Over the last half-decade, militaries around the world have executed a shift towards incorporating mass precision strike, with weapons such as loitering munitions and glide bombs becoming globally ubiquitous. These weapons are relatively low-cost, easy to mass-produce, and are reasonably accurate, able to partly replicate the expensive “precision strike complex” employed by Western militaries. Countries like Azerbaijan, Sudan, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, Myanmar have already employed such weap...| Global Taiwan Institute
In late March 2025, a delegation of Taiwanese trade experts landed in Nigeria’s commercial hub of Lagos. The arrival of high-profile dignitaries was not televised and no press conference was arranged, but it marked the second mission in five months. The visits are a telling sign of Taiwan’s intensifying effort to maintain a vital relationship with Africa’s largest economy. The post Taiwan’s Soft Power Gamble in Nigeria appeared first on Global Taiwan Institute.| Global Taiwan Institute
Due to the fact that tourism is primarily seen through an economic lens, people do not usually give much thought to tourism when discussing foreign policy and international relations. However, tourism plays an essential role in politics—namely in the realm of soft power, defined as a country’s ability to influence others without resorting to coercive pressure. When it comes to tourism, the idea is that through shared positive experiences facilitated by in-person visits, people will develo...| Global Taiwan Institute
At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Taiwanese director Shih-Ching Tsou’s (鄒時擎) solo directorial debut, Left-Handed Girl (左撇子女孩), earned the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution—an accolade commissioned to help new filmmakers distribute their first feature films across France. Taiwan’s increased visibility at renowned international independent film festivals like the Cannes Film Festival is much welcomed. Indeed, independent films’ reputation for prioritizing storytellin...| Global Taiwan Institute
From July 9-18, Taiwan’s military and other supporting government agencies conducted this year’s iteration of the Han Kuang exercise (漢光演習)—a military exercise conducted every year since 1984 to simulate the response to an invasion of Taiwan, and the largest single event on the annual calendar of the Republic of China (ROC) Ministry of National Defense (MND). Iterations of Han Kuang in recent years had followed a roughly similar schedule of events: often opening with ship and ai...| Global Taiwan Institute
For many, US trade policy under the Trump Administration has become a challenge to navigate. On July 31, the Trump Administration announced that imports from Taiwan will be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting as early as August. This will apply to goods that were, until recently, eligible for de minimis (imports valued under USD 800) treatment, but excludes certain sectoral goods like automobiles and metals that have higher tariff rates. Meanwhile, there are exemptions for semiconductors ...| Global Taiwan Institute
With tensions rising in East Asia, the likelihood of a dual contingency—both in the Taiwan Strait and on the Korean Peninsula—is far from a hypothetical scenario. A simultaneous contingency—where war breaks out concurrently in the Taiwan Strait and on the Korean Peninsula—would generate deeply complex strategic challenges for the United States and its allies in the region. Under such grave conditions, South Korea would undoubtedly face strategic, operational, and legal constraints in ...| Global Taiwan Institute
Situated between the Gulf of Tonkin to the northwest, the Taiwan Strait to the northeast, and the Sulu Sea to the southeast, the South China Sea (SCS) borders several East and Southeast Asian countries. As the world’s most immense sea at 3.5-million square kilometers (about twice the size of Alaska), the South China Sea is a vital maritime trade route and sea line of communication (SLOC) on which many Asian nations and extra-regional powers are heavily dependent. Great resources are at stak...| Global Taiwan Institute
There is safety in numbers—such are the rules of the game in Taiwan’s unconventional coalition parliament. Not only is Taiwan navigating a divided government for just the second time in its history, but the most recent election cycle also marks the first occasion since 2004 that the Legislative Yuan (LY, 立法院) lacks a majority party. Coalition building has therefore emerged as a vital electoral strategy in Taiwan’s current political landscape, from adapting to the polarized outcome...| Global Taiwan Institute
On July 26, 24 Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) legislators and one Taiwan People’s Party (TPP, 民眾黨) mayor faced recall votes. This high number of recalls was without precedent in Taiwan’s recent political history. Although the number of legislators being recalled was abnormal, the right to recall elected officials in Taiwan is prominently featured in Taiwan’s election law Public Officials Election and Recall Act (POERA, 公職人員選舉罷免法). This article examines the backgroun...| Global Taiwan Institute
Taiwan has long been an important geopolitical player in international decisions regarding economic security. The island nation draws attention for its importance to the Indo-Pacific, its economic prowess in technology—especially semiconductors—and its complex relationship with China. Much of the ongoing discourse on Taiwan’s foreign relations focuses on its diplomatic isolation or trade partnerships, leaving Taiwan’s defense and security cooperation with Middle Eastern nations unexpl...| Global Taiwan Institute
Between 1932 to 1945, women and girls throughout the world were forced to provide sexual services to members of the Japanese military as so-called “wartime comfort women” (jugun ianfu in Japanese). This system of institutionalized sexual slavery, carried out through so-called “comfort stations” across Asia, was state-organized and has since become one of the most controversial historical and human rights issues in Asia. Over the decades, women and advocates in different countries have...| Global Taiwan Institute
GTI is a policy incubator dedicated to insightful, cutting-edge, and inclusive research on policy issues regarding Taiwan and its place in the world.| Global Taiwan Institute
“The Republic of Korea is an Indo-Pacific nation. Our national interests are directly tied to the stability and prosperity in the region,” reads the opening sentence of South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. South Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy explicitly integrates the Taiwan Strait into its vision for a “free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.” This inclusion underscores Seoul's recognition of Taiwan's critical role in regional stability and security. Introduced in Decemb...| Global Taiwan Institute
Over the past decade, the United States and Taiwan have begun working together to improve governance and bolster democracies in Asia. In 2015, they launched the Global Cooperation Training Framework (GCTF) as “a platform to utilize Taiwan’s strengths and expertise to address global issues of mutual concern” and provide training programs for officials and experts from countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Since then, the GCTF has held over 80 international workshops across a broad range ...| Global Taiwan Institute
