-behind-taiwans-controversial-ractopamine-pork-policy/
President Tsai Ing-wen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsai_Ing-wen
Gov Zero: https://g0v.tw/intl/en/
Blinken ruffles feathers by stating US ‘does not support Taiwan independence’ after meeting China’s Xi: https://nypost.com/2023/06/19/blinken-ruffles-feathers-by-stating-us-does-not-support-taiwan-independence-after-meeting-chinas-xi/
Blinken Tells Xi Jinping U.S. Does Not Support Taiwanese Independence, After Meeting To Quell Tensions: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/06/19/blinken-meets-with-xi-jinping-in-beijing-as-us-and-china-try-to-address-tensions/?sh=6207392f51ef
Taiwan: Nancy Pelosi meets President Tsai to Beijing’s fury: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62398029
Since the Pelosi Visit, China Has Created a New Normal in the Taiwan Strait: https://thediplomat.com/2023/08/since-the-pelosi-visit-china-has-created-a-new-normal-in-the-taiwan-strait/
2022 visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_visit_by_Nancy_Pelosi_to_Taiwan
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Institute_in_Taiwan
Taipei residents oppose AIT expansion: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/4943556
AIT says office expansion is show of ‘commitment’: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/07/06/2003802765
WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL ACCUSES TAIWAN OF CAMPAIGN AGAINST HIM INVOLVING “RACISM” AGAINST AFRICANS: https://newbloommag.net/2020/04/09/tedros-racism-comments/
Coronavirus: WHO chief and Taiwan in row over ‘racist’ comments: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52230833
Game Boy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy
Kuomintang (KMT): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang
Lawrence Lin about American Citizens for Taiwan (Episode 41): https://talkingtaiwan.com/tt039-lawrence-lin/
Understanding the History of Taiwan through Dr. Jerome Keating Ep 97
Understanding the History of Taiwan through Dr. Jerome Keating (Episode 97): https://talkingtaiwan.com/understanding-the-history-of-taiwan-through-dr-jerome-keating-ep-97/
Gerrit van der Wees: The Past and Present State of U.S. Taiwan Relations Ep 199
Gerrit van der Wees: The Past and Present State of U.S. Taiwan Relations (Episode 199): https://talkingtaiwan.com/gerrit-van-der-wees-the-past-and-present-state-of-u-s-taiwan-relations-ep-199/
Dr. Mark Chen: Advocate for Taiwan in Both the U.S. and Taiwan Ep 212
Dr. Mark Chen: Advocate for Taiwan in Both the U.S. and Taiwan (Episode 212): https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-mark-chen-advocate-for-taiwan-in-both-the-u-s-and-taiwan-ep-212/