Assignment Desk

A Divisive Verdict and a Return to Nuclear?

Assignment editor Laurel Stewart walks us through the top stories of the week in Taiwan, including the 17-year prison sentence handed down to Taiwan People’s Party founder and former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je for corruption and embezzlement, the response to which has underscored the polarized nature of Taiwan’s politics. And with Taiwan’s surging demand for electricity to power its tech industry, coupled with uncertainty over energy supplies from the Middle East, the government is signaling its openness to a return to nuclear power less than a year after Taiwan’s last working reactor was decommissioned. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn [https://www.soundon.fm/]

Jensen Huang Backs Taiwan and 2027 Invasion Fears May Be Off

In this week’s Assignment Desk, Jeremy Olivier talks us through the takeaways for Taiwan from Nvidia’s annual AI conference in California. Plus, a new US intelligence report concludes China does not plan to invade Taiwan in 2027, as has been feared in some quarters. And an Australian woman who was trafficked from Taiwan as an infant is back in the land of her birth fighting for her right to citizenship. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn [https://www.soundon.fm/]

Another Day, Another US Tariff Threat

Taiwan thought it had negotiated a solution to US tariffs in the form of its trade deal with Washington. But this week the country finds itself the target of a Section 301 investigation over alleged failure to prevent forced labor. The legislature manages to approve a stopgap measure to keep the purchase of US weapons systems moving along despite a wider deadlock over defense spending. And the escalating conflict over Iran with its resulting spike in oil prices sees Taiwan staring down the (US$100) barrel when it comes to securing the energy supply that powers the nation’s industries. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn [https://www.soundon.fm/]

Covering the World Baseball Classic Without Footage

How do you cover the World Baseball Classic when you don’t have the broadcast rights? Get creative. For this Assignment Desk, we talk with assignment editor Chia Chang, who walks us through how we sent one reporter to Japan to interview Taiwan’s players competing in the tournament and another to join fans at watch parties in Taiwan to capture the excitement on the ground. We also look at the fan tradition of “eating your rival’s luck,” including pizza inspired by Taiwan’s opponents in the tournament. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn [https://www.soundon.fm/]

A Long-Awaited Trade Deal and an Ominous Sentencing

Assignment editor Chia Chang talks us through the newsroom’s coverage of two of the week’s biggest stories: the signing of a long-awaited trade deal with the US and the 20-year prison sentence that a Hong Kong court handed to Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai for offenses under the territory’s national security law, a development Lai’s long-time business partner told TaiwanPlus should be seen as a “canary in the coal mine” for Taipei’s future dealings with Beijing. Watch an excerpt of TaiwanPlus’ exclusive interview with Jimmy Lai’s former aide Mark Simon [https://www.taiwanplus.com/news/world-news/hong-kong/260210015/analysis-jimmy-lais-sentencing-and-the-death-of-hong-kongs-rule-of-law] -- Hosting provided by SoundOn [https://www.soundon.fm/]