One country, two systems

Hou You-yi, mayor of New Taipei City (centre) during a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan, 17 May 2023. (I-Hwa Cheng/Bloomberg)

Why Hou You-yi won the KMT presidential nomination and Terry Gou did not

With about eight months to go to the next Taiwan presidential election, commentator Gu Er De explains why Hou You-yi won the nomination as KMT presidential candidate, while Terry Gou failed despite his best efforts.
Billionaire Li Ka-shing, chair of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. and Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., speaks during a news conference in Hong Kong, China, on 26 March 2013. (Jerome Favre/Bloomberg)

Hong Kong commentator: My take on Li Ka-shing's contributions to Hong Kong

Li Ka-shing is familiar to many as an icon of Hong Kong entrepreneurs. Businessman Lew Mon-hung examines Li’s life-long contributions as the legend approaches his 95th birthday.
This picture taken on 14 April 2023 shows people walking down a street at the Ximen district in Taipei, Taiwan. (Sam Yeh/AFP)

Why Taiwan’s future is no longer just a dispute of sovereignty

Wei Da explains why issues such as Taiwan’s chosen civilisational path, great power competition and geostrategic rivalry are critical in the Taiwan issue. In the end, the question of the superiority and inferiority of civilisational development will determine Taiwan's future.
Taiwan's armed forces pose for a photo with a Taiwan flag during a routine drills to show combat readiness ahead of Lunar New Year holidays at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 11 January 2023. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Can Taiwan stay safe in the next decade?

As the sabre-rattling continues in the Taiwan Strait, there seems to be no clear solution in sight for reunification. Zaobao’s correspondent Woon Wei Jong speaks to commentators and experts to take soundings on feasible solutions.
People gather as they hold candles and white sheets of paper to support protests in China regarding Covid-19 restrictions at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan, 30 November 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Why did the Taiwanese support China's A4 revolution?

Taiwanese academic Ho Ming-sho asserts that Taiwan’s show of solidarity with protestors in China’s A4 revolution is better understood under the lens of the history of the island’s pursuit of its own identity. He explains why Taiwan’s civil-society actors chose to react to the protests on universal values, rather than national sentiment.
A man pushes a trolley across a street in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on 22 November 2022. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP)

A battle for the Hong Kong narrative: Why TVB is losing support among Hong Kongers

Hong Konger Thomas Chan reflects on the decline of TVB, once an icon of Hong Kong’s success in entertainment. While business bottom lines and competition are real concerns, the tussle to tell the Hong Kong narrative is at the heart of the strong centripetal forces at work.
Supporters of Kuomintang (KMT) celebrate preliminary results in the Taipei mayoral election at a rally in Taipei, Taiwan, on 26 November 2022. (Lam Yik Fei/Bloomberg)

Taiwan’s 2024 presidential race takes shape

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party took a number of hits during the “nine-in-one” local elections and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as a result. Veteran journalist Gu Erde notes how the 2024 presidential race has started to take shape, but Taiwan’s elections in recent years show that voters’ tastes, especially those of the young voters, change quickly and drastically.
People use their mobile phones outside a closed down business in Hong Kong on 1 November 2022. (Peter Parks/AFP)

Hong Kong's left turn could hit its financial centre status

Commentator Lew Mon-hung explores seven contradictions that he observes in the “one country, two systems” policy for Hong Kong, including the stand on the private sector, governance issues, and the dynamic zero-Covid policy. All of these factors have had an impact on Hong Kong, and it remains to be seen how these points will be addressed to ensure the special administrative region’s growth.
In this file photo taken on 2 May 2022, Elon Musk attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, US. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images North America/AFP)

Elon Musk offended both sides of the Taiwan Strait

Tesla CEO Elon Musk drew widespread criticism for his comment on establishing Taiwan as a special administrative zone. While Musk raised his suggestions based on his own commercial interests, the controversial statement shows the impact of the Taiwan Strait issue for the business world. Is there a time and place for businessmen to tread on geopolitical issues?