Strait Talk with Xiangyu

Donald Trump's visit to Beijing was notable not only for what was discussed, but also for what was left unsaid. Has Washington's approach to Taiwan fundamentally changed, or is it simply adapting to new geopolitical realities? What does Trump's rhetoric tell us about the future of cross strait relations? And as US global priorities continue to shift, what does this mean for the prospects of reunif...

Over the last decade, more and more people in the west have started calling themselves socialist, communist, and even Marxist-Leninist. In more recent years, we've also seen the rise of "CHINAMAXXING," with growing numbers of young Westerners becoming curious about China after direct exposure through platforms like Xiaohongshu (Red Note), where they're interacting with ordinary Chinese people onli...

Angelica returns to talk about our recent trip to Southern Xinjiang, where our journey began in Kashgar (Kashi) before our ascent up the Pamir Plateau to Taxkorgan (Tashkurgan). We also announce a new venture we've started called Tianxia Travels, a travel company specializing in bringing guests off the beaten path in China on journeys that tell coherent stories in some of the most culturally rich,...

Taiwan's economy looks incredible on paper. GDP per capita has surged in recent years, even surpassing Japan and South Korea by some measures. Supporters of Taiwan's administration often point to these numbers as proof that the island is prospering. However, for many ordinary people in Taiwan, the story feels very different. Despite rapid GDP growth, median wages have remained largely stagnant for...

KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun's recent visit to the Chinese mainland has garnered attention from all around the world. Despite this, many details of her trip are not being reported in English-language media. Her itinerary, which began in Nanjing, continued in Shanghai, and ended in Beijing, was more than a series of ceremonial stops. Each city reflects a different dimension of cross-strait relations...

Taiwan is one of the most talked-about places in geopolitics today, yet much of the discussion about it starts with a deeply simplified story. According to the common narrative, Chiang Kai-shek fled to the island in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War, and that's where Taiwan's story begins. But as we often say on this show, Taiwan's history does not begin in 1949, nor does it end there. Wheth...

Why has a little-known figure known as "Professor" Jiang suddenly become a viral presence online? And why are completely different camps attacking him for opposite reasons? In this episode of Strait Talk, we use the controversy surrounding Jiang Xueqin as a starting point to explore something much bigger: the competing intellectual currents and elite networks inside China itself. Zhenming, the aut...

Taiwan separatism is often presented as a simple struggle between "democracy" and "authoritarianism." Others continue to view cross-strait politics through the lens of the struggle between the CPC and the KMT despite the reality that history has since moved on. Regardless, most people simply do not understand Taiwan separatist ideology and therefore do not know how to argue against it, because the...

In this episode, Ezra and I dive into the debates surrounding UN Resolution 2803 and the intense online reaction that followed China's abstention. We explore why so many Western leftists (baizuo) default to a universalist worldview that ends up upholding the existing world order in practice, especially when they assume their values should apply uniformly across all civilizations. The conversation...

Help Guangfu Recover: The town was devastated, and families need support. Please donate or share the GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-guangfu-township-after-typhoon-ragasa In this episode of Strait Talk, we examine the "ROC" territorial map—a symbol that frequently surfaces in online debates about Taiwan. Both pro- and anti-China voices invoke it for different purposes. Anti-...

Help Guangfu Recover: The town was devastated, and families need support. Please donate or share the GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-guangfu-township-after-typhoon-ragasa In this episode of Strait Talk with Xiangyu, I sit down with Angelica, who joined me in disaster relief efforts in Taiwan's Guangfu Township, Hualien County after Typhoon Ragasa. We share firsthand accounts...

Support my upcoming on-location documentaries and vlogs about Taiwan and the Chinese mainland: https://gofund.me/990ab390 In this episode of Strait Talk with Xiangyu, I sit down with Wang Ping-chung (王炳忠 Wang Bingzhong), one of Taiwan's most outspoken voices for Chinese identity and cross-strait reunification. Together, we break down U.S. foreign policy toward Taiwan under Trump and Biden, shif...

Support my upcoming on-location documentaries and vlogs about Taiwan and the Chinese mainland: https://gofund.me/990ab390 With the exception of hardline Taiwan separatists, most would not argue that the culture in Taiwan is Chinese at its core. But if that's the case, why has Chinese identity in Taiwan seemed so fragile in recent decades? In this episode, I trace how Taiwan's identity has been sha...

We sit down with Angelica Oung to discuss Taiwan's changing political landscape, her personal journey from DPP supporter to advocating for the status quo, being a born-again Chinese, and what recent events—from mass recalls to legislative drama—reveal about public sentiment. We explore phony grassroots movements, government corruption, and the evolving conversation around identity and reconciliati...

Scott was born in Taiwan and raised in a pro-DPP household before moving to the U.S. at age 10. Over Taiwan Beer, we trace his political journey from identifying with Taiwan separatism to supporting Chinese reunification and questioning liberal democracy itself. We talk about what triggered his shift in perspective, how his views evolved over time, and how his experience relates with broader polit...

The First Sino-Japanese War is often overlooked, but in many ways, it mirrors the Korean War that would erupt 56 years later. A declining regional power clashed with a rising empire over Korea, setting off events that would reshape East Asia. In this first episode of the series, we examine the mistakes of China's Qing Government, the crises shaking Korea, and Japan's growing ambitions—all of which...

Why is Japanese colonial rule remembered so differently in Taiwan than in Korea? In this episode, we dive deep into the Japanese colonization of Taiwan to unpack that question. From addressing the land question and carrying out irrigation projects to strategic co-optation of local elites and the brutal Kominka assimilation campaign, we explore how Japan engineered long-term compliance—and how the...

What happens when someone raised at the heart of the Taiwan separatist movement walks away from it all? In this episode, we sit down with the son of a well-known longtime activist — someone who grew up steeped in the rhetoric of FAPA, WUFI, and various Taiwan separatist organizations back when a sizeable portion of the movement operated from exile. Once surrounded by ideological fervor, he now vie...

How has the Communist Party of China’s approach to the Taiwan question evolved over time? In this episode, we trace the historical arc of the CPC’s Taiwan strategy—from its revolutionary roots to the pragmatic framework that defines cross-strait relations today. We break down key turning points from 1949 to the present to understand how and why the CPC’s approach to the Taiwan question has evolved...

In this episode, we touch on the question that's on many people's minds: will the US intervene in the event of a war across the Taiwan Strait? We do this by breaking down "The Taiwan Fixation: American Strategy Shouldn’t Hinge on an Unwinnable War," an article by US foreign policy insiders Jennifer Kavanagh and Stephen Wertheim. Despite being staunch defenders of US hegemony, thoroughly embedded i...

In this episode of STXY, I sit down with Slava, a member of the American Communist Party who was born and raised in Ukraine, to discuss Ukraine’s place in the ongoing struggle between Western hegemony and multipolar resistance. We examine the historical and political forces that turned Ukraine into a battleground between Russia and NATO, as well as the evolution of its national consciousness. To w...

The February 28th Incident of 1947 is widely remembered as a tragic moment in Taiwan’s history, but the way it has been framed and exploited over the years reveals a story of political opportunism. The scarcity of accurate English-language information has further enabled well-meaning Western commentators to unknowingly distort the event. In this episode of STXY, we examine what truly happened in 1...

Taiwan’s ruling DPP is using lawfare in an attempt to crush opposition, deploying politically motivated prosecutions while international media looks the other way. Despite 150,000 people taking to the streets in protest last month, there’s been near-total silence from mainstream outlets outside of Taiwan. In this episode of STXY, we take a look at what's going on, and why the DPP is becoming incre...

In this episode of STXY, I sit down with my friend Lin Chi-yu, who shares his journey from being a passionate supporter of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to being an ardent critic. We explore what initially drew him to the party, the experiences that led to his disillusionment, and his evolving thoughts on Taiwan's future. Lin offers candid insights into Cross-Strait relations, US-Tai...

In this episode of STXY, we dissect the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) accusations of "undemocratic behavior" against the opposition's recent amendments to three key laws. As the opposition—now the majority in the legislature—pushes forward with these revisions, the DPP's response has been anything but democratic. From mobilizing supporters to surround the legislative building to starting br...