Taiwan Observer 台灣爆報

29/11/2025

Brian Hioe is going hard after Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung over his comments on Israel-Palestine, calling Taiwan's approach morally bankrupt. (Link: https://newbloommag.net/2025/11/21/lin-chia-lung-palestine/ ) But honestly? There's a pretty solid argument that what Lin said is just basic strategic thinking, not some abandonment of Taiwan's values.

Look at what we're actually dealing with here:

Israel has actual working relations with Taiwan. They've got offices in each other's cities that do everything embassies do except use the name. They share intelligence. They vote for us and speak up for us whenever they can. Meanwhile Palestine keeps a full embassy in Beijing and still calls us "Taiwan, China." That's just the reality.

On the tech side, Israel's strong in exactly the areas Taiwan desperately needs right now. Drones, cyber defense, missile interception systems. These aren't abstract concerns when you've got the PLA across the strait. Palestine doesn't have any of that to offer, and that's not a judgment on them, it's just a fact.

Israel also has real influence in Washington, and like it or not, Washington is the one relationship Taiwan absolutely cannot afford to mess up. When people there start asking why they should care about Taiwan, having Jerusalem vocally supporting us actually matters.

Here's the thing that gets me though: plenty of countries that wave Palestine flags at the UN turn around and do major business with Israel the next day. Indonesia, Malaysia, they all do it. Even China is one of Israel's biggest trading partners in Asia while simultaneously backing Palestine in every international forum. If Beijing can compartmentalize like that, why is Taiwan expected to be more pure than everyone else?

Lin didn't call Palestine an enemy. He just acknowledged that Israel treats Taiwan like a real country and maybe we should work with that. For an island with almost no official friends and some very real security threats, that's not selling out. It's dealing with the world as it is.

I get why this bothers people. The situation in Gaza is devastating and it's natural to want Taiwan to take a clear moral stance. But when you're in Taiwan's position, diplomatically isolated and militarily threatened, you've got to make hard choices about where to invest your limited political capital.

Taiwan can care about humanitarian issues and still recognize that Israel offers concrete things Palestine can't. That's not beautiful, but it's the calculation small countries have to make every single day.

An on-the-record press briefing by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung last week proved a bizarre exercise in diplomatic ineptness and tacit endorsement of a genocide…

28/11/2025

A few weeks ago Taiwan’s foreign minister said in front of foreign media that “Palestine is very bad to Taiwan” because its leadership openly backs Beijing’s one China line, the same line used to erase Taiwan from the map. That was the quiet part said out loud. When a government chooses the regime that wants to absorb this island it chooses to stand against our democracy. Taiwan is finally saying it clearly: we stand with countries that truly stand with us.

Taiwan is standing with Israel, and calling out “Palestine” for siding with China.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister says Israel shows more support than any other Middle East country, while “Palestine is very bad to Taiwan” for backing Beijing’s dictatorship.
Two democracies. One fight for freedom. 🇮🇱🇹🇼

22/11/2025

Beyond the Bubble Tea: When the Taiwan Honeymoon Disappears

Taiwan is often praised in travel magazines and expat forums as a hidden gem of Asia, a land of convenient transportation, safety, and incredible street food. However, the gap between the tourist experience and the long-term resident's reality proves jarring. A recent Reddit post has sparked a necessary conversation about this disparity, with the author noting, "The thing is, I came here on holiday before and thought it was great. After living and working here... I've come to the conclusion that living in Taiwan is a soul crushing experience."

While this perspective might seem harsh to those still in the honeymoon phase, it highlights a valid and often under-discussed reality of expatriate life on the island.

The author touches on a subtle cultural barrier that many foreigners struggle to articulate: the difference between surface-level helpfulness and genuine social inclusion. The post argues that locals are "politely distant," noting that "in some underlying way you always feel like you don't know where you stand with people." There is truth to this. Taiwanese culture is famous for ren qing wei (the human touch), but this is often reserved for brief interactions or established inner circles. For a foreign worker, particularly one in the transient cram school industry, the social environment does indeed feel transactional and isolating.

Furthermore, the economic critique in the post holds water. The narrative that Taiwan is incredibly cheap often ignores the day-to-day realities of maintaining a Western standard of living. As the author points out, "Grocery shopping is even more expensive than many developed countries." Anyone who has tried to buy cheese, milk, or high-quality meat at a local supermarket knows this struggle; the low cost of a bowl of noodles does not negate the high cost of cooking a nutritious meal at home.

Finally, the post addresses the "unnecessary flex" of locals comparing Taiwan to the expat’s home country. This defensive nationalism becomes exhausting when you are just trying to get through a workday.

Ultimately, the poster admits that "the positives are the mountain ranges in some parts and the convenience," but concludes that it doesn't outweigh the daily grind. While Taiwan remains a wonderful home for many, it is not a utopia. Acknowledging the polite distance, the humid grind, and the specific isolation of the workplace is essential for a balanced view of life on the island.

https://www.reddit.com/r/taiwan/s/4BVcgfqO2A

23/09/2025

Check out Eddy's tonight. Eddy's Cantina Mexican Restaurant 艾迪墨西哥餐廳

In this episode of the Eddy Live Show, I sit down with Vincent Lovell, a long-time Taiwan resident who spent one year abroad with his wife. He shares the les...

21/09/2025

Finalist Announcement & Networking Night 🎉🎉🎉

YOU ARE INVITED!

Are you curious to know who the 5 finalists for Dragons' Chamber 2025 are?

🎯 We started with many, now only 8 remain. But in the end, just 5 startups will make it to the Grand Finals at Meet Taipei 2025.

Join us for a special Finalist Announcement & Networking Night to discover who will advance — and meet an inspiring community of entrepreneurs, investors, and supporters!🥂 🥂 🥂

🗓 Date: Sep 30th, 2025
⌚️Time: 6:30 PM
📍Place: Opera Cocktail Bar
💰Price: Buy your own drinks

RSVP: https://reurl.cc/x3b9k4

🚀 Still in the running (Top 8):
IIST https://www.iist-site.com
Prompt Master Pro https://prompt-master.pro
ARMCo Lab https://afanverse.xyz/
Stagepay https://stagepay.app/
Mycelium Technologies https://my-clm.com/
Next Integral https://lnkd.in/gric7T_e
Dinehire https://www.dinehire.com/
Sentracore Solutions https://lnkd.in/guvjqF4U

19/09/2025

Don't worry guys it's just a drill. Kids in school may practice the drill but the rest of you can rest easy knowing that you alerts are working!

27/07/2025

From a Time When This Provincial Character’s Views Were Still Acceptable.

那個鄉愿角色言論還被當作正常的年代。

26/07/2025

Sauerkraut Storm Scatters East

Stefan Schultze from Magdeburg handcrafts German sauerkraut high on Yamming Shan, the misty ridge overlooking Taipei. Now in his forties, he still maintains the lean build and energy of a thirty-something from the 1990s.

Schultze studied mechanical engineering at home, then headed to the United States. There, he “shuffled houses” during the 2008–09 financial crisis—buying foreclosed homes, renovating them, and selling at a profit. Money flowed, but purpose did not.

A Taiwanese college friend suggested a change of scene. While Indiana froze at –20 °C, Taiwan offered +25 °C and emerald forests. On his third visit, Schultze sold his Mercedes coupé, packed a single suitcase, and flew to Taipei; even his cat served three months’ quarantine before joining him.

Ongoing health problems nudged him toward an old German remedy: shredding white cabbage, salting it, and letting lactic-acid bacteria do the work. What began as small personal batches soon outgrew the kitchen.

Commercial production proved tough. Schultze persuaded high-mountain farmers to plant European-style cabbage, financed cold storage, and built a pocket-sized fermenting lab. Today, about 150 kg of raw cabbage bubbles in his barrels each month, at roughly 333 New Taiwan dollars per kilo.

Sales started at Oma Ursula’s German Bakery in Taipei and expanded online. Most customers are foreigners; only around one percent are Taiwanese, though interest is growing. The island’s 1,300 Germans form a loyal core.

Polish buyers add colour. They claim sauerkraut brine—“third-press juice” (trzeci wycisk), as they call it—beats any hangover cure. “South African PhD holders used to scoff at us,” one jokes, “but now even they swear by the stuff.” Stefan Schultze obliges, bottling the cloudy tonic alongside his kraut.

Every bag takes him back to Magdeburg. His next goal is to build his own farm and import a larger fermenter so that sauerkraut becomes as normal in Taiwan as in Germany—only eaten among bamboo groves instead of the Elbe meadows.

01/04/2025

President Tsai has taken up a new career in warerskiing as pictured below. She said that this was her new passion after her tenure as president of Taiwan. We hope she has found a new passion and can enjoy years in retirement waterskiing to her hearts content.

20/01/2025

In Tainan’s Minzu Road (民族路), a single-story home collapsed, trapping two adults and a one-month-old baby. Rescuers arrived promptly, and by 1:05 a.m., all three individuals, along with their dog, were successfully pulled to safety. Both adults sustained injuries, with visible bleeding on their faces and backs, while protecting the infant during the escape.

20/01/2025

A powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan at 12:17 a.m. on January 21, with its epicenter in Chiayi County’s Dapu Township (嘉義縣大埔鄉). The tremor caused significant damage in southern Taiwan, particularly in Tainan’s Nanxi District (台南市楠西區) and surrounding areas.

The Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署) reported a shallow quake depth of 9.7 kilometers, with intensity levels reaching magnitude 6 in Dapu (大埔) and magnitude 5 in Nanxi (楠西). Across southern Taiwan, structural damage was extensive, with reports of collapsed buildings, cracked bridges, and fallen debris. In Kaohsiung (高雄市), a landslide occurred at Zion Mountain (錫安山), and Tainan’s Zhuwei Bridge (竹圍橋) showed visible cracks.

Local governments in Chiayi and Tainan have suspended work and school to prioritize relief and recovery efforts. Officials warn of potential aftershocks in the coming days and urge residents to stay alert. Rescue operations continue as emergency teams assess damages and provide assistance.

20/01/2025

Just felt a little shake up in Taipei from the 6.5 earthquake down south. It wasn’t too bad here, but it must have been much stronger in southern Taiwan. How’s everyone doing down there? Stay safe and let us know if you’re alright!