democracy

Taiwanese government says some local media work with China, send content to Beijing for approval

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Last year Taiwanese President Ts'ai Ing-wen warned of rampant Chinese interference in the country's elections through the dissemination of "fake news" (假消). Now Taiwan's National Security Bureau has revealed that Beijing is working together with Taiwanese media outlets to spread Beijing's propaganda. Legislative Yuan, Taiwan (image by Jiang via Wikimedia Commons) On May 2 the … Continue reading Taiwanese government says some local media work with China, send content to Beijing for approval

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Abducted Hong Kong bookseller has fled to Taiwan to avoid extradition to China

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In 2015 Lam Wing-kei (林榮基), the founder of Hong Kong-based bookstore "Causeway Bay Books," which published salacious books critical of the Chinese Communist leadership, went missing after he travelled to mainland China. Lam was accused of trying to overthrow the Chinese Communist government by mailing illegal books to the mainland. He was one of five … Continue reading Abducted Hong Kong bookseller has fled to Taiwan to avoid extradition to China

China’s national security more important than Hong Kong’s autonomy, says director of Beijing’s liaison office

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Wang Zhimin (王志民), Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and a member of the Communist Party Central Committee, welcomed the guilty verdict of 9 democracy activists and claimed that China's national security supersedes Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. Wang made the remarks … Continue reading China’s national security more important than Hong Kong’s autonomy, says director of Beijing’s liaison office

Hong Kong museum dedicated to 1989 Tiananmen Square Crackdown vandalized

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Hong Kong's June 4 Memorial Museum, which commemorates the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, was vandalized days before its scheduled re-opening. On April 7 at around 10 a.m. workers entered the museum, which is located in Hong Kong's busy district of Mong Kok, and found that the lock was missing, chairs, cardboards, power sockets, main switches … Continue reading Hong Kong museum dedicated to 1989 Tiananmen Square Crackdown vandalized

Is democracy possible in China? Democratic thought in Chinese history – Sun Yat-sen, Lin Yutang, Carsun Chang

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University professors from Jiao Tong University vote at a polling booth during the Republic of China legislative election in Shanghai, 1948 (via Wikimedia Commons) Since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has dominated public discourse through its control of the media and education. The CCP … Continue reading Is democracy possible in China? Democratic thought in Chinese history – Sun Yat-sen, Lin Yutang, Carsun Chang

Chinese Police Detained Two Members Of Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Party ‘Demosisto’

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Today Hong Kong's pro-democracy party Demosisto (香港眾志) denounced at a press conference the arbitrary detention by China's public security officials of two of its members. According to Demosisto chairman Ivan Lam (林朗彥), one member of the party was detained by public security on March 26 at around 6 p.m. at Shenzhen North Station while he was … Continue reading Chinese Police Detained Two Members Of Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Party ‘Demosisto’

China-Taiwan Tensions and the Guomindang’s Existential Crisis

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In November 2014 the Guomindang (Chinese Nationalist Party) suffered a defeat in Taiwan's local elections, winning 40.7% of the votes and only 6 out of 22 local seats. The main opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), gained 47.5% of the votes. This setback led to the resignation en masse of the Guomindang executive cabinet. It … Continue reading China-Taiwan Tensions and the Guomindang’s Existential Crisis

The China-Taiwan Issue and the American Civil War

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On November 6, 1860, the 19th presidential election of the United States of America was held. Abraham Lincoln, a relatively unknown politician born into a poor family, received 1,866,452 of the votes; although his three opponents combined received more votes (2,815,617), Lincoln won and became the 16th President of the United States (J. G. Randall … Continue reading The China-Taiwan Issue and the American Civil War

Democracy Abolishes Itself – The Case of the Weimar Republic

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  At the end of the First World War, Germany was in a state of chaos. The country had been defeated, the Kaiser (Emperor) had abdicated, poverty was widespread, riots and civil unrest created fear and instability. No one knew who would take over the reins of power after the collapse of the imperial government. The … Continue reading Democracy Abolishes Itself – The Case of the Weimar Republic

Democracy, Mob Rule, Dictatorship: The Problem of Freedom in Ancient Athens

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After World War II democracy began to be viewed in the West as the best possible form of government. However, a history of democratic states shows that freedom is not something to be taken for granted. Democracy is not simply "freedom for all" or "the will of the people". It is a complex, delicate machine, … Continue reading Democracy, Mob Rule, Dictatorship: The Problem of Freedom in Ancient Athens