I just published a new essay on TaiwaneseAmerican.org. I had been pitching it to various outlets since January 8 and finally found a home for it today.
I understand the news cycle is a lot right now, and why many wonderful editors had to pass on the piece. But with each op-ed written by journalists or talking heads with no real footing in Taiwan, I grow more impatient.
It seems to me that many in the Western, English-speaking world love to put on dress rehearsals that read like fanfic for a war they can’t wait to witness in their lifetime. To me, they’re just producing nightmare fuel for 24 million people. I don’t know that I fully understand their motives.
There are thoughtful researchers, analysts, and journalists out there trying to bring attention to the “Taiwan issue” with solid reporting and real nuance. And then there are the parachuters who don’t speak Mandarin Chinese, may or may not have hired a fixer or interpreter, who interview 2 of their Taiwanese friends and call it reporting.
Growing up in Taiwan, the possibility of war wasn’t abstract; it was more like background noise. American journalist friends have asked (with all good intention) why Taiwanese people seem so hopeless or resigned. We’re not.
We’re just tired of constantly being asked to envision our own annihilation.
I’m tired of Taiwan being dragged into every global conflict as a talking point.
I’m tired of “strategic ambiguity” being used as a moral shield.
I’m tired of powerful men speaking about Taiwan as if 24 million lives were a bargaining chip.
I can make a list of all the things we are doing to prepare ourselves for war, but I’m too tired for that right now.
In the essay, I respond to a recent quote from Trump suggesting that Taiwan’s future is “up to” Xi Jinping. It isn’t.
I wrote:
In December of 2025, President Trump signed U.S. support for Taiwan into law with the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which is meant to strengthen oversight of how the State Department treats Taiwan. To now say that Taiwan’s future is “up to” Xi Jinping is proof that President Trump’s own words cannot be trusted.
To quote Martin Luther King Jr.:
All we say to America is, "Be true to what you said on paper."
If you’re Taiwanese or Taiwanese American and you’re equally exhausted, I see you.
I’m grateful to Leona Chen 陳文羿 , Editor in Chief of TaiwaneseAmerican.org, for her careful editing and for bringing my words to a broader audience, and to Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) and their National Advocacy Conference for reminding me that civic engagement is not a spectator sport; it’s something you physically show up for.
You can read the full essay on TaiwaneseAmerican.org
This will be a regular section where I recommend books, comedy specials, and other Taiwan stuff I love. Got recommendations for me? Drop them in the comments!
One thing that genuinely made me smile in the past week: 《叫我驅魔男神》Demon Hunters, the first-ever Taiwanese–Bollywood co-produced film. It’s an action-fantasy comedy that weaves Indian mythology with Taiwanese Taoist traditions, demon fighting included. (Yes yes they could have been a bit more original with the English name but it is about demon hunting!)
The film feels like a small but meaningful reminder that globalization is fun. What do you mean there’s a movie singing about demon hunting in Tâi-gí (Taiwanese) to Bollywood tunes!?
You can read more about the film on Focus Taiwan and Variety. I will update y’all when I find out more about its availability stateside.
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