Global Taiwan Insights

In Season 6, Episode 4 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando interviews Sze-Fung Lee, an independent researcher specializing in hybrid warfare. In December 2024, the Taiwanese YouTuber "Ba Jiong" (八炯) made the explosive claim that some 200,000 Taiwanese citizens possess People’s Republic of China (PRC) ID cards – an activity that is illegal under Taiwanese law. The report sparked an uproar in Taiwan, and led to an investigation by Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency. Lee explains the PRC hybrid warfare tactics behind issuing ID cards to Taiwanese citizens, why cracking down on this activity has proven so controversial, and how this issue connects to broader efforts by Taiwan's government to push back against PRC subversion.

In Season 6, Episode 3 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando and Diarra Molock interview Lawrence Farley, better known by his stage name LeLe Farley (樂樂法利). Farley is a YouTuber with nearly half a million subscribers, and satirizes the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP, 中國共產黨) contradictory propaganda related to Taiwan and its own political system. Farley explains how he uses comedy to get ordinary people to care about nonsensical aspects of CCP propaganda, and how Taiwan activists can better hone their messages on social media.

In Season 6, Episode 2 of GTI Insights, Ben Sando interviews Sascha Hannig Nuñez, an executive secretary at the Centro de Análisis para la Democracia (CAD) of Chile. As Chile’s minerals industry grows more dependent on the People's Republic of China (PRC), Chilean politicians are taking increasingly pro-Beijing lines about Taiwan. Some Chilean organizations like CAD are raising awareness about PRC Spanish-language propaganda, but the Taiwanese government has failed to establish a strong presence in Chilean society and counter Chinese Communist Party narratives.

In Season 6, Episode 1 of GTI Insights, Ben Sando interviews Maksym Skrypchenko, president of the Transatlantic Dialogue Center and an expert in Ukrainian security. In the years since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s civil defense has evolved to feature software tools, robust air raid shelters, and efficient command of volunteer fighters. As Taiwan readies itself against a possible invasion from the People’s Republic of China, Ukraine’s civil defense is a more critical example than ever.

In Season 5, Episode 5 of GTI Insights, Ben Sando interviews Tom Fraser, programs director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), on marshalling parliaments around the world to pass legislation regarding China. In the summer, IPAC held their annual summit in Taipei, with both progress on China legislation and major pushback from the Chinese Communist Party.