Taiwanology

Foxconn built its reputation assembling iPhones and now makes servers for Nvidia’s AI chips. Its next target is cars. Japanese carmakers such as Mitsubishi Motors are starting to test the model. In an exclusive interview at Hon Hai Tech Day in Taipei, Sachiko Aoki, who spent 35 years at Nissan before joining Foxconn, shows three new EVs and explains the pitch: unlike the iPhone, which Apple designs, these cars would be designed by Foxconn. Whether carmakers will trust it is an open question, but Foxconn seems ready to launch.Episode highlights00:00 Foxconn’s move from phones to cars04:02 3 new EV models on the floor14:23 Why Foxconn’s car model differs from iPhones16:07 Why Sachiko Aoki left Nissan for Foxconn after 35 years22:32 Chinese EV rivals and earning carmakers’ trust26:55 Why Japan’s market mattersHost: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor, CommonWealth MagazineGuest: Sachiko Aoki, Director of EV Product Planning, FoxconnProducers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw＊Share your thoughts：[email protected] Powered by Firstory Hosting

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

Is the AI boom a bubble? AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su joins Commonwealth Magazine to share why the AI revolution is just getting started, and why Taiwan remains the center of this universe. Find out why she believes open ecosystems and "AI everywhere" are reshaping our future. Episode highlights:01:45 What's behind AMD's $10B investment in Taiwan and 2nm partnership with TSMC? 06:12 Why is Taiwan the only place that can pull off this level of tech manufacturing? 11:00 "Coopetition": How can supply chain rivals stay friendly with each other? 13:00 Who actually makes money in AI? 22:00 What is "Physical AI" and why is it the next technological wave? 27:00 Open vs. Closed: Which tech ecosystem will grow the fastest? 32:00 – Are we in an AI bubble? Host: Yishan Chen, Editor-in-Chief of CommonWealth MagazineGuest: Lisa Su, CEO of AMD Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4791＊Share your thoughts：[email protected] Powered by Firstory Hosting

For decades, Taiwan has been known as the “Bicycle Kingdom.” But it is now under mounting pressure. From the rapid rise of China’s e-bike giants to a growing push in Europe to reshore manufacturing, Taiwan’s bike industry is entering a period of change. How can it navigate this new landscape?Episode highlights:04:20 How Taiwan became the “Bicycle Kingdom”07:20 Why China is not the only challenge facing Taiwan’s bike industry12:30 Bridging traditional manufacturing with ICT capabilities21:35 How Taiwan should respond to Europe’s reshoring push25:10 Why more Taiwanese companies are becoming open to change27:05 Adapting to the emerging e-bike ecosystem33:20 Why Anchor Global is launching an Industry Lab with Walmart as the pilot caseHost: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor of CommonWealth MagazineGuest: Elisa Chiu, founder of Anchor GlobalProducers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang＊Read more：https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4684＊Share your thoughts：[email protected] Powered by Firstory Hosting

Is artificial intelligence a threat to human agency, or an opportunity for civic innovation? 2025 Right Livelihood Laureate and Taiwan Cyber Ambassador Audrey Tang discusses the shift from algorithms to symbiotic "local Kami" AI. Find out why she has no fear for AI agents and OpenClaw. It’s a masterclass in staying human in a world of synthetic intimacy, with one life hack that will help you sleep better.[05:46] How Audrey "translated" the Taiwan model to be adopted in California[09:40] How her book inspired Anno to run for Tokyo Governor[12:05] What do "Civic AI" and "6 Pack of Care" have to do with AI anxiety?[14:20] How Civic AI principles played out in Taiwan's combat on fraud[20:50] Why conflict is not a bug but a power source[24:15] When AI agents do all the jobs, what's left for humans?Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor of CommonWealth MagazineGuest: Audrey Tang, Taiwan Cyber AmbassadorProducers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang ＊Read more on Audrey’s take on AI: https://civic.ai/＊Read more on Audrey’s take on AI: https://civic.ai/openclaw/＊Read more: https://english.cw.com.tw＊Share your thoughts：[email protected] Powered by Firstory Hosting

As China becomes increasingly opaque, how can Taiwan maintain a clear-eyed perspective? We are joined by Professor Tao to dissect the China Monitoring Report by Thinking Taiwan Foundation. They move past the headlines to analyze 50 indicators across economy, finance, and society, revealing a dual-speed reality and rising systemic social unrest. [03:00] Thinking Taiwan 2.0: Former President Tsai Ing-wen’s platform for policy analysis [05:53] The 50-Indicator Framework [16:16] Dual-Speed Economy: Record exports vs. trapped savings [20:30] How China’s low consumption triggers global de-industrialization [22:05] Record-low birth rates and the rise of "systemic unfairness" grievances [30:50] Why Xi prioritizes military/tech over social welfare stimulus Host: Kwangyin Liu, Deputy Managing Editor of CommonWealth Magazine Guest: Yifen Tao, Associate Professor of National Taiwan University Producers: Yayuan Chang, Weiru Wang ＊Read more: https://english.cw.com.tw ＊Share your thoughts：[email protected] Powered by Firstory Hosting