The Divide 55592w

On this 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, the U.S. is moving to aggressively revoke Chinese student visas. What should a country do when its academic freedom is exploited by the Chinese Communist Party to advance its military capabilities?And 36 years after the bloody crackdown on students in Beijing, has the Chinese government successfully erased the memory and legacy of the June 4th protests? In this episode, Chinese human rights advocate Yaqiu Wang reflects on the human cost of the broad student visa ban—and what it means to confront injustice in both China and the United States.

Last week, we heard from Michael Caster, head of the Global China Program at Article 19, who walked us through China’s legal architecture—from its Cybersecurity Law to the growing power of the Cyberspace istration of China, or CAC—and how these institutions are being exported across the Indo-Pacific. We also discussed how Beijing’s approach is not just about controlling information but about shaping the global narrative on digital governance. If you missed it, it’s definitely worth going back to hear how data localization, real-name registration, and the legal groundwork for internet shutdowns are being normalized under the guise of national security. Today, we pick up where we left off—examining what these digital norms with “Chinese characteristics” look like in practice, and how countries in the region are responding.  

China isn’t just censoring the internet within its borders — it’s exporting its model of digital control around the world. From data localization to surveillance mandates, Beijing’s cybersecurity laws are becoming a blueprint for authoritarian governance.  In this episode, Michael Caster of Article 19, an international organization that ropels the freedom of expression movement locally and globally, talk about the organization’s recent report “Cybersecurity with Chinese Characteristics: Digital Governance in the Indo-Pacific and the Taiwanese alternative,” and explains how China’s approach is reshaping the global internet — and why countries like Taiwan are pushing back with a rights-based model.

On Wednesday, May 14th, the United Nations Human Rights Office released a statement urging the Venezuelan government to immediately cease holding its opponents or those perceived as such in isolation and incommunicado detention, after the office conducted a fact-finding mission investigating the country's practice of enforced disappearances. In November of last year, eight international organizations, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, released a report documenting different types of attacks against the Venezuelan press that occurred between July 1st and August 28th, the period surrounding the presidential election, which was held on July 28th. In the report, researchers documented 228 press freedom violations, including the arbitrary detention and expulsion of 11 foreign journalists, 62 physical and verbal attacks on the press, the continued arbitrary imprisonment of at least eight journalists, and the blocking of at least 29 websites belonging to media outlets and press organizations. In this episode, Valentina Aguana of Conexión Segura y Libre talks about how she and her organization are fighting back the harsh repression orchestrated by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government, and bringing uncensored, independent news to the public.    

As countries race to form new trade alliances in response to tariffs imposed by great powers, what roles do international organizations like the OECD-the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development-play in shaping the global economic order today?   In this episode, Dr. Yongsuk Jang, chair of the OECD’s Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy, speaks about the role of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in global governance, national security, and economic growth.   

Friends with Jimmy Lai for decades, Mark L. Clifford now finds himself bearing witness to Hong Kong's persecution of him, as prosecutors use their correspondence as evidence of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces.” In this episode, the author of The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic shares his reaction to the charges against Lai — and reflects on whether he thinks his biography does justice to his friend’s life story.

When Apple Daily first came out in 1995, it instantly became the most popular newspaper in Hong Kong. Before Jimmy Lai pivoted from retail to the media business, no one was printing newspapers in color, and Cantonese had never been used in the press. In this episode, the author of The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic, shares his observations of the pro-democracy media mogul’s character and discusses Lai’s personal sacrifices throughout his entrepreneurial journey, as well as the significance of Apple Daily in shaping public discourse in Hong Kong.

As European countries rallied behind Ukraine following a heated exchange between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in early March, the world is left wondering how the Russo-Ukrainian war will unfold. In this episode, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Lutz Güllner talks about European security, information manipulation, and his office's priorities in Taiwan. 

According to a 2024 survey conducted by the International Women's Media Foundation, more than 31 % of journalists have experienced online violence. The American Press Institute found that these statistics illustrate a troubling trend that many journalists grapple with every day, disproportionately affecting women journalists of color and LGBTQ plus journalists.  In this episode, Jonathan Rozen of the Committee to Protect Journalists shares his insights on how spyware and surveillance are increasingly used to intimidate, silence, and endanger journalists around the world.     

In this episode, Taiwan Fellow and journalist Giang Nguyen shares his observation on the increasing trend of Vietnamese students studying in Taiwan, and what he thinks are the factors driving the change.                                              

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the trial of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was charged with conspiring to collude with foreign forces. Authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing appear determined to detain Lai indefinitely, while the European Parliament, the United States, and other nations have expressed for the Apple Daily founder. In this episode, Mark Sabah from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation discusses the trial's repercussions, the response from the Hong Kong public, and questions whether democratic nations are sufficiently countering the rise of dictatorship. 

2024-10-31

On October 20, a U.S. 7th Fleet Destroyer and the Royal Canadian Navy conducted a bilateral transit through the Taiwan Strait. Just two days after this transit, China conducted live-fire drills from its territory closest to Taiwan. In this episode, Seth Cropsey discusses the escalating military tensions in the Taiwan Strait, particularly in light of recent Chinese military exercises.

Former President Tsai Ing-wen is visiting Europe for the first time since her presidency ended in May, choosing the Czech Republic, , and Belgium as her destinations. Why has she selected these three countries, and what impact might her visit have on Taiwan-Europe relations? In this episode, Marcin Jerzewski, head of the Taiwan Office of the European Values Center for Security Policy, discusses the significance of Tsai Ing-wen's first international trip post-presidency and explores the shared dynamics in international posture between these nations.

2024-10-11

In 2020, Thailand was gripped by significant protests demanding monarchy reform, met with severe police crackdowns. Four years later, despite an electoral victory, the Move Forward Party was dissolved by a constitutional court order in August. Following this, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former self-exiled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, became the youngest Prime Minister in Thailand's history. These developments raise the questions: Have the pro-democracy protests been in vain? What are the primary concerns of the Thai people today? In this episode, Shawn Crispin, the Southeast Asia editor at Asia Times, discusses the complexities of Thailand's political landscape, focusing on the recent changes in leadership, the impact of pro-democracy movements, and the historical influence of the Shinawatra family.

When diplomats at the United Nations pressed China to address allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Chinese state-run media launched a fervent counter-attack, accusing the US and EU of "politicizing and applying double standards to human rights issues." In this episode, Mr. Orville Schell talks about China's historical relationship with nationalism, how Stanford University is finding itself in a legal battle with the Chinese Communist Party, and the possibilities of influencing China's human rights policies, as well as his latest book, "My Old Home." This novel, while a departure from his previous non-fiction works, continues to provide profound insights into China.

U.S.-China relations have cooled significantly in recent years, defying the expectations of U.S. foreign policy strategists since the 1970s, when there was a prevailing belief that engagement and trade would gradually bring the two countries closer and encourage China to become more open and less authoritarian. That didn't happen.  In this episode, historian Orville Schell, the Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society, delves into the complexities of U.S.-China relations. He discusses the historical concept of engagement and explains why decades of diplomatic efforts and trade have not transformed China into a democracy.

In February 2021, when Myanmar's military junta staged a coup, they opened fire on civilians and arrested and killed journalists who sought to inform the world about the unfolding events. Fast forward to today, the regime’s brutal treatment of its own people persists, but so does the reporting by Myanmar's media outlets. Journalists continue to operate under extremely dangerous conditions, delivering uncensored news both within and beyond the country's borders. This week, Adam Bemma from the independent underground broadcaster Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) talks about the challenges faced by independent media organizations and the rise of citizen journalists amid escalating violence against the press.

In February 2021, Myanmar's military junta staged a coup d'état, dissolving the reformist parliament and imprisoning State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, the country has plunged into a bloody civil war and the Rohingya community's plight continues.  In this episode, Adam Bemma, a media development consultant for the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), discusses Myanmar's complex political landscape, the history of violence against the Rohingya, and the media's role in reporting on the situation.