Taiwanology

Frédéric Laplanche first came to Taiwan in 1995 as a graduate student. This year, he returned as the new director of the French Office in Taipei. In this interview, he emphasized the importance of building strong partnerships. Taiwan's chipmakers depend on French industrial gases, ultrapure water and silicon substrates, while Foxconn and ProLogium invest in France. What does a trusted partnership look like in practice? The answer involves a French chip designer, TSMC and a Statue of Liberty exhibition in Paris. Episode highlights:00:10 A "son-in-law of Taiwan" returns, 30 years on09:17 Why Taiwan matters more to France now15:24 Sovereignty through an ecosystem of trust19:54 Why Taiwan investment is flowing into France26:13 Why French suppliers and startups came to Semicon31:37 People-to-people ties and priorities aheadHost: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth MagazineGuest: Frédéric Laplanche, Director of French Office in TaipeiProducers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw＊Share your thoughts：[email protected] Powered by Firstory Hosting

Why has China Coast Guard made it a routine to patrol the east of Taiwan? Why has retired US Air Force colonel Ray Powell called this a quarantine? CommonWealth's cover story details the reporting behind "Broken Chain," built on 1.8 billion vessel data points. Our reporters recount our exclusive interview with National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu. This episode traces a shared playbook across the first island chain, and why normalization may be the greatest danger.Episode highlights:00:00 The quarantine warning behind Broken Chain03:26 Su'ao fishermen grown numb to Chinese patrols10:09 Mapping 1.8 billion vessel data points14:38 Coast Guard SOPs and a Philippine warning17:33 Exclusive interview with NSC SecGen21:34 Indo-Pacific stakes, CSIS partnership, what's nextHost: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth MagazineGuest: Steven Yeo, Data & Graphics engineer; Hazel Hsu, ReporterProducers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4930＊Share your thoughts：[email protected]留言告訴我你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cledx9shs004801v3cmkogc7e/comments Powered by Firstory Hosting

Taiwan's biggest semiconductor trade show just got more international. This year, Semicon Taiwan marks its 30th anniversary with a record 18 national pavilions, from the US to Mexico and Finland. Veteran tech journalist Judy Lin explains why so many countries now want proximity to Taiwan's chip ecosystem. Plus: whether AI chip demand is real or a bubble.Episode highlights:00:30 Why watch Taipei for the AI race01:50 Judy's path from Reuters markets desk, and what Semicon is06:33 A record 18 pavilions: Catalonia, Chihuahua, Finland, and Dresden's ripple effect11:55 Why countries want in: complementary tech, reversal of roles, and China's absence17:11 The legacy-chip risk, TSMC's dominance, and path dependency24:55 Chip bubble fear and why everyone should care about SemiconHost: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth MagazineGuest: Judy Lin, founder of TechSodaProducers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw＊Share your thoughts：[email protected] Powered by Firstory Hosting

TSMC in Dresden. Foxconn in Bordeaux. A German chemicals giant in Kaohsiung. EU-Taiwan industrial ties are deepening fast, and it's mutual: EU states have invested more in Taiwan than the US and Japan combined. EETO head Lutz Güllner explains what Chips Act 2.0 changes, where Taiwan fits into Europe's industrial strategy beyond chips, and how Taiwan's civil society is countering foreign information manipulation.Episode highlights:07:23 How EU-Taiwan relations reached their most active point yet09:09 The EU Council's landmark Taiwan statement17:01 The Industrial Accelerator Act and the EU Chips Act 2.024:15 FIMI: naming foreign information manipulation and interference32:44 Why understanding Taiwanese politics matters for a diplomatHost: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth MagazineGuest: Lutz Güllner, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office in TaipeiProducers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw＊Share your thoughts：[email protected] Powered by Firstory Hosting

Canada's top trade envoy in Taipei, Marie-Louise Hannan, reflects on four decades of Canada-Taiwan ties, growing LNG and offshore wind cooperation, and why Prime Minister Mark Carney's case for middle-power democracies resonates with Taiwan's own search for agency in a fractured world.Episode highlights:00:00 Launching a new diplomat interview series02:44 Arriving in China in 1989, before the Tiananmen incident09:31 Dr. Mackay and the roots of Canada-Taiwan ties12:26 Taiwan as a top Indo-Pacific trade partner15:05 Energy dependence and the case for Canadian LNG20:37 Inside Canada's first ever Indo-Pacific Strategy26:59 Carney's Davos speech and middle-power democracies31:00 Life in Taipei: food, family, and safetyHost: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth MagazineGuest: Marie-Louise Hannan, Executive Director of Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw＊Share your thoughts：[email protected] Powered by Firstory Hosting