Taiwanology

Taiwan doesn’t just make semicondictor chips, it also puts together the Nikes, New Balances, Adidas shoes on your feet. Over 70% of Nikes and 90% of New Balance shoes are made by Taiwan companies. Ever sported gear from Puma, New Balance, Mizuno, or On Running? There's a high chance they came from Diamond Group's factories. Each year, they roll out a whopping 35 million pairs of sports shoes. Hear...

As we focus on the upcoming Taiwan presidential election in January 2024, the scene is surely getting crowded. Besides DPP's Lai Ching-te, KMT's Hou You-yi and Ko Wen-je representing the Taiwan People’s Party, Terry Gou, the founder of Foxconn, also joined the race. With geopolitical tensions rising, some are calling this election the most pivotal one for Taiwan's destiny. What’s really at stake?...

The flavors of Taiwan, including mini puffs, bubble tea and dry noodles, are gaining popularity in the US and Europe. In this delicious episode, we talk to the mochi master, Alvin Huang from Royal Family Foods, which is selling 1.5 million mochis a day. Why is this dessert captivating Gen Z in over 50 countries? Why is mochi Taiwanese and international at the same time? 15:45 - Who are the America...

While the Taiwan issue is often seen through a lens of cross-strait conflicts, how does it impact Taiwan’s economy and interactions with the world? Are there alternative and more nuanced ways for us to talk about Taiwan? In this episode we talk with George Yin, a research associate at Fairbank Center at Harvard. Amidst growing geopolitical tension, he argues that the importance of diplomacy cannot...

#MeToo has taken Taiwan by storm, following a young woman's bombshell sexual harassment allegation in May. Over 100 victims, both men and women, have come forward to accuse prominent figures in politics, the arts, and academia. Inspired by a popular drama series "Wave Makers", the movement has prompted self-reflect and even a law revamp, but will real changes happen? 01:20 - Filmmaker Lynn telling...

Ever since the introduction of OpenAI's ChatGPT, many have marveled at its potential to assist human work while others are concerned about potential abuse or being replaced by it. In this episode, Kwangyin talked with Ethan Tu, founder of Taiwan AI Labs, who was once head of a Microsoft team that created the AI assistant Cortana, which later became the team that created ChatGPT. 08:40 - Is artific...

With a yearly rainfall 2.6 times the global average, it's hard to imagine that water scarcity would be an issue for Taiwan. Over the past five years, Taiwan has no major typhoons, which has led to unprecedented droughts. How can Taiwan ensure a sustainable water supply not only for chipmakers like TSMC but also for the farmers, and its people? 04:52 - Why Taiwan is facing water shortages? 10:15 -...

The relationship between China and the U.S. is not only at its lowest point in decades, but appears to be trapped in a downward spiral. With Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterating his resolve to reunify Taiwan, many articles and podcasts portrayed Taiwan as a potential flashpoint between US and China, as if Taiwan has no agency, and there is nothing Taiwan could do. Is that true? 7:05 - How Taiw...

At the CommonWealth semiconductor forum March 16, the 91-year-old TSMC founder Morris Chang reiterated the importance of Taiwan as a major force in semiconductor manufacturing, and stressed that the growing trend of diversification of chip making would result in higher costs. Chris Miller, Associate Professor of International History at Tufts University, gave a brief speech on how TSMC became the...

For the second episode of the Taiwanology podcast, we hopped on a plane and took a trip to India. The 3 Commonwealth reporters Elaine Huang, Andy Yang and Peiying Hsieh visited India to get insights into the Indian Electronic Manufacturing Industry, and especially the working conditions of Foxconn in India. Recently, India is becoming increasingly important for international electronic manufacture...

For the debut episode of the Taiwanology podcast, we delved into Taiwan’s role in the global chip supply chain. And, most importantly, its role in the chip war. Our guest is Miin Wu, founder of Macronix International, who has over 50 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. If you own a Nintendo Switch or a Canon camera, your device has chips made by Macronix. Taiwan’s semiconductor indu...