Podcasts about Taipei

South Korea and China have a complex relationship characterized by economic interdependence, strategic competition, and regional security concerns. Navigating this delicate balance has been a defining challenge for every South Korean president. Newly elected President Lee Jae Myung has assumed power at a time of increasing US-China strategic competition as well as uncertain global supply chains and growing threat from North Korea. Could this new administration mark a shift in Seoul's approach to Beijing? Or will President Lee maintain strategies similar to that of President Yoon?To discuss ROK-China relations, and President Lee's approach to this intricate issue, we are joined on the podcast today by Dr. Ramon Pacheco-Pardo. He is a professor of international relations at King's College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Center for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy in the Brussels School of Governance. He is also an adjunct fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the author of several books on the domestic affairs and foreign policy of South and North Korea.  Timestamps[00:00] Start[01:44] “[P]ragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests”[05:06] State of Play for Sino-South Korean Relations[09:56] Balancing Between the United States and China[14:47] China Taking Advantage of US-ROK Frictions [19:03] Economic Interdependence as a Leverage[25:39] Xi Jinping Attending APEC South Korea 2025[31:11] American Pressure on Allies to Protect Taiwan

輝達 huī dá - NVIDIA, a major American technology company known for graphics processing units (GPUs)設立 shè lì - to establish or set up總部 zǒng bù - headquarters電腦展 diàn nǎo zhǎn - COMPUTEX執行長 zhí xíng zhǎng - CEO or executive director黃仁勳 Huáng Rénxūn - Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA宣布 xuān bù - to announce北投士林科技園區 (北士科) Běi tóu Shì lín Kē jì Yuán qū (Běi shì kē) - Beitou Shilin Technology Park, a tech district in Taipei業務 yè wù - business operations評估 píng gū - to evaluate or assess輝達星座 huī dá xīng zuò - NVIDIA Constellation, the name of NVIDIA's planned Taiwan headquarters; "星座xīng zuò" literally means "constellation"人才 rén cái - talent or skilled people星星 xīng xing - stars辦公大樓 bàn gōng dà lóu - office building研發中心 yán fā zhōng xīn - R&D center (Research and Development Center)創新中心 chuàng xīn zhōng xīn - innovation center人工智慧 rén gōng zhì huì - artificial intelligence (AI)領域 lǐng yù - field or area of expertise加分 jiā fēn - to give extra credit or enhance; metaphorically, to boost or improve技術 jì shù - technology or technique創新 chuàng xīn - innovation台積電 Tái jī diàn - TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company)鴻海 Hóng hǎi - Foxconn, a major Taiwanese electronics manufacturer廣達 Guǎng dá - Quanta Computer, a Taiwanese tech company合作密切 hé zuò mì qiè - closely cooperate緊密 jǐn mì - tight or close (relationship, cooperation, etc.)機器人 jī qì rén - robot學術單位 xué shù dān wèi - academic institutions培養 péi yǎng - to cultivate or nurture (talent, skills)招募 zhāo mù - to recruit工程師 gōng chéng shī - engineer看重 kàn zhòng - to value or attach importance to強 qiáng - strong or powerful供應鏈 gōng yìng liàn - supply chain晶片 jīng piàn - chip (as in semiconductor chip)組裝 zǔ zhuāng - to assemble伺服器 sì fú qì - server (computer hardware)環節 huán jié - link or part (in a process or system)優秀 yōu xiù - excellent or outstanding高效能運算 gāo xiào néng yùn suàn - high-performance computing (HPC)If you're ready to take your Chinese to the next level, not just memorizing words but actually having meaningful conversations with Taiwanese people about real topics like politics, culture, war, news, economics, and more. I invite you to join a one-on-one trial lesson with me. I'll help you build a clear, personalized plan so you can speak more naturally and truly connect with others in Chinese. Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 68-points this morning from Friday's close, at 23,314 on turnover of 5.3-billion N-T. The market gained solid ground on relativily strong turnover on Friday, after Wall Street rose to more records overnight following better than-expected updates on America's economy and a mixed set of profit reports from several leading U-S companies. Police investigating egg throwing in front of DPP's Taipei headquarters Police in Taipei say they're investigating incidents of eggs being thrown at the D-P-P headquarters building. Eggs were reportedly thrown at the building on Beiping East Road during an anti-recall rally organized by the Taiwan People's Party. Speaking at the event, T-P-P Chairman, Huang Kuo-chang called on voters to turn out (出席) in support of five of the K-M-T candidates facing recalls this coming Saturday. The event was attended by all eight members of the T-P-P legislative caucus and the five Taipei K-M-T lawmakers being targeted by the recall. Taiwan's new representative arrives in Thailand Taiwan's new representative to Thailand, Peter Lan has arrived in Bangkok to take up his post. Lan and his wife were greeted by his deputy and staff at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand, as well as Taiwanese businesspeople and expats on their arrival at Bangkok's main international airport. Speaking briefly there, Lan said he plans to promote (推動) cooperation and build connections between Taiwan and Thailand in trade, technology, education, labor and culture. Lan arrived in Thailand after serving as the head of the foreign ministry's Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs since July of 2023. Indonesia Ferry Fire Leaves 3 Dead Indonesian rescuers evacuating people from a passenger ferry that caught fire at sea say more than 560 were rescued and three died. The ferry was making a regular half-day journey to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, from a port in the same province Sunday when the fire started about midday. Rescue crews pulled many people from the sea, and local fishermen also saved some survivors (倖存者) as they were drifting in the choppy waters. Authorities previously said five people died, but revised it to three Monday after two passengers initially reported as dead were saved in a hospital. Request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts likely to disappoint, ex-prosecutors say A former prosecutor says a request to unseal the Epstein grand jury transcripts (文字記錄) are likely to disappoint. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports Japan Decontaminated Soil at PM Office Decontaminated but slightly radioactive soil from Fukushima has been delivered to the Japanese prime minister's office to be reused in an effort to showcase its safety. Officials say the soil meets safety standards set by the Environment Ministry and the International Atomic Energy Agency. It will be covered with topsoil in a lawn garden to keep radiation levels negligible and monitored regularly. Saturday's delivery marks the first reuse of such soil outside Fukushima experiments (實驗). The government hopes this move will reassure the public of its safety as it seeks to reduce the massive volume of contaminated soil stored near the nuclear plant. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 挺你所想！與你一起生活的銀行 中國信託行動銀行APP 全新推出「交易中安全提示」防詐騙功能 開啟後，轉帳的同時也在通話，會自動跳出貼心提醒，力挺你的金融安全 防護再進化，交易好安心！ 馬上下載「中國信託行動銀行APP」 https://sofm.pse.is/7wzdj7 -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

We meet painter Charlotte Keates within her new installation ‘Inner Landscapes'. We discover the inspiration behind her epic new commission and explore her lifelong passion for drawing and painting.Keates' work is inspired by interiors, travels, and architectural composition, in seamless communion with elements from the natural world. Trees push through flat concrete, while perspectives unfold in sheets of glass. These images of modernist leisure leave one with the feeling of having entered a space only recently vacated, dramatizing stillness without surrendering movement. These are environments that suggest, technically as well as artistically, indistinct human activity and motion.Her paintings gently weave together impressions of space and structure with subtle narratives, often emerging through the interplay of distinctive colours and carefully placed objects. These scenes do not depict real places but rather reflect traces of memory and quiet moments of perception. The spaces she constructs are imagined, yet the emotions they carry feel genuine and immediate. Without relying on overt storytelling, her works convey a calm presence and a quiet tension. As art historian Marco Livingstone observed, “the highlighted area acquires a hypnotic presence, as if spotlit into existence from within an atmosphere of ambiguous limitless space.”Keates was born in 1990 in Somerset, United Kingdom, and currently lives and works in Guernsey and London. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Falmouth University. She will show new work in a forthcoming group exhibition at the Ju Ming Museum in October 2025, Taipei, Taiwan.Follow @CharlotteKeates on Instagram.

In this episode, a young American missionary family boards a cargo ship for Taiwan in 1955. What could go wrong? Four weeks, a typhoon, and a customs nightmare later, they arrive in a land where whole-wheat flour is exotic, and blonde kids conjure crowds. Taipei in the 1950s was “fragrant,” with open sewers and “honey buckets” filled with human waste used as fertilizer. This week on Formosa Files, we bring you a missionary tale of faith, grit…and refrigerator duties.  Leave a comment, follow us on social media and/or give us a rating or review – it's much appreciated and helps others discover this podcast.

What if preserving a recipe was the key to preserving a culture?In this heartfelt and flavor-packed episode, I sit down with Ivy Chen—longtime cooking instructor, co-author of Made in Taiwan, and the force behind Ivy's Kitchen in Taipei.You'll hear about:

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Taiwan: hope China will follow olympic protocol in naming Beijing says, Chinese media will continue to refer to Taiwan's team as "Taipei, China" in reports on the upcoming World Games in Chengdu… while Taiwan said it "hopes" the Chinese sides will follow the "Olympic Protocol" and refer to its team as "Chinese Taipei." A spokesperson from China's Taiwan Affairs Office said that protocol only applies to sports-related matters and has been, and will continue to be, implemented at international sporting events held in China… but he said that the protocol does not apply to news media or areas beyong sports events. The spokesman's remarks indicate that China will continue to use the name that Taiwanese authorities see as diminishing of Taiwan's status- Taipei, China- instead of the olympic-approved "Chinese Taipei." The situation mirrors a controversy earlier this year during the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, where both the Taiwan Office and media in China referred to the delegation of Taiwan as "Taipei, China." The games are set to be held in Chengdu in august. Molicel cell maker adjusts capacity following plant fire Molie Quantum Energy Corporation announced yesterday that it will adjust production capacity at its Southern Taiwan Science Park facility. The park will support high-end product shipments originally (起初) handled by the Kaohsiung facility. This comes after a fire broke out at its lithium-ion battery cell plant in Kaohsiung earlier this week. The company's battery cell brand, Molicel, supplies premium markets including supercars, aerospace, and AI server data center backup systems. The Southern Taiwan Science Park facility's three production lines will begin assisting with shipments next month. (AH-CNA) GHF: 20 Palestinians Killed at Distribution Site An American aid organization says 20 Palestinians were killed at a distribution site in Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it believed 19 died from trampling Wednesday at its food distribution (分發) center and one was stabbed. The group accuses Hamas of spreading panic but provided no evidence. Witnesses said GHF guards threw stun grenades and used pepper spray on people pressing to get into the site before it opened, causing panic. The United Nations reports 875 Palestinians have died near aid sites since May. Meanwhile, hospital officials say Israeli strikes killed 54 others, including 14 children. Israel says its strikes target Hamas, accusing the group of hiding among civilians. Officials downgrade Alaska tsunami warning after 7.3 magnitude earthquake From the US….. A Tsunami warning for parts of Alaska has now been downgraded (降級). AP's Lisa Dwyer reports Belgium Festival Fire A huge fire has damaged (損壞) the main stage at the Tomorrowland festival site in Belgium. The fire broke out on Wednesday in the town of Boom, north of Brussels. No concerts were happening at the time and no injuries were reported. I The festival, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors from across Europe, was set to open on Friday. In a statement shared online, festival organizers said the stage was “severely damaged” but that no one was hurt. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 打造綠能與AI科技的示範驗證場域，串聯嘉義、南科、高雄及屏東等園區，大南方智慧轉型的關鍵樞紐，歡迎一同探索沙崙智慧綠能科學城，共創智慧未來！ 參訪進駐資訊請至 https://sofm.pse.is/7wcyzj 網站查詢 經濟部能源署/臺南市政府經濟發展局(廣告) -- 挺你所想！與你一起生活的銀行 中國信託行動銀行APP 全新推出「交易中安全提示」防詐騙功能 開啟後，轉帳的同時也在通話，會自動跳出貼心提醒，力挺你的金融安全 防護再進化，交易好安心！ 馬上下載「中國信託行動銀行APP」 https://sofm.pse.is/7wcyyz -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

打造綠能與AI科技的示範驗證場域，串聯嘉義、南科、高雄及屏東等園區，大南方智慧轉型的關鍵樞紐，歡迎一同探索沙崙智慧綠能科學城，共創智慧未來！ 參訪進駐資訊請至 https://sofm.pse.is/7w7s2t 網站查詢 經濟部能源署/臺南市政府經濟發展局(廣告) --

Jenn speaks to Hungarian bred, Taiwan based Zoltan Konczol. Zoltan is a brand ambassador for Campari and Brand Education Manager at Campari Academy Lead in Asia. He is also the founder of Breathrise | Mindful Mixology a company that focuses on wellness to help burnt out individuals build resilience and unlock their peak performance. From his humbling beginnings in Budapest to the nightlife in the streets of London, to the hustling Hong Kong city life to now Taipei. Zoltan dives into how he was led on to the wrong path in life and how breath work saved him and why he is so passionate about sharing this practice with more individuals!  (Recorded on June 12, 2025)About Zoltan KonczolZoltan Konczol, is a hospitality professional who started behind the bar at 17 in Hungary. With experience in top venues across the UK and Hong Kong, his passion for cocktail craftsmanship led him to his career as a Brand Ambassador for Campari, and now Brand Education Manager and Campari Academy Lead in Asia.A personal health challenge shifted his focus— he became a certified Breath Masters instructor, ISSA personal trainer, performance expert, and longtime biohacker. In 2024, Zoltan founded Breathrise | Mindful Mixology to combine his hospitality expertise with his wellness knowledge. His mission is to help teams beat burnout, build resilience, and unlock peak performance by creating a sustainable, thriving workplace in our fast-paced world.Episode Resources:WebsiteIG Breathmasters Science of Breath By: Rama Body By Breath By: Jill Miller Andrew Humberman

In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Senior Programs Manager Adrienne Wu and Communications Associate Yuchen Lee interview Chris Horton, a freelance journalist based in Taipei. Chris talks about his journey to Taipei, international news coverage of Taiwan, and his upcoming book, Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle for Survival.

New Bloom is an online magazine and community space covering activism and youth politics in Taiwan and the Asia Pacific, founded in Taiwan in 2014 in the wake of the Sunflower Movement. They welcomed the host of Insight Myanmar for a talk at their Taipei center.

In this episode of the Granta Podcast we speak to Tao Lin, the author of ten books, including Leave Society and Taipei.We discuss two of Tao Lin's recent essays, ‘My Spiritual Evolution', and ‘Gian', which appeared in Granta 171: Dead Friends, as well as the effects of psychedelics and the possibilities of reincarnation.Leo Robson is a cultural journalist whose work has appeared in the London Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the New Left Review, among other publications. He is the author of The Boys (2025).Josie Mitchell is senior editor at Granta. 

Taiwanese pilots flew combat jets in Saudi uniforms over Arabian skies? Yes. This week, learn about what may seem like an unusual friendship: the close ties between Taiwan and Saudi Arabia. Bonded by oil, anti-Communism, technical exchanges, interest-free loans, and even seedless watermelons, Saudi Arabia was the only nation in the Middle East to vote “NO” on letting Red China into the UN, and they only swapped from Taipei to Beijing in 1990. This week's episode is an oasis for those thirsting to learn more about the ROC and 沙特阿拉伯 (Shātè Ā lā bó).PLEASE follow/like/sub/etc, on IG, FB, YT or LinkedIn, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or on our website, and most importantly, tell your friends about this FREE Taiwan history podcast!

OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Back in 1997 in Taipei they decided, as part of a celebration to do a massive game of tug of war. Let me ask you, how many of you were the kid that would let go of the rope when playing tug of war… Ha, just about every guy I know has done that. The people should have let go of the rope… That day they had 1,600 people join in the tug of rope. I can't even imagine that many people and how long the rope had to have been. Here's what I do know, that many people, tugging on one rope exerted 176,369 lbs of force on the rope… Here was the problem, no one thought to check how much force the rope 2” thick rope could actually handle, which was only 57,320 lbs. What happened was crazy. When all 1600 people began tugging all at once the rope severed and as it did, two men has their arms ripped from their bodies… It's not clear if the rope snapped back and severed the arms or if they were literally ripped off their bodies. Can you imagine standing there looking down at the ground and being like, “someone lost an arm” and then realizing it was you… Oh man, that's crazy! This morning we are going to begin to explore the tension that's created when we follow God by looking at the life and story of Abraham from scripture. I heard someone say once that Tension is not something you can typically get rid of, rather it's something you manage. my hope is to help you learn to manage the tension SCRIPTURE: Genesis 12:1-3 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.[a] 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”[b] It would be easy for me to preach an inspirational sermon about hearing God, believing God, and following God. I could preach and get yall fired up and talking about how Abraham didn't hesitate, he just followed God and how through Abe God will bless all peoples, some day Jesus will come through his lineage and you will sit in this room today because this guy thousands of years ago left everything. And while that sermon would be good and true, it would miss something. Did you notice what Abe was going to have to leave behind to follow the call of God? b His country, his people, and his family If you've ever done something significant like moving away from a place you grew up in you know this wasn't a quick easy thing for Abe. I'm preaching for the silence right now, and we don't know for sure. But you do know that his country is the land he grew up in, it's knowing all the honey holes for fishing, and knowing the best places to hunt. It's all the culture and customs he's ever known. His country represents everything he's comfortable with. and his people? Abe is leaving his friends, he's leaving his neighbors, he's leaving his aunts and uncles and relatives. He's leaving free babysitting and help with sick animals, he's leaving all his community Leaving his people is leaving his community and friends behind. and then to leave his father's household. There's no phones, there's no facetime. Abe is literally saying, “I may never see you again” to the people who are closest to him. Leaving his father's household is going into the world alone. Look, it would be easy for me to make this seem easy, but following God is not easy, it's full of tension. It would be easy to hide the fact that Abe will take things into his own hands because things didn't happen the way he thought they should. It would be easy to hide the doubt his wife had or how she laughed at God or how God gave promises to her too to confirm what he called Abe to do. Following God is not always easy and clear cut. Jesus said it this way: John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. So, I was thinking. How do I help you make sense of this without overwhelming you. On one side I want you to start listening to God and being brave enough to follow Him into the generosity of giving your life away like Abraham did b On the other side, I want to make sure it's God you're listening to… b 2 Guardrails as you learn to follow God into the unknown: b 1. Start with what's clear. God has already called you to certain things, have you mastered those? Love your neighbor, Love your enemy forgive as He forgave you be generous etc. ILLUSTRATION: When our kids were little and wanted to learn to ride a bike, I learned pretty quickly they needed to learn to balance before they learned peddling. We'd take them to the top of the driveway and have them put their feet down and just let it coast down to the bottom and then go again till that was easy. I'm not saying God won't call you to big things when you are a new christian. But I am saying if you are not faithful in these, why would would he send you big things? b If you haven't learned to look at life through the Kingdom lens of “everything I have is on loan to me, so I can give it away,” then why would He give you more? b Most of what God calls us to is small, it's in the small that He learns if you are able to handle much. (Luke 12:48) 2. Following God should never be a battering ram to use against others ILLUSTRATION: we've all met the person who claims God has told them to do something, the worst cases are the people who say God told them something that manipulates you into having to do something for them. “God told me you are supposed to come help us…” Maybe…. Maybe he did… But Abraham's story wasn't that clear cut God revealed it to his wife too (Genesis 18:1-15) God spoke it multiple times to Abraham (Genesis (Genesis 12, 15, 17) b God may be a God who is hard to nail down, but He is not a God of chaos. b It's ok to take time to confirm what God is calling you to and to make sure you are listening to Him and not just following your emotions… CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: People today are still following God's call like Abraham did. They are still leaving everything they know and giving everything they have to follow Him. My wife and I have done it several times (moving to Kentucky from Kansas was one of those for us). I want to introduce you to a young couple who is taking a massive step. Listen to their story [PLAY VIDEO OF THE OTTS] ------------- Genesis 12:1-3 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.[a] 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”[b] John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. Abraham is called out of a nation that he knew. A land, a people, all his friends. This may not seem like generosity, but let me tell you, generosity is the laying down of what you have to benefit another. Abraham is leaving everything he knows to bless the entire world. You and I are blessed because this man was faithful in what God called him to. Jesus will come through his line as a direct result of him being willing to follow God into this. God still calls people like this. My wife and I moved from KS to be here to minister at the call of God. Same with you, He's still looking for the faithful and to call you to something greater. The question is whether we will respond with generosity, lay down our life and our rights for the blessing of others. The secret is that in the laying down, God ends up blessing us as well… We'll see this in Abe. Interview or video with the Otts STUDY: It's easy to see Abram as some super human who this was easy for, but trapped in those words are lots of heartache, lots of stress, lots of questioning, etc.  "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." Let's break it down.  Leave the people and customs you have always known - your country.  Leave the land, the way of life, the culture, leave it all... Leave your people - leave the friends you've grown up with, leave the ones you see at the well when you're watering your animals, leave it all. Leave your father's household.  Leave your family, walk away from those you love - no phone calls, no facetime, no returning.  Leave them and never see them again. this was not easy.  This was complete and utter trust - I wonder what Terrah said to Abe? "Son, this is not a smart move.." "Son, what are you going to do if you run out of food? or get attacked?  What will you do? The narrative that's easy to believe and that most of us believe is we are out there alone, but that's not true.  We forget God. We forget that He is moving and will move.   Following God is not an easy peasy thing, it's not straight forward and efficient like we think of efficiency.  following God is being willing to follow Him into the unknown. The tension Abe felt in following God was extreme.  It was not easy, it was a difficult thing.   Guardrails there are already things God has called you to do that are not special love your neighbor forgive be generous etc. Most things God calls us to are not massive - they are little things like, "hey, give that person some help" or "offer to watch their kids for free".  Jesus very clearly said that whoever is faithful in the little things will be given more This is not about baptizing your ideas and telling people it's from God.  Abe very much heard from God and God reconfirmed it multiple times, even with his wife Sarai having it confirmed to her.  This should never be a battering ram to another person.. What has God called you to be generous in that the tension of the unknown has kept you from being obedient? What's the worst thing that would happen if you listened to Him? Who do you need to invite into praying over this decision to make sure you are hearing from God (John says to test the spirits) ORDER: Starting generous tensions -looking at the tension of following God while still in the skin Abe and his call -would be easy to preach an inspirational sermon about following God -but thats not reality. What's hidden in these words are the nights spent deciding to follow God (the pain of separation from family, etc.) -what's hidden in that sermon is Abe doubting and not always listening to God, but taking things into his own hands - his wife laughing -what's hidden is that it was confirmed to his wife and when they finally saw the promise was YEARS later there is tension when following God - because God doesn't make things clean and cut perfect, He makes it wild and makes it where you need to stay close to Him, it's why we call it "following" So, practicals, what do you do if you feel God calling you to something big.. Guardrails there are already things God has called you to do that are not special love your neighbor forgive be generous etc. Most things God calls us to are not massive - they are little things like, "hey, give that person some help" or "offer to watch their kids for free".  Jesus very clearly said that whoever is faithful in the little things will be given more This is not about baptizing your ideas and telling people it's from God.  Abe very much heard from God and God reconfirmed it multiple times, even with his wife Sarai having it confirmed to her.  This should never be a battering ram to another person.. I want to introduce you to some friends who are following God in some big and scary ways... -introduce the Otts talk about their story...

On June 13th, Israel launched attacks on several military and nuclear facilities in Iran, marking the beginning of a 12-day war between the two countries. The United States followed with targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear sites to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power and posing a threat to regional and global stability. China's involvement in the conflict was limited to condemning the Israeli and US use of military force and calling for de-escalation. Beijing offered only rhetorical support for Tehran. To discuss what the Israel-Iran war reveals about China's relationship with Iran, its evolving strategy in the Middle East, and the broader implications for US-China competition, we are joined by Yun Sun on the podcast today. Yun is a Senior Fellow, co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. Her recent piece in The Wire China entitled “How China Sees Iran's Future” offers provides a nuanced take on Beijing's calculus during and after the war. Timestamps[00:00] Start[01:34] China's Diplomatic Strategy Toward the Middle East[05:00] A Limited Chinese Response and China's Regional Role[08:19] Chinese Perceptions of Iran's External Strategic Blunders[15:00] Trickling Chinese Investment into Iran[20:10] Chinese Concerns About a Nuclearized Iran[25:09] Implications of the Israel-Iran War for China's Energy Security[32:04] Trump's Response Shaping Chinese Views of the United States 

Pour ce nouvel épisode estival, Kaiwa vous emmène exceptionnellement hors du Japon… direction Taïwan ! Nico, qui s'y est rendu à plusieurs reprises, partage ses impressions et ses découvertes à travers les questions de Mathieu.Au fil de la conversation, il sera question des liens historiques et culturels entre le Japon et Taïwan, notamment l'héritage de la période coloniale japonaise encore visible aujourd'hui dans l'architecture, la langue ou les habitudes de vie. Nous évoquerons aussi l'histoire politique récente de Taïwan, entre affirmation démocratique et tensions géopolitiques.Impossible bien sûr de ne pas parler cuisine : du thé aux perles au bœuf braisé, en passant par les marchés de nuit de Taipei, vous découvrirez un aperçu gourmand et vivant de la culture taïwanaise. Enfin, nous prendrons le temps d'explorer l'ambiance de la capitale, Taipei, une ville étonnante à la croisée de plusieurs influences, où la tradition rencontre la modernité avec chaleur et énergie.Un épisode dépaysant mais toujours dans l'esprit Kaiwa : curieux, vivant, et ancré dans la découverte des cultures asiatiques.Générique : « tiger & dragon » Crazy Ken Band.Sortie le 8 juillet 2025#taïwan #台湾 #voyages #旅行好き #臺灣

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened marginally higher this morning from Friday's close, at 22,550 on turnover of 2.1 -billion N-T. The market closed down on Friday as uncertainties over U-S tariff policies continued to impact investor sentiment after U-S President Donald Trump said letters will be countries specifying what "reciprocal" tariffs they will face without an extension of a 90-day pause. Danas downgraded as storm moves away from Taiwan The Central Weather Administration has downgraded typhoon Danas to a tropical storm as it continues to move away from Taiwan. The storm is currently located some 70-kilometers north-northwest of Taipei and moving in a north-north-easterly direction at speeds of between 10 and 16-kilometers-an-hour. Danas now has a radius of 100-kilometers and is packing sustained wind speeds of 90-kilometers-an-hour, with gust of up to 119-kilometers-an-hour. Land and seas warnings are still in effect - with the land warnings currently covering Keelung, New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan. The weather administration is expected to lift the remaining land warnings by noon at the earliest, while the sea warning is expected to remain in place until this evening. The High Speed Rail Corporation has now resumed full services, while the Taiwan Railway Corporation will resume regular services this afternoon. Tai-Power says some 490,000 households lost power as the storm impacted Taiwan proper - and some 380,00 of households in are still waiting for power supplies to resume. Most of those effected households are in the Tainan area. Israel Houthis Trade Fire Israel's military launched airstrikes early today targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen's Houthi rebels, with the rebels responding with missile fire targeting Israel. The attacks came after a suspected Houthi attack targeting a ship in the Red Sea that caught fire and took on water, later forcing its crew to abandon the vessel. The Israeli military said it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif. The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said it attempted to intercept (攔截) the missile, but it appeared to make impact, though there were no immediate reports of injuries from the attack. Pressure from Trump for trade deals before Wednesday deadline, but hints of more time for talks The U.S. is putting the pressure (壓力) on trading partners to make a new deal before a Wednesday deadline. AP correspondent Donna Warder reports. Spain begins BullRunning Festival Tens of thousands of revelers have packed Pamplona's town hall square in northern Spain to celebrate the traditional firework blast that marks the start of the San Fermin bull-running festival. The highlight of the nine-day festival, which started on Sunday, is the early morning bull runs, when thousands of runners sprint to avoid six bulls charging along a winding cobblestoned route to the city's bullring. The festival is not without controversy, with gorings and injuries among runners, as well as bull fights where animals that run int he morning are slain by professional matadors (鬥牛士) each afternoon. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 挺你所想！與你一起生活的銀行 中國信託行動銀行APP 全新推出「交易中安全提示」防詐騙功能 開啟後，轉帳的同時也在通話，會自動跳出貼心提醒，力挺你的金融安全 防護再進化，交易好安心！ 馬上下載「中國信託行動銀行APP」 https://sofm.pse.is/7vkhyj -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

本集有《混沌少年時》暴雷！ 本集素材： #混沌少年時　#後宮甄繯傳　#台北物語 #補習班老師　#引書店負評　#周子瑜粉紅頭髮 - 【本節目由『貝窩之友』贊助播出】 歡迎加入・非官方 LINE 群組 歡迎訂閱・引書籤（電子報） 引書店・Spotify 播放清單 / 「沒有一個家長，會期待自己的孩子失去希望。」 查理蒙格說： 「去哪裡會殺死我，我將不往那裏去。」 為什麼滑個手機？會讓孩子： 失去勇氣、失去朋友、失去感動。 失去慾望、失去睡眠、失去生命……？ 而台灣的高壓升學、政治紛爭， 又可能帶來什麼誤打誤撞的正面影響？ - 本集結構 移民火星的孩子 實體世界的消亡 線上世界的解禁 少男少女的毀損 台灣版本：補習班與善之網暴 讓我們使用網路，而非變的虛擬 探索真實，而後感動自己。 請聽聽看吧！ ※※※ 《失控的焦慮世代：手機餵養的世代，如何面對心理疾病的瘟疫》 博客來連結｜讀墨電子書 ※※※ (00:00:50)　張修修的不正常人生《失控的焦慮世代》 (00:04:18)　EP20《好人總是自以為是》 (00:05:04)　《象與騎象人：全球百大思想家的正向心理學經典》 (00:05:32)　《為什麼我們製造出玻璃心世代？》 (00:08:02)　尼特族 NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) (00:09:02)　移民火星的孩子 - (00:15:37)　（一）實體世界的消亡 (00:19:42)　受傷的不足 (00:26:23)　EP167《人慈》 (00:29:11)　EP236《異數》 (00:35:42)　視線的消失 (00:41:09)　《台北物語》Story in Taipei (00:43:32)　EP264《敬畏》 (00:50:18)　美秀集團 Ft. 盧廣仲《手機錢包鑰匙菸》 - (00:51:03)　（二）線上世界的解禁 (00:51:16)　EP330《戰爭下的平民生存手冊》 (00:53:43)　周子瑜粉紅頭髮 Threads (01:02:08)　EP185《山道猴子的一生》 (01:17:28)　少男少女的毀損：賭博與色情 (01:29:35)　《混沌少年時》暴雷 ！！！！！ (01:54:08)　EP16《監控資本主義時代》 (01:54:26)　EP295《連結：從石器時代到AI紀元》 - (01:56:50)　（三）台灣版本：補習班與善之網暴 (02:12:56)　（四）對成年人的啟發 (02:13:05)　EP263《有限與無限的遊戲》 (02:21:22)　六種美好感受力 (02:22:43)　EP95《心流》 -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ms. Meia Nouwens and Ms. Veerle Nouwens join us to discuss key takeaways from the recent 2025 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. They start by discussing the significance of the dialogue as a high-level forum for discussion between governments on issues impacting Asian security and they highlight some of the major topics that countries repeatedly brought up throughout sessions, with cross-regional security, hybrid threats, and uncertainty in the international order as three of the most prominent. They unpack President Macron's speech, who, they note, is the first European leader who has ever been invited to provide keynote remarks at the dialogue, and describe the emphasis he laid on Europe becoming a more active player in the Indo-Pacific region. Meia and Veerle also discuss the attendance from China's side and point to the notable absence of Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun. They describe China's messaging this year as less focused on the United States and instead with a greater emphasis on China's relationships with regional partners. Similarly, they touch on the variety of current views of China they heard from regional countries during the dialogue, which ranged from viewing China as a cooperative partner, a challenger, and a competitor all to different extents. They describe U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth's remarks and note they believe he succeeded in providing some reassurance to allies and underscored his emphasis that the U.S. can work more with partners in the region through increased forward deployment of troops, cooperation on defense industrial capabilities, and greater interoperability. Finally, Meia and Veerle describe what they heard from countries as shared challenges in the region that transcend boundaries and emphasized the consensus among many for the US and China to find ways to cooperate with each other despite their disagreements.     Ms. Meia Nouwens is a Senior Fellow for Chinese Security and Defense Policy. Meia's expertise lies in Chinese cross-service defense analysis, China's defense industry and innovation, as well as China's regional strategic affairs and international relations. She leads IISS research on China's Digital Silk Road, and was a co-lead of the China Security Project with the Mercator Institute for China Studies. Prior to commencing at IISS, she worked for the European External Action Service as a policy officer in Taipei, and as a trade analyst in the EU's delegation to New Zealand. Meia holds a BA Hons in international relations and political science from Macquarie University, a master's in international relations and diplomacy from Leiden University in conjunction with the Clingendael Institute, and an MPhil in modern Chinese studies from the University of Oxford and Peking University.  Ms. Veerle Nouwens is the Executive Director for IISS–Asia. Veerle's expertise lies in Chinese foreign and defense policy, as well as the wider Indo-Pacific defense and security environment. She plays a key part in organizing the annual IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, provides intellectual direction for IISS research on the Asia-Pacific, and works to enhance the profile of IISS across the region and beyond. Prior to joining the IISS, Veerle worked as Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, where she established the Indo-Pacific Programme and focused on China and Indo-Pacific security, and as a policy officer in the political section of the European Union Delegation in Singapore. Veerle holds a BA Hons in international relations and political science from Macquarie University, a Master's in international relations and diplomacy from Leiden University in conjunction with the Clingendael Institute, an MPhil in modern Chinese studies from the University of Oxford and Peking University, and has attended a Mandarin semester programme at Tsinghua University. 

Apply Taiwan Connection before 2nd of July, 2025: https://forms.gle/CeKDpATN9XzeEdh78 Thanks to Chauau and Aqil for your support this month. You help keep this Taiwan content running and benefit more learners who seek cultural insights about Taiwan. Transcript for this episode for everyone: Not available yet. 00:00 Taiwan Connection, a Mandarin + Taiwanese Video Course 01:22 Chat -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In Episode 425 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with geopolitical and intelligence analyst Dmitri Alperovitch about the new security dynamics and economic opportunities that arise from America's and Israel's attacks on Iran, the risks of strategic overreach, and whether U.S. actions do more to compel or deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. In the first hour, Alperovitch scrutinizes Israel's decision to initiate a series of targeted strikes against Iran's nuclear program, including their decision to assassinate key nuclear scientists and senior members of the IRGC. We discuss America's choice to participate in this campaign, Iran's response, potential additional repercussions from these attacks, political conditions within the Islamic Republic, and whether this latest round of violence might precipitate the collapse of the Iranian government or incite a coup against its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. In the second hour, Alperovitch is asked whether he believes Trump's decision to involve the American military directly in Israel's war with Iran was in America's national interests or if it results in strategic overreach that will further undermine American security and the credibility of American global leadership. He and Kofinas discuss how this move is perceived by other regional players like Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, how it alters the security dynamics in the Middle East, and how it affects Dmitri's assessment of the risks Washington faces in its broader Cold War with the People's Republic of China. Subscribe to our premium content—including our premium feed, episode transcripts, and Intelligence Reports—by visiting HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you'd like to join the conversation and become a member of the Hidden Forces Genius community—with benefits like Q&A calls with guests, exclusive research and analysis, in-person events, and dinners—you can also sign up on our subscriber page at HiddenForces.io/subscribe. If you enjoyed today's episode of Hidden Forces, please support the show by: Subscribing on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Stitcher, SoundCloud, CastBox, or via our RSS Feed Writing us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify Joining our mailing list at https://hiddenforces.io/newsletter/ Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Subscribe and support the podcast at https://hiddenforces.io. Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @hiddenforcespod Follow Demetri on Twitter at @Kofinas Episode Recorded on 06/23/2025

This episode of the Only Business podcast unpacks eight reasons why people are not referring your business and how to change that starting now. Learn how to build emotional connection, clarify your offer, create a referral system, and teach your audience exactly when and how to recommend you. If you're tired of being liked but not referred, this episode gives you the strategy to turn admiration into action.

Welcome back to Meet Me in Taipei everyone! After a long break, we're setting up our mics and hitting record again. In this pilot episode, we share where we're headed, our inspiration, and what this new WCS Series is all about. From the meaning behind the interludes to why we wanted to spotlight our community, this episode sets the tone for everything to come. #meetmeintaipei

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 71-points this morning from Friday's close, at 22,508 on turnover of 5.4-billion N-T. The market closed in positive territory on Friday, as investor concerns about U-S tariffs receded on the back of positive signs from Taiwan-US negotiations and as the Israel-Iran ceasefire remains in place - lessening worries about crude supplies. Taiwan and UK hold trade talks Annual trade talks between Taiwan and the U-K are underway in Taipei. The U-K delegation is being led by Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security Douglas Alexander. According to the British Office, Alexander is visiting Taiwan for two days, during which time he will meet with President Lai Ching-te and co-chair the trade talks with Taiwan's Deputy Economics Minister Cynthia Jiang. The British Office says Alexander will tour the Taiwan Space Agency in Hsinchu, engage (接合，互動) with representatives from British and Taiwanese businesses and witness the signing of three Enhanced Trade Partnership pillars between the U-K and Taiwan. Bad weather disrupts flights at Kaohsiung and Tainan airports And, Heavy rain on Sunday forced temporary suspensions of operations at Kaohsiung International Airport and Tainan Airport - disrupting multiple flights. According to the Civil Aviation Administration, Kaohsiung International Airport halted ground operations at 3:15PM and resumed service some 45-minutes later, affecting 12 flights. While Tainan Airport suspended ground operations from 4:41PM to 5:37PM, when two flights were impacted. The administration says flight delays could also affect other airports with connections to Tainan and has instructed terminals to notify passengers via bulletin boards, scrolling (捲動) displays and public announcements. US Senate Pushes Ahead with Trump Tax Break From the US….. The Senate is pushing ahead on President Donald Trump's tax break and spending cut plan AP correspondent Donna Warder reports Turkey Detains Dozens During Istanbul Pride Turkish authorities have detained over 50 people during Istanbul Pride on Sunday, continuing a decade-long crackdown on the event. A heavy police presence forced organizers to change gathering locations multiple times. Local media say 54 people were detained, including six lawyers. By Sunday evening, seven had been released, while 47 remained in custody (拘留). Istanbul Pride, once attracting tens of thousands, has been banned since 2015 as the government appeals to conservative supporters. France Cannes Bans Large Cruise Ships from Harbor The French city of Cannes is banning cruise ships carrying over 1,000 passengers from its harbor starting next year. The decision is part of a wider backlash against overtourism. City officials also cited concerns about pollution. Larger ships must use smaller boats to transfer visitors to the port. The new rules limit daily disembarkations (下船) to 6,000 passengers. Cannes is seeking to balance tourism's economic benefits while managing growing crowds. Cruise ship companies say such measures are counterproductive. Nearby Nice and other European cities have also introduced cruise ship restrictions recently. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 「親家JIA」19-27坪，全新落成，坐擁大安核心門牌。 350公尺達忠孝復興站，直通市府、機場、車站，850公尺接建國高架。 四大百貨、綠廊公園環繞，七分鐘生活圈涵蓋大潤發與市場，便利質感兼具。 城市菁英嚮往的私藏寓所，首選「親家JIA」，即刻入主 02-2772-6188。 https://sofm.pse.is/7tlfzu --

In this powerful episode of The Self-Aware Leader, Jason Rigby welcomes Ingrid Hu Dahl, author of "Sun Shining on the Morning Snow" and a renowned leadership coach. Ingrid bravely shares her raw story of navigating crushing racism and an identity crisis as a mixed-race "Hapa" child, growing up between white New Jersey suburbs and Taipei. This conversation delves into how her unique upbringing shaped her understanding of belonging and resilience, offering profound insights for self-aware leadership. Ingrid illuminates the critical need for leaders to cultivate self-awareness and curiosity, especially when addressing issues of diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias in the workplace. She discusses how her parents' interracial love story defied societal norms, influencing her own boldness and commitment to authenticity. The episode provides practical frameworks for leaders to unlearn ingrained behaviors, foster truly inclusive environments, and lead with empathy and heart rather than fear or ego. Listeners will discover how embracing one's full story, vulnerabilities and all, is not only a path to personal healing but also a powerful foundation for building trust and inspiring innovation within teams. Ingrid's "Phoenix" metaphor for transformation and her grandmother's fierce, heart-driven leadership serve as guiding lights, encouraging every leader to live boldly, connect authentically, and create spaces where everyone feels they belong. Detailed Episode Overview Have you ever felt like an outsider, even in your own community? In this compelling episode, "The Self-Aware Leader" dives deep into the heart of identity and resilient leadership with special guest Ingrid Hu Dahl. Ingrid, a trailblazing leadership coach and author, shares her journey as a mixed-race individual, revealing how contrasting cultural experiences—from navigating predominantly white New Jersey suburbs to embracing her Taiwanese heritage—profoundly shaped her self-aware leadership philosophy. This conversation unpacks the subtle, often unaddressed, forms of racism and bias that leaders must confront head-on to foster truly inclusive environments. Ingrid offers a practical framework for developing emotional intelligence for leaders, emphasizing the importance of self-reflection and challenging assumptions. Drawing from her own experiences, she provides actionable strategies for communicating across diverse styles, ensuring every team member feels heard and valued. Discover how to interrupt unconscious biases and slow down decision-making to cultivate a growth mindset. Jason and Ingrid also explore the power of vulnerability in leadership, highlighting how acknowledging imperfections and asking for help can transform team dynamics and accelerate business success. This episode is a must-listen for any leader seeking to enhance their empathetic leadership skills and build a culture of belonging. Key Learning Outcomes Discover how to lead with curiosity and empathy to build truly inclusive teams and challenge unconscious biases that hinder diversity. Learn the importance of self-awareness for leaders to understand how their own experiences and communication styles impact team dynamics. Master practical frameworks for breaking out of leadership "ruts" by actively listening and asking exploratory questions. Apply ancient wisdom principles to modern leadership challenges by cultivating "boldness with heart" and embracing vulnerability for stronger connections. Understand how to create environments where everyone feels they belong, regardless of background, by checking biases and fostering psychological safety. Resources Mentioned: Ingrid Hu Dahl's Official Website: Learn more about Ingrid's work and leadership coaching. https://www.ingridhudahl.com/ Sun Shining on the Morning Snow: Purchase Ingrid Hu Dahl's powerful memoir. https://www.sunshiningonmorningsnow.com/buy Ingrid Hu Dahl on Instagram: Connect with Ingrid on social media. https://www.instagram.com/ingridhudahl/?hl=en Episode Duration: 54:02 Publish Date: June 29, 2025 Host Information: Jason Rigby, The Self-Aware Leader Topic Categories: Self-Awareness Foundation, Resilient Leadership, Ancient Wisdom, Empathetic Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion, Emotional Intelligence Tags: Ingrid Hu Dahl, self-aware leadership, emotional intelligence, resilience, mixed-race identity, Hapa, leadership coaching, diversity, inclusion, unconscious bias, authentic leadership, ancient wisdom, empathetic leadership, crisis management, personal transformation, memoir, Sun Shining on the Morning Snow, Jason Rigby, conscious leadership, human-centered leadership, unlearning, vulnerability, belonging, Phoenix, family heritage. Transcript Availability: Full transcript available on the podcast website. Related Content Connections: Links to related episodes and Jason Rigby's community for deeper engagement.

Small businesses are more than just corner shops and local services. They're a driving force of economic growth, making up 90% of all businesses globally. As the global middle class rapidly expands, new opportunities are emerging for entrepreneurs to launch and grow small businesses. In this special edition podcast episode, the first of GZERO's “Local to global: The power of small business” series, host JJ Ramberg sits down with Shamina Singh, Founder and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and Homi Kharas, Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution and Co-Founder of the World Data Lab. Together, they explore how the spending power of the global middle class is fueling small business growth from Taipei to Toronto and beyond. The discussion also highlights how digital inclusion, access to finance, and cybersecurity are essential for small business success.For more from this series, subscribe to “Local to global: The power of small business”, a new four-part podcast series from GZERO Media's Blue Circle Studios and Mastercard, where we'll look behind the curtain to explore the world of small businesses and why they're positioned to play an even bigger role in the future of the global economy. Look for the next episode of the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer podcast when we kick off our eighth season on July 5, 2025.Host: JJ RambergGuests: Homi Kharas, Shamina Singh Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

Small businesses are more than just corner shops and local services. They're a driving force of economic growth, making up 90% of all businesses globally. As the global middle class rapidly expands, new opportunities are emerging for entrepreneurs to launch and grow small businesses. In this special edition podcast episode, the first of GZERO's “Local to global: The power of small business” series, host JJ Ramberg sits down with Shamina Singh, Founder and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and Homi Kharas, Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution and Co-Founder of the World Data Lab. Together, they explore how the spending power of the global middle class is fueling small business growth from Taipei to Toronto and beyond. The discussion also highlights how digital inclusion, access to finance, and cybersecurity are essential for small business success.For more from this series, subscribe to “Local to global: The power of small business”, a new four-part podcast series from GZERO Media's Blue Circle Studios and Mastercard, where we'll look behind the curtain to explore the world of small businesses and why they're positioned to play an even bigger role in the future of the global economy. Look for the next episode of the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer podcast when we kick off our eighth season on July 5, 2025.Host: JJ RambergGuests: Homi Kharas, Shamina Singh Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

In un contesto internazionale diventato altamente instabile, la Cina cerca di non farsi coinvolgere direttamente in nessuna guerra, ma sotto la sua apparente neutralità c'è una strategia che mira a ottenere il massimo vantaggio dall'attuale situazione di caos. Con Lorenzo Lamperti, giornalista, da Taipei.Le automobili stanno diventando sempre più grandi: i suv si sono affermati come ideale di stile e forma anche nella categoria delle utilitarie. Con Alessandro Calvi, giornalistaCi piacerebbe sapere cosa pensi di questo episodio. Scrivici a podcast@internazionale.it Se ascolti questo podcast e ti piace, abbonati a Internazionale. È un modo concreto per sostenerci e per aiutarci a garantire ogni giorno un'informazione di qualità. Vai su internazionale.it/abbonatiConsulenza editoriale di Chiara NielsenProduzione di Claudio Balboni e Vincenzo De SimoneMusiche di Tommaso Colliva e Raffaele ScognaDirezione creativa di Jonathan Zenti

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. China has never condemned the invasion, and its government and media have carefully avoided using term “Ukraine War,” opting instead to refer to the war as the “Ukraine crisis,” the “Russia-Ukraine conflict,” or the “special military operation,” a term that echoes Moscow's language. Beijing's approach to the Ukraine War has included support for Russia, a commitment China's own principles, including respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a professed desire for peace.This episode's discussion will focus on China's evolving posture toward the war and China's relationship with Ukraine. Joining the podcast this episode is Dr. Vita Golod, who is a Junior Research Fellow at the A. Yu Krymskyi Institute of Oriental Studies, National Academy Sciences of Ukraine, and a Visiting Adjunct Instructor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.She is also the co-founder of the Ukrainian Platform for Contemporary China and a board member of the Ukrainian Association of Sinologists.  Timestamps[00:00] Start[01:35] China's Relationship with Ukraine Prior to Russia's Invasion[05:06] President Zelenskyy's Accusations Against China [08:20] Contemporary Ukrainian Perceptions of Relations with China [12:14] Ukrainian Perceptions of Sino-Russian Relations[16:25] China as a Mediator and Peacemaker[19:06] China's Interests in the Outcome of the Russo-Ukrainian War[21:21] What concrete steps could China take to facilitate peace? [23:14] China's Role in the Post-War Reconstruction of Ukraine[28:08] The Future of Sino-Ukrainian Relations

木柵動物園 mùzhà dòngwùyuán – Muzha Zoo, a large zoo in Taipei, Taiwan南投 Nántóu – Nantou, a city in central Taiwan九九峰動物樂園 jiǔjiǔ fēng dòngwù lèyuán – JOJOZOO PARK, a large animal park in Nantou規模 guīmó – scale, size鳥類主題動物園 niǎo lèi zhǔtí dòngwùyuán – bird-themed animal park珍奇的鳥類 zhēnqí de niǎo lèi – rare and exotic bird species互動區 hùdòng qū – interactive area珍稀 zhēnxī – rare, precious鴕鳥 tuóniǎo – ostrich搖頭晃腦 yáo tóu huàng nǎo – to shake one's head (in a bobbing or swaying manner)鸚鵡 yīngwǔ – parrot吸蜜鸚鵡 xī mì yīngwǔ – honey-eating parrot (e.g., Lorikeet)金太陽錐尾鸚鵡 jīn tàiyáng zhuī wěi yīngwǔ – Golden Sun Conure, a type of parrot五彩繽紛 wǔcǎi bīn fēn – colorful, dazzling in many colors開放式的鳥籠 kāifàng shì de niǎo lóng – open-air birdcage柯爾鴨 kē ěr yā – call duck (a small breed of domestic duck)孔雀 kǒngquè – peacock草泥馬 cǎo ní mǎ – alpaca羊駝 yángtuó – llama跳跳羊 tiàotiào yáng – spring lamb狐獴 húměng – meerkat恐龍之丘 kǒnglóng zhī qiū – Dinosaur Hill, a themed area featuring dinosaur models身比例 shēn bǐlì – scale (in terms of body proportions)大暴龍 dà bàolóng – T. rex (Tyrannosaurus rex)侏儸紀公園 zhū luójì gōngyuán – Jurassic Park, a fictional dinosaur theme park場景 chǎngjǐng – scene, setting你想讓中文更進步嗎 ? 我可以幫你！

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Tonight's show is June 19th. We are all connected. We are talking with Asian and Asian American Children's book authors. PowerLeeGirls host Miko Lee talks with Chi Thai and Livia Blackburne about the power of storytelling, maternal heritage, generational trauma, and much more. Title:  We Are All Connected Show Transcripts Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:01:17] Welcome to Apex Express. Tonight's show is June 19th. We are all connected. We are talking with Asian and Asian American Children's book authors. PowerLeeGirls host Miko Lee talks with Chi Thai and Livia Blackburne about the power of storytelling, maternal heritage, generational trauma, and much more. First, we want to start by wishing everyone a happy Juneteenth, Juneteenth commemorates, an end to slavery and the emancipation of Black Americans after the Civil War. In 1865, 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas finally learned of their freedom. Juneteenth marks the day the last enslaved people learned of their freedom. Though outright slavery became illegal, the systematic oppression of African Americans continues to this day. We see that show up in almost every aspect of American culture, from the high rate of infant mortality to the over punishing of Black children in schools, to police brutality, to incarceration. We must continue to recognize the importance of championing Black lives and lifting up Black voices. We are all connected. June 19th is also an important day in Asian American history. In 1982 in Detroit, Vincent Chin was at a bar celebrating his bachelor party prior to his wedding the next day. Ronald Ebens, a white auto worker, and his stepson Michael Nitz taunted Vincent with racial epithets. They thought he was Japanese and were angry about the Japanese rise in the auto industry. When Vincent left the bar later, the two men attacked and killed Vincent with a baseball bat. He was 27 years old. Ronald Ebens never did time for this murder. Ronald Ebens is 85 years old now. Ebens not only skirted prosecution, he has used bankruptcy and homesteading laws in Nevada to avoid a wrongful death civil suit settlement. Ordered by the court in 1987 to pay $1.5 million to Chin's family, the Chin estate has received nothing. Lily Chin, Vincent's mom could have stayed silent about the racist attack on her son. Instead she spoke out. She took a courageous stance to highlight this most painful moment in her life. In doing so, she helped ignite a new generation of Asian American activists working for civil rights and social justice. We find ourselves in a new wave of activism as our communities band together to work against the injustices of the current regime. And what does this have to do with children's books? It is all connected. We highlight children's books by Asian and Asian American authors because we want our next generation of children to know and appreciate their own heritage. We want them to proudly represent who they are so that they can work in solidarity with other peoples. Our struggle is interwoven. As Grace Lee Boggs said, “History is a story not only of the past, but of the future.” Thank you for joining us on apex express. Enjoy the show.   Miko Lee: [00:04:24] First off. Let's take a listen to one of Byron Au Young's compositions called “Know Your Rights” This is part of the trilogy of the Activist Songbook. This multi-lingual rap, give steps to know what to do when ICE officers come to your door.    MUSIC   That was “Know Your Rights” performed by Jason Chu with lyrics by Aaron Jeffries and composed by Byron Au Yong Welcome, Chi Thai to Apex Express.    Chi Thai: [00:07:13] Hello. I'm really happy to be joining you, Miko.  Miko Lee: [00:07:16] I'm really happy to meet you and learn about you as an artist, as a filmmaker, as a children's book author. And I wanna first start with a personal question, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? Chi Thai: [00:07:30] Ooh, what a great question. You know what? I love being asked stuff that hasn't been asked kind of before. I mean, there's a kinda really kinda natural answer to that, which is, you know, family are my people. Of course. 100%. And certainly, you know, the reason why I'm talking to you today, you know, in regard to the, to the book, you know, it's about my family's journey. But I found, and I don't know if this is. Somewhat to do with, you know, being a child of two cultures and you know, being a child of the diaspora that you really have to kind of find your own family too. 'cause I suppose I grew up feeling, I didn't quite relate to maybe my parents in a way that, you know, you normally would if you weren't part of the diaspora. And I felt estranged from my birth country and I didn't really feel like British either a lot of the time. So in terms of like, who are my people? I've gathered those people as I've kind of grown up and it's, it's a kind of strange feeling too. I feel like it's taken me a really long to grow up and to figure out who I am. And I suppose that's why, you know, the people that I have a really, a lot of people that have come, kinda later in my life, I actually have no friends in my childhood as an example of that. I've had to kind of find these people as I've grown up, but it's taken me a long time to grow up because growing up in the UK there wasn't any literature to read about what it was like to be Asian. And British, to be a refugee and things like that. So it just took me longer and I then, as a result, it just took me longer to find my tribe. but I have it now, but it's still work in progress. That was a very convoluted answer. I'm very sorry Miko.    Miko Lee: [00:09:15] No, it wasn't. No worries. It's fine. And what legacy do you carry with you?   Chi Thai: [00:09:19] Kind of an extension to that answer, I think when you're an artist, practicing your voice, figuring out your voice, can take a while. And I think I've only really started maybe the last like five to 10 years at the most really figured out what I want my legacy to be. The things I wanna talk about are really about s tories from the diaspora, certainly, and about community and healing. These are the things I think that are really important to me, especially when we talk about maybe coming from struggle. I don't feel it's enough to be an artist today and just talk about struggle. I want to talk about justice as well. And justice really is about healing, you know?    Miko Lee: [00:10:00] Oh, that's beautiful. Can you talk a little bit more about that healing and what that means to you and how that shows up in your work?    Chi Thai: [00:10:07] A couple years ago, no, not even that long ago, I produced a, a feature film. This is probably the best example for it, but I produced a feature film called Raging Grace, which we called it Horror with a small H and it. Basically took the story of what it was like to be, undocumented Filipina in the uk who was also a mother. And I think if that film had been made 10 years ago, it would just shown how hard her life was, and unrelentingly. So, and I think the reason why Raising Grace is so special is it goes beyond the trauma, it takes us to a place of justice, of being able to speak out for someone who has felt invisible, to be visible for someone who's not. Had a voice, to have a voice and to begin that kind of healing process of sticking up for herself, making a change transforming herself from maybe the good immigrant to the bad immigrant and things like that. I think that's a really great example and I think I read a really wonderful thing. It might have been in a Guardian article where we, so a lot of my work is around, inclusion representation of like diasporic stories. And I think when you have, when you exist in the poverty of like representation, I. the solution to that is plentitude. I think that Viet Thanh Nguyen probably said that, so I don't wanna take credit for it. He comes up with so many wonderful things, and that's a wonderful thing to be able to move from poverty, like to plentitude and that be the solution, is kinda really wonderful. So I enjoy being really prolific. I enjoy supporting artists to be able to do their work. So as a community, we can also be prolific and I wanna support, narratives that. Take us beyond a place of struggle and trauma to a place of like healing and justice and so forth.    Miko Lee: [00:11:57] Your work crosses so many genres. You were just mentioning how that film was kind of a horror film and, and then you've done these kind of dreamy animation pieces and then now this children's book. Do you select the genre and the format and the medium, or does it select you?   Chi Thai: [00:12:16] Oh, I think the story chooses it. I like 100% believe that. I just actually was thinking about this 'cause I was doing an interview on something else, people, often ask about the creative process and I, can only speak for my own. But usually when I get an idea for a story, the general shape of it comes almost like really well formed. There's a sense of a lready kinda what genre it'll be. There's a sense of the character, there's a sense of the journey and all these things. I felt the same about, writing The Endless Sea I knew it would be from the voice of a child. This probably sounds like my creative process is terrible, but it was just. This is how it was going to be. That kind of part was writing itself, or at least I feel that it'd been writing itself like that in my subconscious for many, many years before it kind of surfacing and writing. Like the writing bit is just the tip of the iceberg at the end of the day. there wasn't like a kind of decision about that. the story in that sense was quite intact. So I often feel like the story is demanding something about kind genre and for, for Raging Grace 'cause I've talked about this a lot, not just in listen to me, but other things. But we always said like if you are an an undocumented person, every breath you take is taken in a hostile environment. It's so natural for it to be a horror. So there's not a sense that you kinda decide that it's like that is the very reality of someone who's going, you know, that's their lived experience. And if you're going to represent that truthfully, it will be through the prism of horror. And I suppose that's how I think about genre. the story is kind of telling you what it needs to tell its emotional truth. and I felt that way, with The Endless Sea same thing with the Raging Grace, with Lullaby. And I think you talked about The Promise, I suppose I, with The Promise, which is an adaptation I had less choice about that because that was a book and it was a adapted into an animation. I've heard Nicola, who's the author of the book, talk about that and she talks about like the story coming to her in a dream and tiptoeing down her arm coming onto the page, she like describes it really beautifully. so maybe our processes are the same. It feels that way. there's not long deliberations. I mean, that's not to say the writing process isn't difficult. It is. But that, I've never found the, [genre] the difficulty or the bit that's required a lot of, I don't know soul searching with it.    Miko Lee: [00:14:28] So with that being said, how did Endless Sea your latest children's book? How did that tiptoe into your imagination?    Chi Thai: [00:14:36] This is a strange one because this is probably the closest thing to like, almost autobiographical work. What I can say is like, it's the true story o f how I and my family, which would've been at the time my mom and dad, my older sister, me, how we fled Vietnam after the fall of an Saigon. we actually left quite late we left in 1979 w hen things were tr were getting truly, truly, truly, quite terrible. And, this was very much a last resort. I think my parents would try to make things work, but realized that they couldn't. This journey that we took on these, boats that were made badly, made poorly, that many of which sank has become almost like the genesis story of our family. It's like it's a big, it has a long shadow, right? Ever since you know I, it is like the first story that I can remember. It's one of the few stories my mom would tell me again and again when we, when they see their old friends, it's something they talk about. So it's something that has happened to it to us, but it's such a big thing that it's just, echoed In my life growing up, as I've you know, got older and older, and the wonderful thing about having a story kinda live with you eventually it's in your blood and in your bones, but also if it's a thing that's kinda shared with you again and again, you actually build up this, there's something about the repetition of it, and then every time you hear it told from an uncle or a family friend or from your mom, a new little detail is embroidered that someone adds. So I've kinda lived with this story for 40 plus years and I've been collecting all these little things about it all this time and all that time it was, I think, kind of just writing itself, you know? You know, it was doing all that work before I actually put like pen to paper. Um, yeah.    Miko Lee: [00:16:31] Was there a catalyst or something that made you actually put the pen to paper?   Chi Thai: [00:16:36] That's really interesting. You know, I probably don't mind it is probably something really banal like. I think I probably wrote it during Covid and I had more time. Um, I think there are probably be some bigger forces in place. And you know what, I can tell you what it is actually if I'm, I'm forcing myself to think and examine a bit closer so when this is totally true. So I remember hearing the news about Viet Thanh Nguyen win winning the Pulitzer for The Sympathizer. And it made such a mark on me and I kind of felt, wow, someone from our community has achieved this incredible thing. And I thought, why? Why now? Like, and I was like, well, you know what? It's probably taken our community certain amount of time to come of age, to develop not just the abilities to write, to create, to make art, but also to have possibly the relationships or networks in place to be able to then make the art and get it out into the world. And I kind of felt when he was able to do that and came of age, I kind of felt there was going to be like other people from the kind of diasporic Vietnamese community that would also start to flourish. And that made me feel really good. About probably being a bit older than the average kind of artist, like making their, kinda like their pieces and everything and saying, you know what? My time can be now. It's okay. And I just find it just really inspiring that, you know our community was kind of growing, growing up, coming of age and being able to do these, these things And I kind of felt like it had given me the permission, I suppose the, the confidence to go, “Oh this story that I've been carrying my whole life, which I don't really see a version of out there I can write that and now I can write it and I'm the right person to write it.” And I had just done The Promise so I had a relationship with Walker. I was like, I have a, you know, a relationship with the publisher. I feel my writing is matured. Like I can do this. And so it was like a culmination and, you know, convergence of those things. And, but I do remember having that thought thinking, “This is a good time to be alive in our community 'cause we're actually able to make our art and get it out there now.” I, I felt it was like a real watershed moment really.   Miko Lee: [00:19:11] What made you decide to do it in this format as a Little Kid's Children's Illustrated book? We were talking earlier about how to, to me, this is the first more realistic version of a boat people experience in a very little kid's voice. What made you decide to do it in this style?    Chi Thai: [00:19:33] So interesting. At the same time, I was writing The Endless Sea. I was writing also the script for a short film, which is called Lullaby, which is takes an incident that happened on my boat but expresses it as a film, as a little kinda horror kinda drama, but a kid cannot watch that. It's like too terrifying. Um, and I wrote, you know, The Endless Sea at the same time. And again, I can't, it's really hard for me to articulate. I just knew it was gonna be a kid's book, like, and I knew it'd be written from the voice of a kid, and I didn't actually, can I say I didn't even ascribe a particular kind of value to that. It wasn't until I had started conversations with the publisher they're like, you know, we see like there's a really high, like this is really great that it's written in the voice of the kid. It somehow gives it something else. Something more is something kind of special. I didn't set out to like, overthink, like what was the most effective way to tell this story? I, I think I just told the story as honestly as I could, you know, with the words that I felt that, you know, I had in me to de, you know, to describe it. In the most authentic way to, to me. And like I say, at the same time, I knew, like I knew that was a kid's book. There was another part of that I wanted to express that was really important to me and that was survivor's guilt. But that I felt was like, that was a horror, so that was really not gonna be suitable for kids. So I was definitely thinking about lots of things to do with the same subject of the same time, but they were definitely being expressed in different ways. And again, Lullaby came to me very kind of quickly, almost fully formed. And I knew, you know, it would be a ghost story. I knew it would be the story of a mother and things like that. And I often maybe, you know, I should, I, I should interrogate more, but I kinda, I take these kinda. These ideas, which are quite well shaped and, and then I just like lean into them more and more and more. But they, the way they arrive it, I've kinda, I, I can see a lot of what is already about to unfold.   Miko Lee: [00:21:43] And do you still dream about that experience of being on the boat as a kid?    Chi Thai: [00:21:52] It's, it's a really difficult thing to explain because you know that that happened now so long ago, and I've probably heard the story thousands of times. I've watched all the terrible Hollywood movies, I've seen all the news clippings, I've watched all the archive. I've listened to, you know, people talk, and I have my own memories and I look at photographs and I have memories of looking at photographs. I feel like, you know, my memory is really unreliable, but what it is instead is it's this, this kind of, kind of tapestry of, you know, of the story of memories, of, you know, images as I grow up of hearing the story, like all coming together. One of the things I did when I wrote, I wrote The Endless Sea, is I then went back to my mom and I did a recorded interview with her 'cause I was really worried about how unreliable my memory might be. And I interviewed her and I asked a lot of questions and I said, and I, it was like, you know, in the way I would've just like listened to the story quite passively before this time I interviewed her and I asked a lot of questions about details and all sorts of things. 'cause I really wanted to be able to represent things, you know, as factually as I could. And that was kinda one of my kinda kind of fact checking kinda exercises I did 'cause I was, I was much quite worried about how unreliable my memory was about it all. And you know, what is, what is a memory of a memory of memory, like, you know, especially when it comes to thinking about that time on the boat and the feelings I had. Yeah. So, you know,    Miko Lee: [00:23:34] and you were so young also to    Chi Thai: [00:23:37] Totally 100%. And sometimes, I don't know, you know, is it a memory of a memory? Is it a dream of a dream?   Miko Lee: [00:23:44] Mm-hmm.    Chi Thai: [00:23:44] Or just some, yeah.   Miko Lee: [00:23:46] Was there anything that your mom said that surprised you?    Chi Thai: [00:23:50] Yeah. Um, she didn't realize how bad it was gonna be and she was like, “God, if it, I'd known how terrifying it was I dunno if I, we could have done it.” I think there's a certain amount of naivety involved and I suppose that surprised me. You know? 'cause we know already now how bad it was. Um, so things like that surprised me.    Miko Lee: [00:24:15] and your mom, the dedication of the book is to your mom. What does she think when she first read it?    Chi Thai: [00:24:22] I've got a funny story. My parents, you know, they, we left, they were in their early twenties and I think it was, you know, the escape was hard for them, but settling in new country was really hard for them. That's. That's been kind of their struggle. They had to work so hard, so many hours to kind of, you know, give us a great life. And, I think a lot of that meant they weren't people that could go out, enjoy, enjoy movies, look at art, read lots of literature and things like that. They're very, very simple, very working class. Simple life or working class kinda life. Very much all about, uh, the work. Um, and I remember when I had a, the publisher had made like a mockup of the book and I gave it to my mum to read 'cause I wanted her to be happy about it too, and she's probably been my toughest critic. I think everything I've done, she hasn't really liked, to be honest. Um, and when I gave her the mockup to read. She went, “Yeah,” but she said it in such a way I knew what she meant was Yeah, that's right. You know, that's the truth. That's the, you know, the book isn't the testimony, but it felt like she was saying yeah. It was like the simple kind of approval. It wasn't like a lot    Miko Lee: [00:25:50] That is the most Asian mom's approval ever.    Chi Thai: [00:25:54] It's so funny, like people say to me, oh Chi, it's such a beautiful book. Oh, the writing so lit, like lyrical. It's stripped back, it's elegant. Like, you know, Viet Thanh Nguyen , like God bless his like consults, gave me a comment to put in the book, said these wonderful things, and my mom goes, “yeah.”. You know, it made me laugh at the time, but I knew what it meant. And I also was old enough, I was mature enough, you know, God, if she'd given me that, if I'd been 20 written that I might have cried and my heart might have broken. Right. But I, I knew I had, I've so much compassion, you know, for my parents. Mm-hmm. And people like my parents, what they've been through and, you know, but    Miko Lee: [00:26:38] That was incredibly high praise for her.    Chi Thai: [00:26:40] It was, I couldn't have asked more.   Miko Lee: [00:26:47] Oh, I totally get that. I think that's such an Asian thing. That is so funny.    Chi Thai: [00:26:53] It is, it is. I didn't feel bad. I, I remember showing her Lullaby, um, and she didn't like it at all.    Miko Lee: [00:27:02] What did she say? What is her not like voice? What did she say to that?    Chi Thai: [00:27:05] Oh, she. Well, firstly, she, well, the, the film is almost silent because basically it tells a story. It's inspired by a mother that was on our boat who lost her baby on the border crossing, and I was very much ever, for as long as I knew about this woman's story, I was like, I was very much haunted by it, and I was haunted by, you know, the fact that that's how she felt and her guilt. Over losing her baby on this journey. And I knew, I knew I wanted to tell her story. 'cause one of the things I feel very strongly about is when you are on the losing side. So I'm from South Vietnam, like that's not the, you know, that's not the story that's told, the story is told of who triumphs at the end of the day. And I was just like all those people that we lost at sea, this mother, her baby. The stories kind of aren't told. So I kind of felt really strongly that this was somehow a very creative way to put down like a, an historical record like this happened. And actually I found out after making the film that five babies were lost in our boat, not just one.   Miko Lee: [00:28:24] Wow. So what did she say, your mom say?   Chi Thai: [00:28:28] Yes. So I made this film, which was for the most part, a silent film. This is a woman that's shut down. She barely speaks anymore. She is living with the guilt ever. You know, when she was on the boat before her baby died, she sang a lullaby, and ever since then, she hasn't been able to speak again. And then we find out that she has been haunted by the ghost of her child that she lost. And then a bit too, you know, to kind of free herself from that. She, she actually sings, you know, the, the film culminates in her singing the Luby one last time. S saying Goodbye finally being able to move beyond her Gild and I Griffin, saying goodbye and hoping she's able to, you know, progress. So I made a film about that was largely silence except for this lullaby, and my mum watched it. She went, next time you make a film, you know you need more words. I was just like, oh, I think my heart probably did crumple off a bit a bit at that point.    Miko Lee: [00:29:30] Aw.    Chi Thai: [00:29:31] You know? Um, but yeah. But yeah, it's okay. It's okay because you know what? My mom doesn't get to see stuff like that very often. So sometimes she doesn't have the wider, and this is why, I mean, like, the life that she's had, you know, hasn't been one where she's been able to surround herself with, oh, I'm so lucky. You know, my life has been so different, but it's been different. Different because of, you know what she's, what she's done for us, so it's okay. I can take it on the chin when she says my film doesn't have enough dialogue in it.    Miko Lee: [00:30:04] I love that. For you, have you had conversations with your mom about your life as an artist, and what are her thoughts on that?   Chi Thai: [00:30:16] Well say. So I, so my mom, I don't really like, you know, she's probably not that into it. I'll be honest about being an artist. I can understand why she wants you to have a good life. And I would say for the most part, being an artist is, is a, is a tough life because it's hard to make, you know, the, the pennies work, right?   Miko Lee: [00:30:44] She wants stability for you, right?    Chi Thai: [00:30:45] Yeah, exactly. But she's made a peace with it. And basically what happened, I think all the best story is gonna be about my mom, right? Is that she basically, I, I, um, I have a partner, we've been together for 15 years. Um, he's a really nice guy and he has a reliable job and we have two kids together and i,    Miko Lee: [00:31:08] So that makes it okay.   Chi Thai: [00:31:10] So yeah, this is what I was saying. So she said to me like. It doesn't really matter what you do now. 'cause she, you are already peaked. You're somebody's wife. We're not married. But she told everyone in Vietnam we were married 'cause she couldn't cope with this not being like having kids out of wedlock. In her head. She's rewritten that we are married. Right. She's like, you are married, you're somebody's wife and you mother, it doesn't get better than that. So if you are an artist or if you're a filmmaker, whatever, it doesn't matter. 'cause nothing can be better than that. Right. So she's accepted on the basis that I've already fulfilled, kind of my promise.   Miko Lee: [00:31:46] Wow. Interesting.    Chi Thai: [00:31:50] And she means that in the nicest possible way.    Miko Lee: [00:31:52] Yeah.    Chi Thai: [00:31:52] That she feels like you have a home, you have stability, you have someone who loves you, you know, you have a, a purpose in life, but really her value, you know, the way, I think, the way she measures my value is like, that's how she looks at it. The, the art is something else.    Miko Lee: [00:32:10] Well, I really appreciate you sharing your art with us in the world and your various, um, genres and styles. And I'm wondering how our audience can find out more about your work. Clearly we'll put links to where people can buy the book and let's see, but how do they find out more about your films?   Chi Thai: [00:32:28] Um, so that like, because it is the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War in 2025. Actually the very anniversary of that is the tomorrow, the 30th, April, right? Um, you can watch Lullaby on Altar, which is a YouTube channel. Um, and I can give you the link for it. Rating Grace is on Paramount Plus if you want to, if you've got Paramount Plus, but you can also buy it from all the usual kind of places too. Um, and you know, and we'll see us from all great book stockists, I imagine in, in the us.   Miko Lee: [00:33:07] Thank you so much. Um, I'd love to get, I'd love for you to send me the link so I could put 'em in the show notes. I really appreciate chatting with you today. Um, is there anything else you'd like to share?    Chi Thai: [00:33:19] Um, no, I think, I think that's good. Your, your questions are so good. Mika, I'm already like, kinda like processing them all. Uh, yes.    Miko Lee: [00:33:30] Well, it was a delight to chat with you and to learn more about your artistic vision, and my wishes are that you continue to grow and feel blessed no matter what your mama says, because deep down, she's still proud of you. Even if she doesn't say it out loud.    Chi Thai: [00:33:47] I believe it. I totally believe it.    Miko Lee: [00:33:50] Yay. Thank you so much for spending time with us on Apex Express.Next up, listen to stay, go from dark heart, a concert narrative by singer and songwriter Golda Sargento.   MUSIC   That was the voice of Golda Sargento from the new Filipino futurism punk rock sci-fi dark heart. Welcome, Livia Blackburne Children's book, author of Nainai's Mountain. Welcome to Apex Express.    Livia Blackburne: [00:38:56] Thank you so much for having me.    Miko Lee: [00:38:58] I wanna start with a personal question, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?    Livia Blackburne: [00:39:05] I am Chinese American, and so I carry the stories of my grandparents who fled China to Taiwan, fled that war. And I also carry the stories of my parents and myself who immigrated. To America, and I am, I grew up in New Mexico, so I have fond memories of green chili and new Mexican food. I went to college, Harvard and MIT on the east coast. So I've got a bit of that kind of ivory tower. And now I'm in LA and, you know, my people are, my family and my community, the writing community here. So I, I'm a big mix. Yes.    Miko Lee: [00:39:44] What legacy do you carry with you?    Livia Blackburne: [00:39:47] I mentioned a bit of my grandparents and my parents. What they went through in the war in China, and then my parents and me coming here. the experience of being here in two worlds, coming from Taiwan having that cultural background and also, growing up in the United States. The culture I've been surrounded with here as well.    Miko Lee: [00:40:06] Thank you so much for sharing. Can you tell us about your new illustrated children's book? Nainai's Mountain. What inspired this work?    Livia Blackburne: [00:40:14] The story of this book actually started with another book that is coming out in a couple years that actually I can't share too much about. My grandparents fled the war in China and then my. Parents grew up in Taiwan and I wanted to preserve that family story. My parents are getting older. So I started doing oral interviews with my parents about their childhood, what it was like, growing up. I wouldn't say they weren't refugees in Taiwan. It's a very complicated political situation, but they were transplants to Taiwan, and what it was like growing up there, their daily life. What kind of things they did when they were a child, their pastimes, I wanted to preserve their stories and I got a lot of great material., A lot of that is going into a novel that I'm currently working on. But also as I worked on it, there were so many great details that I thought would be really good in a picture book as well. Also, I'm a mother now. I have an 8-year-old daughter, and she is half Caucasian, half Asian. She has never gone to Taiwan before and I. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking, it would be really great to, I do want to share Taiwan and, my own childhood, home with her at some point. And so I start imagining what would it be like to bring her back to Taiwan and show her everything. And that became the seed for Nainai's Mountain, which is a. Story of a girl visiting Taiwan for the first time with her grandmother. And her grandmother shows her around and tells her stories about her childhood, and the girl through her grandmother's eyes, sees Taiwan, you know, for the beautiful place that it is.    Miko Lee: [00:41:56] You also wrote the book I Dream of Popo. How are these companions to each other and also for audiences that might not speak Chinese. One is a grandmother on the mother's side, and the other is the grandmother on the father's side. Can you talk about how I dream of Popo is linked to Nainai's Mountain?   Livia Blackburne: [00:42:15] Thank you for pointing that out. Yes. So Popo is maternal grandmother, and Nainai is a paternal grandmother. And that is a fantastic question. So I dream of popo is kind of my story. So it's about a little girl who moves from Taiwan , to the United States and it's about her relationship with her grandmother who stays in Taiwan. And it talks about, how a close relationship, navigating long geographical distances about the language barrier that comes up. And that was very much me, Nainai's Mountain. It's kind of like Popo in reverse, you know, it's now it's someone going back to Taiwan and kind of getting in touch with those roots. That, as I mentioned, that's inspired by my daughter. And you'll see in Nainai's Mountain, I specified that the child should be, half Asian, half Caucasian. Because, I wanted more of that representation in the children's literature.    Miko Lee: [00:43:07] Thank you. I, I wonder if you could talk a little bit about the artistic style. So you are the author, but you had different illustrators for both of the books and the style is really different. The in, when I look at Nainai's Mountain, which I'm holding here, it's sort of collage and really vibrant colors. Where I Dream of Popo has a different, more. I'm almost realistic, kind of look to it. And I'm wondering what your process was like in collaborating with illustrators.    Livia Blackburne: [00:43:37] That's one of the best things about being a picture book author, is that you get to collaborate with so many illustrators and they all have such different styles, such different visions. Most of the time it's the publisher who chooses the illustrator, although they. Consult me usually. My editor for I Dream of Popo picked Julia Kuo. And she sent me samples and I loved it. And, it was great. I'm friends with Julia now and that book did really well. It was very well known, especially in kind of Taiwanese American, Asian American circles. And so when I did, Nainai's mountain, that was with a different publishing house and my editor. He very consciously said, you know, because it's also a book about Taiwan and a grandmother. We don't want to get it confused with I dream of Popo. So, we made a conscious decision to pick an artist with a very different style and Joey Chou is fantastic. He's very well known for his Disney art. You can see his art in a lot of the hotels and cruise ships. And, he, very bright, vibrant, and I, he's also from Taiwan. I think he did a fantastic job.   Miko Lee: [00:44:41] And have the artistic work ever surprised you as being really different from your imagination while you were writing?    Livia Blackburne: [00:44:48] That's a great question. I don't think they've ever surprised me. By being different. They surprised me in the specifics that they've chosen. For example, I dream of Popo. Julia, spent a lot of time in Taiwan and she put in these great, Taiwan details that, you know, if you're from Taiwan, you would know for sure. There's like a specific brand of rice cooker called the rice cooker, and she has one there and like the giant bag of rice in the corner, and the calendar on the wall.   Miko Lee: [00:45:16] Even the specificities of the food and the trays and everything is quite lovely.    Livia Blackburne: [00:45:20] Yeah, yeah. You know, every time I read that, I look at that spread, I get hungry. So surprise there. And, with Joey, I, I love how he does the different, there's kind of flashback pictures and there's, pictures now and. The thing about him, his color, I just love the color that he put in from the greens, of Taiwan to kind of the bright fluorescent lights, neon lights of Taipei, and then there's kind of the slight sepia tones of the past and he just, you know, brings it so to life so well.   Miko Lee: [00:45:49] I didn't know he was a Disney animator, but it totally makes sense because it feels very layered. It does feel animated in a way and kind of alive. So I appreciate that.   Livia Blackburne: [00:45:59] I'm not sure. If he's an animator. He does a lot of art for the theme parks and like products and the cruise ships and stuff. I'm not sure.    Miko Lee: [00:46:07] Oh, interesting.   Livia Blackburne: [00:46:07] He does like movies and  stuff.    Miko Lee: [00:46:08] Interesting. It looks like animation though. Your book.    Livia Blackburne: [00:46:13] It does look very, yeah. Lively. Mm-hmm.    Miko Lee: [00:46:16] That I'm looking forward to that series. That would be so cute. The grandmother series as a whole little mini series traveling to different places. can you tell us about your new book, Dreams to Ashes? Has that been released yet?   Livia Blackburne: [00:46:29] Dreams to Ashes? That has been released that, released about a month before Nainai's Mountain. Yeah, that one's quite a bit different. So that one is a nonfiction book and it's a picture book, and it's about the Los Angeles massacre of 1871. Whenever people, I tell people about that, they're like, wait, you wrote a picture book about a massacre? Which is slightly counterintuitive. So I never knew about the Los Angeles massacre growing up. And, and, given that I am a Chinese person in Los Angeles, that is kind of weird. Basically, it was a race massacre that occurred. One of the biggest mass lynchings in history, uh, where there was a between two rival Chinese organizations and a white bystander was killed. And because of that, , a mob formed and they rounded the Chinese population up basically. And. Blame them for that death. In the end, 18 Chinese men were killed and only one of them were involved in the original gunfight. It was a horrible tragedy. And unfortunately, as often happened with these kind of historical tragedies in our country, nobody was really punished for it. A few men were indicted and convicted, but their convictions were overturned and it just kind of disappeared into history. And it really struck me that, you know, nobody knew about this. I wanted to kind of bring this to light and unfortunately when I was writing it, it was also, during the Covid pandemic and, I was seeing a lot of anti-Asian rhetoric, anti-Asian hate crimes were going up. And I saw so many parallels between what happened. Back then, because, you know, Chinese people specifically were being vilified , they were being called immoral, stealing people's jobs. And you can see in the years before the massacre the newspapers were saying horrible things and, you know, the hate was just becoming very strong and all that exploded one night into an unspeakable tragedy. Unfortunately as an author, you want your work to be relevant, but sometimes you don't want your work to be relevant in this way. Right. Nowadays I'm seeing so much rhetoric again against immigrants and not of many ethnicities. And in some ways I'm sad. That, this is happening now. And I also hope that this book will contribute to the conversation and show how the danger of racism and xenophobia and hate and what, what can happen because of that.   Miko Lee: [00:48:55] So this occurred in the late 1800s, right? Was it before the Chinese Exclusion Act?    Livia Blackburne: [00:49:03] Yes, it was before the Chinese Exclusion Act. So you'd hope that people kinda learn from these things. And it was just kind of one of the, one of the horrible things that happened on the way to the Chinese Exclusion Act and Chinese immigrants being excluded basically Chinese laborers at least.   Miko Lee: [00:49:23] Oh wow. Okay. I'm looking this up now. And 1882 we know was the Chinese Exclusion Act and this incident actually happened in 1871. Yes. A decade beforehand, Helen Zia always talks about these moments that are missing. MIH missing in history and this is clearly another one of, another time of just wiping out a population.I'm wondering if you could speak a little bit more about how Children's Books can make a difference in the world that we're currently living in, where our government is banning books and you know that there's a narratives that they want to align with a certain kind of conservative ideology. Can you talk about the power of being a Children's Book author in this time that we're living in right now? . I'm really thinking about dreams to Ashes and even I dream of Popo and even Nainai's Mountain, which you would think, oh, they're, you, they're visiting their grandparent, their grandmothers, that would not be controversial. But now when even words like inclusion and diversity are threatened and books are being banned, I'm just wondering if you could. Share a little bit more about your superpower as a children's book author?    Livia Blackburne: [00:50:31] Yeah, that's a fantastic question. We live in a time right now, there's, a lot of hate, a lot of intolerance, a lot of fear of different people groups. And a lot of that I think is because people are unfamiliar with people unlike themselves. They see. People who are different, look differently, act differently, speak differently, and it scares them. And I think the best way to get around that is to actually get to know people of other backgrounds, to see them as human. And I think that's where children's books come in. ‘Cause we don't, children are not born. With this hate of the other. They learn it. But, if they grow up being familiar with people of different backgrounds seeing their stories seeing them as, normal human beings, which, should be obvious, but sometimes it's hard, for adults to realize. Then, I'm hoping, as a children's book author that it will lead to a more empathetic world. And perhaps that's why the government sometimes in certain groups are wanting to, censor this and control the flow of children's books because, children are the most their minds are still open. They're still able to learn.    Miko Lee: [00:51:48] And Livia, tell us what you're working on next.   Livia Blackburne: [00:51:53] So right now I am. Working on a historical middle grade. We haven't quite announced it yet, so I can't say the title or too many details, but it is based on my family history of my parents and grandparents who moved from China to Taiwan after the civil War.   Miko Lee: [00:52:12] Please check out our website, kpfa.org. To find out more about our show tonight. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. Apex Express is created by Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee, Preti Mangala-Shekar, Swati Rayasam, Aisa Villarosa, Estella Owoimaha-Church, Gabriel Tanglao, Cheryl Truong and Ayame Keane-Lee.   The post APEX Express – 6.19.25 We Are All Connected appeared first on KPFA.

Formosa: Fulcrum of the Future?An invasion of Taiwan is uncomfortably likely and potentially catastrophic. We should research better ways to avoid it. TLDR: I forecast that an invasion of Taiwan increases all the anthropogenic risks by ~1.5% (percentage points) of a catastrophe killing 10% or more of the population by 2100 (nuclear risk by 0.9%, AI + Biorisk by 0.6%). This would imply it constitutes a sizable share of the total catastrophic risk burden expected over the rest of this century by skilled and knowledgeable forecasters (8% of the total risk of 20% according to domain experts and 17% of the total risk of 9% according to superforecasters). I think this means that we should research ways to cost-effectively decrease the likelihood that China invades Taiwan. This could mean exploring the prospect of advocating that Taiwan increase its deterrence by investing in cheap but lethal weapons platforms [...] ---Outline:(00:13) Formosa: Fulcrum of the Future?(02:04) Part 0: Background(03:44) Part 1: Invasion -- uncomfortably possible.(08:33) Part 2: Why an invasion would be bad(10:27) 2.1 War and nuclear war(19:20) 2.2. The end of cooperation: AI and Bio-risk(22:44) 2.3 Appeasement or capitulation and the end of the liberal-led order: Value risk(26:04) Part 3: How to prevent a war(29:39) 3.1. Diplomacy: speaking softly(31:21) 3.2. Deterrence: carrying a big stick(34:16) Toy model of deterrence(37:58) Toy cost-effectiveness of deterrence(41:13) How to cost-effectively increase deterrence(43:30) Risks of a deterrence strategy(44:12) 3.3. What can be done?(44:42) How tractable is it to increase deterrence?(45:43) A theory of change for philanthropy increasing Taiwan's military deterrence(45:56) en-US-AvaMultilingualNeural__ Flow chart showing policy influence between think tanks and Taiwan security outcomes.(48:55) 4. Conclusion and further work(50:53) With more time(52:00) Bonus thoughts(52:09) 1. Reminder: a catastrophe killing 10% or more of humanity is pretty unprecedented(53:06) 2. Where's the Effective Altruist think tank for preventing global conflict?(54:11) 3. Does forecasting risks based on scenarios change our view on the likelihood of catastrophe?The original text contained 16 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: June 15th, 2025 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/qvzcmzPcR5mDEhqkz/an-invasion-of-taiwan-is-uncomfortably-likely-potentially --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

最貼近大眾的軍事節目《國防在線急》上線囉

In March of 2016, 36 year old Claire Wang was out with her 4 year old daughter on a walk along the Neihu District of Taipei, Taiwan. The child, nicknamed "Little Light Bulb" by her parents, was pushing her bike along the road when Claire noticed a man coming up casually from behind. But before she could do anything, the man reached into his bag, pulled out a cleaver, and changed their lives forever. Part 1 - We explore the horrifying events as they unfolded on that fateful March day in 2016, as well as the man behind the heinous crime. Part 2 - We dig further into the motive behind the vicious crime, as well as the ramifications following the trial and sentencing. Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out:

In this conversation, Aadil Brar and Saheb Singh Chadha examine how China's strategic behavior across the India-China border, Taiwan Strait, and South China Sea reflects a broader effort to create regional influence and redefine border security under Xi Jinping. Aadil explains how Beijing frames these actions as issues of national sovereignty, using military presence and political rhetoric to entrench its claims.They explore the “chain reaction” thesis, which suggests that China prepares for simultaneous tensions on multiple fronts in anticipation of external responses—especially in the event of a Taiwan contingency. This perspective, Aadil argues, helps explain China's sustained activity along the LAC.The discussion also delves into China's efforts to normalize military exercises around Taiwan, making it harder to distinguish military exercises from wartime operations. While these tactics project strength, they may also be prompting diplomatic recalibration as China confronts the strategic consequences of its assertiveness.Episode ContributorsAadil Brar is a TV reporter for TaiwanPlus News based in Taipei. Prior to this, he was the China News Reporter for Newsweek and wrote columns for The Print India. His experience includes working with the BBC World Service and National Geographic, covering topics such as international affairs, geopolitics, environmental conservation, and border conflicts. In 2016, he received the National Geographic Young Explorer Grant.Saheb Singh Chadha is a senior research analyst in the Security Studies Program at Carnegie India. His research focuses on China's foreign and security policies, India-China relations, and India's military modernization. He is broadly interested in the geopolitics of South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.Additional ReadingsViews From Taipei: Essays by Young Indian Scholars on China by Vijay Gokhale, Suyash Desai, Amit Kumar, and Aadil Brar Every two weeks, Interpreting India brings you diverse voices from India and around the world to explore the critical questions shaping the nation's future. We delve into how technology, the economy, and foreign policy intertwine to influence India's relationship with the global stage.As a Carnegie India production, hosted by Carnegie scholars, Interpreting India, a Carnegie India production, provides insightful perspectives and cutting-edge by tackling the defining questions that chart India's course through the next decade.Stay tuned for thought-provoking discussions, expert insights, and a deeper understanding of India's place in the world.Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review to join the conversation and be part of Interpreting India's journey.

This Saturday, BENN - a Taipei-based producer, DJ and founder of Over My Body dance label - is taking over our Select series with a one-hour mix of his recent productions and current favourites, blending Asian influences with sharp broken beats. The set features tunes like ‘Shiny Surgery' by Cortical and ‘Veil of Dusk' by Yes Reven. BENN has been igniting dancefloors across several continents with his symbolic, explosive energy and avant-garde club productions. Over the past few years, BENN released several EPs and participated in many compilations from different labels worldwide, each showcasing an evolution of his technique, from synesthesia's tribal futurism to the organic natural pulses of Entheos.

In March of 2016, 36 year old Claire Wang was out with her 4 year old daughter on a walk along the Neihu District of Taipei, Taiwan. The child, nicknamed "Little Light Bulb" by her parents, was pushing her bike along the road when Claire noticed a man coming up casually from behind. But before she could do anything, the man reached into his bag, pulled out a cleaver, and changed their lives forever. Part 1 - We explore the horrifying events as they unfolded on that fateful March day in 2016, as well as the man behind the heinous crime. Part 2 - We dig further into the motive behind the vicious crime, as well as the ramifications following the trial and sentencing. Join your fellow Heinous fans and interact with the team at our website or through our socials (IG, TikTok) @heinous_1upmedia. - Love Heinous? But feel its getting too dark for you? Check out:

In this episode, we're joined by journalist and seasoned traveler Katherine Fan for a heartfelt conversation about visiting Taiwan—one of Asia's most underrated and welcoming destinations. Katherine shares her personal connection to the island and offers practical tips for planning a meaningful and efficient trip.We talk about why Taiwan is a great choice for families and solo travelers, from its safety and public transit to its rich culture and incredible food scene. Katherine walks us through itinerary ideas, must-visit cities, outdoor adventures, and, of course, the night markets.We also dive into travel logistics, including visa-free entry for U.S. passport holders, booking hotels with points, and using tools like MaxMyPoints and Time Shifter to streamline your trip. Whether you're heading to the hot springs, hiking a national park, or sipping bubble tea in Taipei, this episode will get you inspired and prepared.ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR FREE HOP ON HOP OFF BUS PASSESKatherine's SubstackSubmit Your Summer Roadtrip Series Story HEREFacebook GroupSponsors For This Episode30% off the CardPointers subscription!Find Us On InstagramMary Ellen | Jo | KatherineMentioned in this EpisodeAntarctica Episode with KatherineHelpful LinksTravel and Leisure ArticleSheraton Grand TaipeiSongshan Cultural ParkAffiliate LinksCredit Card Affiliate LinksThe above link includes referrals for almost all travel cards (AMEX, CapitalOne, co-branded cards)If you need Chase links please reach out! We would be happy to send you our personal referral links or the Daily Drop newsletter link that will allow you to access our affiliate links.We receive a small commission when you use our links. This is an amazing way to show your support for the show at no cost to you ❤️

Some have called Taipei a “mini-Shanghai.” If true, the emphasis might need to be on the word “mini.” The population of the greater Shanghai area is nearly 30 million, some six million more than the number of people who live in Taiwan. Yet, there are some interesting similarities – which mostly aren't accidental. When CKS and the Nationalists took control in 1945, and then made Taipei the "ROC Provisional Capital" on December 7th, 1949, the new rulers began to shape Taipei in an image modeled in many ways after Shanghai. John Ross (world traveler that he is) has never been to this sprawling city, but Mark Kitto (English actor and author, most recently of China Running Dog, lived and worked there for around a decade. Mark and John discuss the Shanghai-Taipei connection via talking about and reading from the book, Last Boat Out of China, a tale of a family fleeing Red China and “temporarily” seeking shelter in Taipei.  

In this episode of The Grant Williams Podcast, I talk with with cybersecurity expert and author Dmitri Alperovitch to discuss his book, ‘World on the Brink,' and the escalating risk of conflict between China and Taiwan. Dmitri, who forecast Russia's invasion of Ukraine, draws striking parallels between Vladimir Putin's motivations and those now driving Xi Jinping's ambitions toward Taiwan, identifying five recurring factors—distorted historical narratives, belief in national destiny, security imperatives, personal ego, and the urgency of aging leaders—that are converging once again, this time in East Asia. The conversation examines concrete evidence of China's preparations for a potential invasion, from military training sites in Inner Mongolia replicating Taipei's streets, to sophisticated cyber campaigns targeting US infrastructure, and the construction of landing craft engineered for amphibious assaults and Dmitri argues that Taiwan's significance extends well beyond its semiconductor industry; control of the island would enable China to project power across the Pacific, fundamentally altering the regional balance and eroding U.S. influence. Dmitri calls for urgent strategic measures, including decoupling from China in critical technologies and forming a new economic alliance—TAME (Treaty of Allied Market Economies)—to help smaller nations withstand Chinese pressure, and he contends that Western responses to China are not provocations, but long-overdue reactions to years of aggression and intellectual property theft. With a potential invasion window between 2028 and 2032, the discussion underscores the need for robust deterrence, stronger alliances, and strategic competition to preserve stability in the region. Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper, Silver and Gold Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com.  Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm… Gold Tier subscribers have access to my new series of in-depth video conversations, About Time.

Maxwell Lee's Malaysian immigrant parents first put a violin in his hands when he was just three years old, but he soon demonstrated that he had precocious and exceptioinal musical abilities that he would later display as a classical pianist. As he focused on his music in college and graduate school, he seemed destined to make music his career path, either as a performer or an instructor. But after getting married, he dropped music altogether, becoming a successful real estate investor instead. A few years ago, however, he learned that the musician inside of him was slowly waking up. He and his family moved to Taipei, Taiwan, and he secured a coveted 3-year visa for foreign professionals.  This is Part 1 of a special series where Maxwell has graciously agreed to let us tag along with him on his dream to become a professional, performing musician. For now, you can follow him on Facebook. In Part 2, I'll share one of his latest original songs!

Around the World with Hello Kitty Episode 59: Show Notes. When EVA Air released its Hello Kitty livery on a 777-300ER, we just knew we had to hop on! Today, 10 years later, we reflect on our EVA Air Hello Kitty trip and why this particular adventure is still one of our most memorable. We discuss how we became aware of the Hello Kitty jet, the near-disaster of our first connection, and the wonder of our in-flight experience with Hello Kitty branding, literally, everywhere! Then, we examine our itinerary, which included stops in Taiwan, Bangkok, Vientiane, Laos, and Singapore, before detailing our experience of the Crowne Plaza Vientiane and other attractions Laos had to offer. We also learn of Tom's unlikely affair with beer, his aversion to Thai foot massages, why we're definitely going to do an entire Fifth Freedom Flight episode, and why taxis in Singapore may have saved Trevor's marriage. To end, we share fond—and socially unacceptable— memories of the entire Lufthansa First-Class (drink!) service, and we rank our Hello Kitty trip as a complete travel experience worthy of high praise. Key Points From This Episode: [00:00] Setting the tone and reintroducing the Drinking Word of the Day. [02:25] Why our Hello Kitty trip from 10 years ago is one of our most memorable adventures.  [03:25] How we found EVA Air's Hello Kitty jet, and our first boarding debacle.   [07:29] Our onboard experience – so much better than the average 777 flight!   [10:59] Unpacking our slog of an itinerary, and everything we remember about Taipei.  [15:00] Flying to Bangkok and Laos, the Crowne Plaza Vientiane, and activities in Laos.   [21:15] The COPE Visitor Centre, the Mekong River, and beer with ice cubes. [27:25] A rooftop bar in Bangkok, Thai foot massages, and a Freedom Flight to Singapore.     [31:13] Why taxis are a better option than mass transit in Singapore.   [33:30] Lufthansa First-Class (drink!), and the most interesting purser we've encountered.  [40:03] More love for everything Lufthansa First-Class (drink!) has to offer.  [43:34] The joys of having a premium experience in the final leg of your trip.  [45:14] Ranking our Hello Kitty trip: A wonderful experience from beginning to end.   Quotes: “Everything was Hello Kitty. You had the Hello Kitty-imprinted butter. You had Hello Kitty signage everywhere. Even the toilet paper in the lavatory was Hello Kitty.” — @tmount [08:31] “That's probably the only airline experience that I've ever had that has been so complete. It was almost like a Disney World-type experience where they just had everything right; everything aligned to Hello Kitty. I was really impressed with that.” — @tmount [09:09] “Any lounge that provides ice cream – they get an extra star automatically.” — @TktweetsKim [14:43] “I am absolutely not a beer drinker. I actually usually detest the beverage – [but] for the weather, for the environment, [Beerlao] was just the best beverage.” — @TktweetsKim [24:22] “I cannot think of a bad Cathay flight that I've flown.” — @TktweetsKim [29:37] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: EVA Air EVA Air | Hello Kitty Jet Sanrio | The Official Home of Hello Kitty and Friends Lufthansa Thai Airways Bangkok Airways Crowne Plaza Vientiane COPE Visitor Centre Beerlao Lager Cathay Pacific United Airlines The La Première Experience | Air France The Milenomics Podcast Network Thomas Kim on X Trevor Mountcastle on X

Episode 72: Live from Computex in Taipei, we discuss the latest in graphics cards, including how we managed to review the GeForce RTX 5060 from our hotel room, and what we think about the Radeon RX 9060 XT now that it's been officially announced.CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro03:21 - We Reviewed the RTX 5060 in Taiwan19:54 - Thoughts on the 9060 XT Launch37:58 - OutroSUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCASTAudio: https://shows.acast.com/the-hardware-unboxed-podcastVideo: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqT8Vb3jweH6_tj2SarErfwSUPPORT US DIRECTLYPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/hardwareunboxedLINKSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hardwareunboxed/Twitter: https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxedBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hardwareunboxed.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1963, a 32-year-old American grad student in Taipei wrote a newspaper editorial complaining that Taiwanese people were great at treating friends kindly, but kind of awful in public. Within days, he had unintentionally launched a nationwide student movement for civility, morality, and self-awareness. But this student-led push for better manners would also lead to arrests, prison time, and even psychiatric detention.In this episode, we tell the strange true story of the “Self-Awareness Movement,” how it exploded from one opinion piece, and explain how it contributed (or didn't) to Taiwan's public behavior transformation. Listen as we go from the sharp-elbowed chaos at bank counters and bus stops of the 1960s to today's orderly lines and the quiet pride of the MRT.SHOW NOTES, TRANSCRIPTS, pics, links, and more at formosafiles.com

Last time we spoke about the breakthrough on Okinawa. Despite relentless attacks on critical positions like Sugar Loaf Hill and Wana Ridge, American Marines encountered heavy casualties. Yet, they persisted, inching forward against tenacious resistance. As mid-May approached, the situation for Japanese commanders deteriorated. Encircled and suffering significant losses, they began plotting a retreat to more defensible positions. On the ground, Marines battled through mud and enemy fire, showcasing incredible resolve amidst dire circumstances. Communication crumbled, supplies dwindled, and morale waned, yet the determination of both sides was undeniable. By late May, the tides shifted further in favor of the Allies, marking pivotal breakthroughs despite the challenges. Amidst ruin and chaos, the relentless struggle for control over Okinawa symbolized the brutal nature of war and the unwavering spirit of those fighting on both sides, setting the stage for an eventual Allied victory.  This episode is the Fall of Shuri Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  As we last left off, the battle for Okinawa was reaching a critical juncture. General Buckner's 10th Army had made significant gains, successfully breaking through the fortified Japanese defenses on both flanks. The 6th Marine Division, under General Shepherd, had effectively established control over the Naha area, while General Arnold's 7th Division achieved an impressive penetration at Yonabaru. However, despite these advancements, the remainder of the American forces faced formidable obstacles. They were grappling with relentless rain, fierce enemy resistance, and severe supply shortages, which left them effectively stalled in front of Shuri. In response to the encroaching American forces, General Ushijima had dispatched General Fujioka's 62nd Division to launch a counter-offensive aimed at driving the invaders out of Yonabaru. Meanwhile, Ushijima was preparing his 32nd Army for a strategic withdrawal south to the Kiyamu Peninsula. Fortunately for the Americans, they had caught wind of the defenders' intentions. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, on May 27, General Buckner ordered his troops to apply strong and unrelenting pressure on the enemy. The goal was clear: keep the Japanese forces off balance and prevent an easy transition to new defensive positions. Although the continuing downpour hindered the possibility of a large-scale, coordinated army-wide attack, it did not deter Buckner's strategy. Instead, he initiated a series of strong combat patrols along the front lines, which immediately encountered stiff resistance from Japanese troops that had not yet begun their withdrawal. On the west coast, as patrols from Colonel Roberts' 22nd Marines scouted the area, they discovered that the Japanese had largely abandoned Naha. This news spurred the 2nd Battalion into action. They crossed the Asato River, moved through the lines established by Shepherd's Reconnaissance Company, and pressed deeper into the western part of Naha. Simultaneously, Colonel Shapley's 4th Marines made their last desperate push to extend American control into eastern Naha, fighting valiantly against the entrenched enemy. Farther east, Colonel Finn's 32nd Regiment once again faced fierce resistance from the hastily committed 62nd Division, which staunchly defended its position. However, not all was lost; patrols from Colonel Green's 184th Regiment managed to reach Inasomi, meeting only scattered resistance. This breakthrough provided a crucial indication that the enemy had no intention of withdrawing into the Chinen Peninsula. As the clocks struck midnight, a significant yet largely unnoticed transition occurred in the waters off Okinawa: Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet relieved Admiral Spruance's 5th Fleet. For the troops ashore, this change in command went by without a hint of recognition. The same ships and task groups continued their crucial support for ground operations, now operating under new numerical designations and leadership. However, Halsey faced an immediate challenge as Admiral Ugaki launched an extensive Kikisui attack, a large-scale kamikaze assault involving 110 enemy aircraft. The day of May 27 proved costly, with three destroyers, one destroyer minesweeper, two transports, one subchaser, and two auxiliary ships all suffering damage. The following morning brought clear skies, which only heightened the danger for American naval forces. Several kamikaze aircraft succeeded in sinking the destroyer USS Drexler, while also inflicting damage on a transport ship, three freighters, and a landing craft throughout the day. Meanwhile, on land, Colonel Whaling's rehabilitated 29th Marines took over from the battered 4th Marines along the west coast. The 1st Battalion executed a concerted attack alongside the 22nd Marines, advancing successfully by 250 yards through the rubble-strewn city of Naha. In an impressive display of momentum, Roberts' men pushed forward unopposed toward the Kokuba estuary, eventually encountering resistance near Ono-Yama Island. To the east, the improvement in weather allowed Colonel Mason's 1st Marines to launch a coordinated offensive. The 2nd Battalion fought valiantly, climbing to the peak of 110 Meter Hill. The forward elements of Company E gained the hill crest but were forced to withdraw by vicious enemy fire which raked their positions. Lieutenant Colonel Magee felt that his depleted battalion, down to a total strength of 277 men in the rifle companies, might recapture the hill, but "it could not possibly hold it against a strong enemy counterattack." Although new replacements were available to regiments for training or other use, a division order prevented their being sent to front line units during a battle situation that called for the utmost in skill and knowledge of veterans. Throughout most of the morning and all of the afternoon, 2/1 concentrated the fire of its supporting weapons on the reverse slopes of 110 Meter Hill and engaged the Japanese in a fierce and continuous fire fight. Nightfall brought no cessation of enemy resistance, and many infiltrators were killed in the battalion's lines. In contrast, the 3rd Battalion experienced relatively little opposition, allowing some patrols to penetrate into Wana Draw. At the same time, Colonel Griebel's 3rd Battalion effectively moved its front line to the Asato River, while his 1st Battalion achieved a significant milestone by capturing Beehive Hill. However, despite the break in the rain, the conditions on the ground rendered large-scale movements impractical, stalling further advances across the battlefield. Despite Arnold's determined efforts to push west through Fujioka's blocking positions, progress was minimal. Nevertheless, he was able to consolidate his grip on the Ozato hill mass as Green's 2nd Battalion advanced to a position within 1,000 yards of Shinazato, strategically located at the neck of the Chinen Peninsula. The lack of success from the 62nd Division in driving back the breaching American forces reinforced General Ushijima's resolve to evacuate Shuri while the opportunity still existed. In light of this, he ordered the withdrawal to commence the following evening. On May 29, while the 7th Reconnaissance Troop managed to scout a significant portion of the Chinen Peninsula without incident, the 7th and 96th Divisions faced fierce resistance as they attacked toward the road network south of Shuri. The enemy's resolute defense resulted in only minimal gains for the American assault units. General Bruce's 77th Division, after what can be described as "a day almost entirely spent in hand-to-hand combat," found itself unable to penetrate the intense cordon of defensive fire that protected the Japanese positions. In stark contrast, to the west, Griebel's 1st Battalion made a rapid advance, quickly gaining the crest of Shuri Ridge. They launched a bold assault on Shuri Castle. On May 25, as part of the final stages of the Okinawa campaign, the American battleship USS Mississippi bombarded the castle for three days, and by May 27, it was engulfed in flames. That night, the Japanese forces retreated, abandoning Shuri while US troops pursued them southward. The 1st Battalion of the 5th Marines had started its attack on 29 May with Companies B and C in assault and Company A following in trace of Company C. The Marines quickly gained the crest of Shuri Ridge and Lieutenant Colonel Shelburne requested permission for one of his companies to storm Shuri Castle which commanded his position. Although the castle was in the zone of action of the 77th Infantry Division, General del Valle gave his assent to the request in view of the great danger of enemy action from the strong point. The 1st Marine Division commander felt that "at that time the position of the 77th Division was such that it would have taken several hard day's fighting through enemy resistance" before the castle could be taken. Company A drove east along the muddy ridge line, overwhelming the few Japanese in its path, and by 1015 the castle, core of the Shuri bastion, had been secured. The Marine unit entered Shuri through a gap in the covering forces caused by the withdrawal of the 3d Battalion, 15th Independent Mixed Regiment of the 44th Independent Mixed Brigade, in the course of the Japanese retreat from Shuri. This seems to have been the only notable instance of confusion and mistake in the Japanese withdrawal operation as a whole. Everywhere else around Shuri the Japanese still held their covering positions in the front lines. The 77th Division, which had scheduled air strikes and a heavy artillery bombardment on the castle heights for 29 May, received little prior warning of the Marines' assault and "was barely able to avert [its] called strikes in time." Without taking any credit away from Company A of the 5th Marines for its feat of capturing Shuri Castle, its success was clearly the result of the combined effort of all the assault and support troops of Tenth Army which had maintained relentless pressure on the enemy defenses and paved the way for the breakthrough.  Capitalizing on this momentum, General Del Valle swiftly reorganized his forces to bypass Wana Draw and consolidate these crucial gains. Meanwhile, Griebel's 3rd Battalion maneuvered down the division boundary, reaching a position just 2,000 yards from the village of Kokuba, prompting Whaling's 3rd Battalion to push their lines forward by approximately 600 yards. In a coordinated effort, the 29th Marines executed a wheeling assault on 29 May with 1/29 pivoting on 3/29 and attacking south and then east to bring the regiment on line with the 22d Marines. The ultimate objective of the 1st Battalion's attack was the high ground northwest of Shichina. The approach to the objective was over low and open terrain which drew the comment from regiment that it was "about as suitable to fighting as a billiard table." Fire from strong points in tombs and caves on the small hills and ridges to the front kept the advance to a slow pace, and the assault companies, A and C, dug in slightly to the left rear of the positions of the 22d Marines at nightfall. On another front, Roberts' 1st Battalion successfully crossed the Kokuba River and advanced toward Telegraph Hill in east Naha. However, despite their efforts, intense fighting erupted throughout the day without yielding any significant gains. Back at sea, the threat of kamikaze attacks returned with ferocity, yet this time, American defenses held strong, resulting in only a single destroyer and one transport sustaining damage. As night fell, the Japanese began their long-anticipated withdrawal. General Amamiya's 24th Division commenced disengagement, moving southward while leaving a small force, including the 22nd Independent Battalion, to cover their retreat at Shuri. Meanwhile, General Suzuki's 44th Independent Mixed Brigade held their defensive lines outside Naha, and the 62nd Division maintained its positions near Chan and Karadera. By dawn on May 30, the bulk of the 32nd Army had successfully evacuated the Shuri lines, slipping away from the flanking maneuvers of Buckner's 10th Army. Thanks to a continuous curtain of rain, General Ushijima executed a meticulously planned "properly deft withdrawal." His covering forces were strategically positioned to provide him with the necessary time to organize a defensive stance on the Kiyamu Peninsula. However, the Americans, ever vigilant, were quick to capitalize on the enemy's disarray, maintaining relentless pressure on the faltering Japanese front. On the west coast, Roberts' 2nd and 3rd Battalions crossed the canal, seamlessly moving through the 1st Battalion to take up the assault. They pushed forward tenaciously until they captured the entire area encompassing Telegraph Hill and Hill 27. A network of Japanese machine gun positions hidden in the clusters of tombs on the low hills to the Marines' front made progress slow and costly. Enemy machine guns emplaced in burial tombs on Hill 27 in east Naha temporarily checked the infantry. Heavy sniper fire whipped the lines and killed Lieutenant Colonel Woodhouse of 2/22 who was forward controlling his battalion's attack. Major John G. Johnson, the executive officer, took command immediately and continued a steady pressure. During most of the day tanks were unable to reach the position, but in the afternoon three worked their way along the road north of the hill, and their direct fire enabled the marines to seize it. The advance consisted of a series of local assaults and mop-up actions that brought the battalion to secure hill positions overlooking the Kokuba Estuary and the rail line leading to the north by nightfall. Lieutenant Colonel Shisler's 3d Battalion passed through 1/22 during the morning's attack and behind a screen of artillery, mortars, naval gunfire, and rockets drove onto the high ground at the eastern outskirts of Naha. By means of a series of holding attacks and flank assaults, Shisler was able to move his companies into the maze of enemy defenses where close quarter grenade and small-arms exchanges decided the issue. Once the dominating ground was won, the battalion was subjected to intense artillery and mortar fire. At the same time, Whaling's 1st Battalion joined the offensive, encountering fierce resistance as they pressed through 600 yards of enemy territory. To the east, the Marines under Del Valle shifted their focus to vigorous patrolling, as the supply situation gradually improved thanks to dedicated carrying parties and aerial air drops. Despite their efforts, the 306th Regiment's assault on 110 Meter Hill encountered heavy opposition once again. However, Colonel Hamilton's 307th Regiment finally achieved a breakthrough, seizing the strategic Three Sisters. Dorothy Hill, a fortress directly east of Shuri and a tower of strength in the enemy's inner line for the past two weeks, was attacked by the 3d Battalion, 307th Infantry, 77th Division. The first platoon to reach the base of the hill was pinned down by heavy fire, the platoon leader and all noncommissioned officers being wounded. Other platoons maneuvered into position and finally one squad reached the crest at the right end. This entering wedge enabled two companies to reach the top, from which they discovered three levels of caves on the reverse slope. They went to work methodically, moving from right to left along the top level, burning and blasting each cave and dugout, the flame-thrower and satchel-charge men covered by riflemen. When work on the top level was finished, the second level of caves and tunnels received similar treatment, and then the third and lowest level. That night fifteen Japanese who had survived the day's fighting crawled out of the blasted caves and were killed by Americans from their foxholes. A great amount of enemy equipment, including ten destroyed 150-mm- guns and twenty-five trucks, was found on the south (reverse) side of Dorothy Hill, testifying to the enemy fire power at this strong point. On 30 May, the 77th Division also took Jane Hill on its left flank and then almost unopposed took Tom Hill, the highest point of ground in the Shuri area, by 1700. This critical victory paved the way for Colonel Smith's forces to advance into the northern outskirts of Shuri through Ishimmi. In a remarkable display of coordination, Colonel Dill's 382nd Regiment finally secured the strategic Hen Hill and Oboe Hill areas, while also capturing Hector Hill on their left flank. For nine days elements of the 96th Division had been stalemated at the base of Hen Hill, just northeast of Shuri. On the 30th, Company F and one platoon of Company G, 382d Infantry, resumed the attack on Hen Hill. Pfc. Clarence B. Craft, a rifleman from Company G, was sent out ahead with five companions to test the Japanese positions. As he and his small group started up the slope, they were brought under heavy fire from Japanese just over the crest, and a shower of grenades fell on them. Three of the men were wounded and the other two were stopped. Craft, although a new replacement and in his first action, kept on going, tossing grenades at the crest. From just below the crest he threw two cases of grenades that were passed up to him from the bottom, those of the enemy going over his head or exploding near him. He then leaped to the crest and fired at point-blank range into the Japanese in a trench a few feet below him. Spurred by Craft's example, other men now came to his aid. Reloading, Craft pursued the Japanese down the trench, wiped out a machine gun nest, and satchel-charged the cave into which the remaining Japanese had retreated. Altogether, in the taking of Hen Hill as a result of Craft's action, about seventy Japanese were killed, at least twenty-five of whom were credited to Craft himself. This daring action won him the Congressional Medal of Honor. To the left (east), Company F at the same time engaged in a grenade battle for Hector Hill, using ten cases of grenades in the assault on the crest. It was finally won after a satchel charge was hurled over the top and lit in the enemy trench on the other side, parts of Japanese bodies and pieces of enemy equipment hurtling into the sky in the blast. Hen and Hector Hills had fallen by 1400. Southeast of their position, Colonel May's 2d Battalion, 383d Infantry, reached Love Hill and dug in, although scattered fire was still received from a machine gun in a nook of Charlie Hill and there were a few live Japanese on Love itself. In the afternoon the 3d Battalion, 383d Infantry, left its foxholes on Oboe, where it had experienced so great an ordeal, and proceeded down the reverse slope of the hill, finding only a few scattered Japanese. That night the 383d Infantry expressed a heartfelt sentiment when it reported "infinite relief to have Conical Hill behind us." Although there had been suicidal stands in a few places by the last of the holding force, the advances had been rapid. Simultaneously, Colonel Halloran's 381st Regiment effectively reduced the Conical Hill-Cutaway area and seized Roger Hill, both regiments then advancing toward the vital Naha-Yonabaru road. At the same time, the 32nd Regiment launched a coordinated offensive that allowed them to successfully capture Oak, Ella, and June Hills. This advance brought Finn's troops directly into confrontation with Mabel and Hetty Hills, facing the formidable defenses of Chan. Meanwhile, strong patrols from the 184th Regiment ventured into the Chinen Peninsula's strongholds, encountering only light enemy resistance, a turn of events that buoyed American morale. As night fell, the 44th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 24th Division began their long-anticipated evacuation from Shuri. They pulled back behind the second line of blocking positions north of Tsukasan, executing their withdrawal amidst a progressively decreasing barrage of artillery and mortar fire. Consequently, when Buckner's assault troops launched their offensive against the Shuri positions on the morning of May 31, they were met with an eerie silence, the stillness only interrupted by sporadic sniper fire and the distant crack of machine guns.The 77th Division swiftly took 110 Meter Hill and advanced into Shuri with little to no resistance. Concurrently, Mason's units surrounding Shuri Castle moved north unopposed, aiding in the occupation of the battered ruins and the troublesome Wana Draw.  Shuri, the second town of Okinawa, lay in utter ruin. There was no other city, town, or village in the Ryukyus that had been destroyed so completely. Naha too had been laid waste. Certain villages which had been strong points in the enemy's defense, such as Kakazu, Dakeshi, Kochi, Arakachi, and Kunishi, had been fought over and leveled to the ground. But none of these compared with the ancient capital of the Ryukyus. It was estimated that about 200000 rounds of artillery and naval gunfire had struck Shuri. Numerous air strikes had dropped 1000-pound bombs on it. Mortar shells by the thousands had arched their way into the town area. Only two structures, both of concrete, the big normal school at the southwestern corner and the little Methodist church, built in 1937, in the center of Shuri, had enough of their walls standing to form silhouettes on the skyline. The rest was flattened rubble. The narrow paved and dirt streets, churned by high explosives and pitted with shell craters, were impassable to any vehicle. The stone walls of the numerous little terraces were battered down. The rubble and broken red tile of the houses lay in heaps. The frame portion of buildings had been reduced to kindling wood. Tattered bits of Japanese military clothing, gas masks, and tropical helmets-the most frequently seen items-and the dark-colored Okinawan civilian dress lay about in wild confusion. Over all this crater of the moon landscape hung the unforgettable stench of rotting human flesh. To  the west, Griebel's 1st Battalion built upon Mason's gains, but it was the 3rd Battalion that led the main effort, successfully pushing to the hills just north of Shichina.Meanwhile, General Bradley's advancing battalions moved rapidly toward their assigned objectives, spending much of the day mopping up isolated enemy holdouts. This relentless advance effectively pinched off the 77th Division, further consolidating American control in the region. On the extreme left flank, Halloran's 1st Battalion faced enemy forces defending the Tsukasan line, marking the only area where the 96th Division failed to reach the corps boundary. However, the Shuri area had now been completely secured, and contact was made with Del Valle's Marines in the center. On the flanks, though, Buckner's units continued to encounter fierce resistance from the tenacious Japanese defenders. The 32nd Regiment, battling bravely through a series of heavily fortified strongpoints held stubbornly by Fujioka's troops, managed to seize Duck Hill, consolidate its positions on Turkey Hill, and capture the forward face of Mabel. Ultimately, they halted their advance just short of Chan. Meanwhile, on the west coast, Shepherd's Marines pushed forward with support from tanks and artillery, targeting the strategic high ground west of Shichina and Kokuba. However, their advance was stalled by intense enemy fire emanating from Hill 46. During the night, the battered 44th Independent Mixed Brigade executed a withdrawal southeast towards the Kiyamu Peninsula, covered by the 62nd Division, which quickly established a new defensive line along the Kokuba River and around Tsukasan. With the fall of Shuri and the withdrawal of Japanese forces, Buckner's troops had emerged victorious in one of the most difficult and bloody battles of the Pacific War. By the end of May, reports indicated that approximately 62,548 Japanese soldiers had been confirmed killed, with another estimated 9,529 thought to have perished, 64,000 of whom were believed to have fallen in the fierce fighting within the Shuri fortified zone alone. While these casualty figures may be somewhat exaggerated, there is little doubt that Japanese forces, especially their infantry combat units, had suffered severe depletion. In contrast, General Geiger's 3rd Amphibious Corps recorded significant losses of its own, with 1,718 killed, 8,852 wounded, and 101 missing during the fighting around Shuri. Additionally, the losses for General Hodge's 24th Corps over two months of combat totaled an alarming 26,044 casualties. On June 1, the American forces faced surprisingly little opposition from the enemy. A frustrated General Buckner, who had hoped to trap the defenders at Shuri, ordered his troops to advance rapidly in pursuit of the retreating Japanese units. With the 77th Division methodically mopping up remnants in the Shuri zone, General Hodge made a strategic decision. He shifted the 7th Division toward the east and ordered the 96th Division to move south to relieve the 32nd Regiment, taking up the western end of the Corps line. This strategic relief enabled Arnold to immediately push south with both the 17th and 184th Regiments in assault, managing to advance approximately 1,100 yards toward Okota and Batan despite increasingly stiff resistance from smaller enemy units. To the northwest, a coordinated attack by the Marine divisions successfully secured all high ground overlooking the primary east-west road in the Kokuba Valley. The 5th Marines anchored their position on the hills east of Shichina, while Shepherd's regiments seized the dominating heights north of Kokuba. Recognizing the strategic importance of the Oroku Peninsula, General Geiger planned a shore-to-shore landing there. To gather intelligence, Shepherd dispatched his Reconnaissance Company to conduct an amphibious reconnaissance of the peninsula that evening. Their findings confirmed that the peninsula was not fortified with significant enemy strength. The following day, Colonel Snedeker's 7th Marines advanced to relieve the 6th Marine Division on the west coast. The 2nd Battalion continued the momentum by crossing the Kokuba River, moving into the hills on the south bank. Meanwhile, to the east, the 5th Marines also crossed the upper branch of the river and pressed forward to secure the ridgeline that controlled the approaches to Tsukasan. This maneuver effectively placed the entire Naha-Yonabaru road firmly in American hands, further tightening their grip on the battlefield. That evening, Shepherd dispatched his Reconnaissance Company to conduct an amphibious reconnaissance of the Oroku Peninsula. Their mission revealed that the peninsula was not heavily defended, opening up opportunities for American forces. Further east, the 383rd Regiment successfully cleared out Chan and seized the high ground just north of Tera and Kamizato. Meanwhile, the 381st Regiment conducted repeated assaults on hill positions that impeded its advance, ultimately managing to penetrate to Karadera. The 7th Division maintained relentless pressure on the retreating garrison of the Chinen Peninsula, advancing its lines by 2,400 yards toward Itokazu and Kerabaru. Now, it's time to shift our focus away from Okinawa and examine the latest operations of General LeMay's 21st Bomber Command. Since the invasion of Okinawa, Admiral Nimitz had requested that the B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers assist his naval forces in countering the deadly kamikaze attacks. In response, LeMay dispatched 53 bombers to target airfields at Kanoya on April 8, although the city of Kagoshima ended up being bombed instead. On April 17, 134 B-29s were sent against Kyushu, successfully neutralizing enemy airfield operations for 18 hours. However, as we've observed, the Japanese continued to launch both scattered and mass kamikaze attacks. To address this ongoing threat, the 21st Bomber Command, bolstered by the arrival of Brigadier General Roger Ramey's 58th Bombardment Wing, dedicated 75% of its combat effort to providing direct tactical support for the Okinawa campaign up to May 11. During this period, they flew a total of 2,104 sorties against 17 airfields in Kyushu and Shikoku. Although they did not fully neutralize these targets, significant damage was inflicted on enemy storage, maintenance, and repair facilities. The bombers also served to keep the Japanese off balance, significantly disrupting their ability to plan and execute large, coordinated attacks. In total, 24 B-29s were destroyed and 233 damaged during these operations, while 134 enemy interceptors were shot down. Between the strikes on Kyushu, General LeMay managed to fit in several medium-strength precision attacks against the Japanese aircraft industry, along with two large-scale night incendiary missions in the Tokyo Bay area. The first of these missions took place on April 13, when 327 B-29s dropped an impressive 2,139 tons of ordnance on the arsenal district of Tokyo, located northwest of the Imperial Palace. The resulting fires consumed 11.4 square miles of this crucial industrial zone, destroying arsenal plants responsible for manufacturing and storing small arms, machine guns, artillery, bombs, gunpowder, and fire-control mechanisms. Just two nights later, on April 15, 303 bombers executed another incendiary attack, dropping 1,930 tons of explosives with equal success. This raid devastated 6 square miles in Tokyo, 3.6 square miles in Kawasaki, and 1.5 square miles in Yokohama, which suffered collateral damage from the fire spills. Cumulatively, these two raids resulted in the destruction of 217,130 buildings in Tokyo and Yokohama and 31,603 in Kawasaki. On April 24, 131 B-29s conducted a highly successful precision strike against the Tachikawa plant of the Hitachi Aircraft Corporation. Although the next planned attack was thwarted by inclement weather, 148 B-29s struck Kure on May 5, delivering devastating damage. After being relieved from support for the Okinawa operation on May 11, LeMay initiated a month of heavy fire raids to complete the campaign that had begun in March, while also addressing top-priority precision targets as opportunities arose. Accordingly, on May 14, 529 B-29s were dispatched to strike northern Nagoya, with 472 successfully dropping 2,515 tons of munitions, resulting in the burning of 3.15 square miles and inflicting significant damage to Mitsubishi's No. 10 engine works. Just two nights later, 522 bombers returned to Nagoya, with 457 of them effectively delivering 3,609 tons over the dock and industrial areas in the southern part of the city, burning 3.82 square miles and causing extensive damage to Mitsubishi's No. 5 aircraft works. These two incendiary attacks finished Nagoya as an objective for area attacks. Good targets remained in the city, and the command was to return six more times for precision attacks before V-J Day. But the industrial fabric of the city had been ruined in the earlier precision attacks and in the fire raids that had burned out twelve square miles of a total built-up urban area of about forty square miles. In all, 113460 buildings had been destroyed, 3866 persons had been killed and 472701 rendered homeless. The displacement of workers aggravated the difficulties caused by physical damage and had an important effect on civilian morale.  After a week of respite, temporarily interrupted by a 318-plane precision attack on the Tachikawa Aircraft Company, 562 B-29s were dispatched to strike Tokyo once more on May 23. Out of these, 520 bombers reached their target, dropping an impressive 3,646 tons of explosives over the district stretching southward from the Imperial Palace along the west side of Tokyo Harbor. Despite encountering strong opposition, this attack resulted in the destruction of 5.3 square miles of area. Two nights later, 502 B-29s returned to Tokyo, targeting the area just north of their previous hit. They faced heavy resistance again, dropping 3,262 tons of incendiaries on the city, which resulted in the destruction of 16.8 square miles, marking the largest area devastated in a single Tokyo raid. In light of the heavy casualties suffered during these last two strikes, General LeMay decided to assign P-51s from Iwo Jima to escort future attacks. As a result, on May 29, 517 B-29s were escorted by 101 P-51 fighters during an assault on Yokohama. These bombers successfully dropped 2,570 tons of munitions, burning out 6.9 square miles while the escorting fighters engaged in fierce battles against about 150 aggressive interceptors. Meanwhile, General Whitehead's 5th Air Force was conducting an extensive program of area bombing against Formosa, experimenting with various types of bombs and tactics in preparation for future attacks on the Japanese mainland. Taihoku, the capital and political and financial center of Taiwan, was subjected to constant aerial bombardment. The largest strike against modern-day Taipei, known as the Taihoku Air Raid, occurred on May 31, when units of the Fifth Air Force consisting of 117 Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers were sent to conduct the largest air raid ever on Taiwan. The bombing began from around ten o'clock in the morning and lasted until one o'clock in the afternoon, during which the attack was non-stop. The Americans met virtually no resistance from the Japanese, mainly due to the attrition the Japanese air forces had suffered in the Aerial Battle of Taiwan-Okinawa, which completely exhausted Japan's fighter units in Taiwan. They successfully dropped approximately 3,800 bombs targeting military units and governmental facilities. The Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan suffered a direct hit, in spite of the building being heavily camouflaged to avoid being targeted. The building suffered extensive damage from fire caused by the bombs and almost collapsed on itself; it was rendered unoccupiable and was not repaired until the Nationalist Chinese takeover. Other facilities hit during the bombing included the residence of the Assistant Governor-General, Taiwan Railway Hotel, Office of Governor-General Library, Army Headquarters, Taihoku Imperial University, Taihoku Station, Bank of Taiwan, Taihoku High Court, Taihoku New Park, and many other facilities. Many civilian installations were damaged, including Taihoku Prefectural Taihoku First Girls' High School, Huashan Catholic Church of Taihoku, and the famous Lungshan Temple of Manka, which was hit in the main building and the left corridor; many precious artifacts and art works in the temple were lost in the ensuing fire. As a result of the extensive bombing campaigns, more than 3,000 civilians lost their lives. Tens of thousands were displaced or left homeless, and countless buildings were destroyed, either directly by the attacks or by the fires they ignited. This devastation left a profound impact on the local population and infrastructure, marking yet another tragic chapter in the toll of the war. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In the midst of the brutal Battle of Okinawa, American Marines faced relentless resistance as they pushed towards Shuri. Despite heavy casualties and daunting conditions, the tide turned when General Buckner ordered aggressive assaults that outmaneuvered the encircled Japanese forces. After days of relentless combat, they captured the stronghold, leading to the collapse of Japanese defenses. As the dust settled, Shuri lay in ruins, marking a pivotal moment in the Pacific War and showcasing the indomitable spirit of both American and Japanese soldiers.

The United States and China reached a 90-day truce in the trade war when their representatives met in Geneva in early May. Both sides agreed to temporarily roll back tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers. President Trump announced that a “total reset” in US-China relations had been achieved. Beyond the hyperbole, the two sides agreed to establish a mechanism on economics and trade and launch negotiations to address trade imbalances and other problems. Whether a deal is reached, what it might look like, and what it might include, remains to be seen. The future trajectory of US-China relations, overall, is still unclear.This episode highlights a Chinese perspective on the US-China bilateral relationship, including on the recent trade talks and the factors that will influence US-China relations going forward. Sun Chenghao, a fellow and head of the U.S.-Europe program at Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS), and council member of the Chinese Association of American Studies joins host Bonnie Glaser for this episode.  Timestamps[00:00] Start[01:39] What does Trump want from China? [04:29] What view does Dr. Sun hold?[05:00] Assessing the US-China Geneva Talks[09:21] Feasibility of a Broad US-China Trade Deal[13:23] Implications of Trump's “Unification” Comment[16:46] Importance of the Strategic Channel[20:47] Declining America, Rising China[23:27] Shift in US Policy Toward Alliances[27:49] The Future of US-China Relations

This week on the pod we have Nathan stepping in for Hayden who is in Taipei for the World Premiere of High Seas. Together Pankaj and Nathan cover the banlist announcement, US nationals and High Seas hype!   Special Thanks to our Tome of Fyendal Patron Derrick Correia    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ArsenalPass   Review Us: https://ratethispodcast.com/arsenalpass   Email: arsenalpassfab@gmail.com   Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClhUUppHaVDBUOJHXL-a0EQ   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6H2Y8uTHZaVgxpjhnTBn6n?si=R6Uya7paT_e2HOr4n2KC-w   X: @Fyen_Dale (Hayden)   X: @EthnicSmoke (Pankaj)   Hosts: Hayden Dale & Pankaj Bhojwani

  Last time we spoke about the February 26th incident. Within the turbulent “ government of assassination” period of 1936 Japan, a faction of discontented junior officers, known as the Kodoha, believed that their emperor, Hirohito, was being manipulated by corrupt politicians. In a desperate bid for what they termed a "Showa Restoration," they meticulously plotted a coup d'état. On February 26, they launched a rebellion in Tokyo, attempting to assassinate key figures they deemed responsible for undermining the emperor's authority. The young officers executed coordinated attacks on prominent leaders, resulting in several deaths, while hoping to seize control of the Imperial Palace. However, their plan unraveled when their actions met with unexpected resistance, and they failed to secure strategic locations. Dark snow blanketed the city as Hirohito, outraged by the violence, quickly moved to suppress the uprising, which ultimately led to the downfall of the Kodoha faction and solidified the military's grip on power, ushering in a new era marked by militarism and radicalism.   #151 The Suiyuan Operation Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. So we last left off with the February 26th incident breaking out in Japan, but now I would like to return to China. Now we spoke a little bit about some influential Japanese politicians in the previous episode. Prime Minister Satio Makoto oversaw Japan from May 1932 to July 1934, succeeded by Prime Minister Keisuke Okada from July 1934 to March 1936. The foreign policy of Japan towards China during the Saitō and Okada administrations exhibited a notable paradox, characterized by two conflicting elements. On one hand, Foreign Minister Hirota championed a diplomatic approach that emphasized friendship, cooperation, and accommodation with China. On the other hand, the military actively undermined the authority of the Nationalist government in northern China, creating a significant rift between diplomatic rhetoric and military action.    The Okada cabinet then endorsed the Army Ministry's "Outline of Policy to Deal with North China" on January 13, 1936. This policy document explicitly proposed the eventual detachment of five provinces, Hubei, Chahar, Shanxi, Suiyuan, and Shandong from the Nationalist government in Nanking. The approval of this outline marked a pivotal moment, as it represented the first official government endorsement of the military's longstanding agenda and underscored the army's evolution from a mere rogue entity operating in the region to the de facto authority dictating the course of Japan's policy towards China. Despite this, on January 22, during the 68th Diet session, Hirota reaffirmed his dedication to fostering better ties with China, to which a representative from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded positively. The Nationalist government in Nanjing also expressed interest in engaging in formal negotiations. However, this diplomatic initiative quickly faltered, and the expected discussions in Nanjing never took place. Shortly thereafter, a mutiny by young army officers on February 26, 1936, led to the fall of the Okada cabinet. Following Prince Konoe Fumimaro's refusal of the imperial mandate to form a new government, Hirota stepped in to establish a cabinet on March 9. General Terauchi Hisaichi was appointed as the Minister of the Army, Admiral Nagano Osami took charge of the Navy Ministry, and Baba Eiichi became the finance minister. Hirota briefly served as foreign minister until Arita Hachirö, who had just submitted his credentials as ambassador to China on March 6, returned to Japan. The Hirota Koki cabinet, established immediately following the February 26 incident further entrenched military influence in politics while allowing interservice rivalries to impede national objectives. In May 1936, Hirota, influenced by army and navy ministers, reinstated the practice of appointing military ministers solely from the ranks of high-ranking active-duty officers. He believed this would prevent associations with the discredited Imperial Way faction from regaining power. By narrowing the candidate pool and enhancing the army's power relative to the prime minister, Hirota's decision set the stage for army leaders to leverage this advantage to overthrow Admiral Yonai's cabinet in July 1940. Arita began his new job by meeting with Foreign Minister Chang Chen while hearing views from the Kwantung Army chief of staff General, Itagaki Seishiro. Yes, our old friend received a lot of promotions. Itagaki had this to say about the Kwantung Army's policy in China "The primary aim of Japan's foreign policy, is the sound development of Manchukuo based upon the principle of the indivisibility of Japan and Manchukuo. If, as is probable, the existing situation continues, Japan is destined sooner or later to clash with the Soviet Union, and the attitude of China at that time will gravely influence operations [against the Soviet Union]." The Kwantung Army's was growing more and more nervous about the USSR following its 7th comintern congress held in July and August of 1935. There it publicly designated Japan, Germany and Poland as its main targets of comintern actions. Japanese intelligence in the Red Army also knew the Soviets were gradually planning to expand the military strength so they could face a simultaneous west and east front war. This was further emboldened by the latest USSR 5 year plan. Alongside the growing Red northern menace, the CCP issued on August 1st a declaration calling upon the Nationalist Government to end their civil war so they could oppose Japan. By this time the CCP was reaching the end of its Long March and organizing a new base of operations in Yenan in northern Shanxi. The developments by the USSR and CCP had a profound effect on Japan's foreign policy in China. The Kwantung Army believed a war with the USSR was imminent and began to concentrate its main force along the border of Manchukuo. The Kwantung Army's plan in the case of war was to seize Vladivostok while advancing motorized units towards Ulan Bator in Outer Mongolia, hoping to threaten the Trans-Siberian Railway near Lake Baikal. Their intelligence indicated the USSR could muster a maximum of 250,000 troops in eastern Siberia and that Japan could deal with them with a force two-thirds of that number. The IJA at that point had inferior air forces and armaments, thus urgent funding was needed. The Kwantung Army proposed that forces in the home islands should be reduced greatly so all could be concentrated in Manchuria. To increase funding so Kwantung leadership proposed doing away with special allowances for Japanese officials in Manchuria and reorganizing the Japanese economic structure. The Kwantung leaders also knew the submarine base at Vladivostok posed a threat to Japanese shipping so the IJN would have to participate, especially against ports and airfields. All said and done, the Kwantung Army planned for a war set in 1941 and advised immediate preparations. On July 23, 1936, Kanji Ishiwara presented the army's document titled “Request Concerning the Development of Industries in Preparation for War” to the Army Ministry. He asserted that in order to prepare for potential conflict with the Soviet Union, Japan, Manchukuo, and North China must have the industries critical for war fully developed by 1941. Ishiwara emphasized the urgent need for rapid industrial growth, particularly in Manchukuo. He followed this request on July 29 with a draft of a “Policy on Preparations for War” regarding the Soviet Union, advocating for immediate reforms to Japan's political and economic systems to facilitate economic expansion and lay the groundwork for future fundamental changes. However, he cautioned that if significant turmoil erupted in economic sectors, Japan must be ready to execute a comprehensive overhaul without delay. At the same time, the Hirota cabinet initiated a review of its policy towards China. In the spring of 1936, a secret committee focused on the Current Situation was formed, consisting of officials from the Army, Navy, and Foreign ministries. Their discussions led to the adoption of the "Measures to Implement Policy toward China" by the Four Ministers Conference on August 11, along with the "Second Outline of Policy to Address North China," which the cabinet approved as part of the "Fundamentals of National Policy" on the same day. The first of these documents outlined the following actionable steps: “1. Conclusion of an anti-Communist military pact. a) To prepare for the conclusion of such a pact, a special secret committee of military experts from both countries should be organized. b) Their discussions should cover the scope and substance of the pact and ways and means of realizing the objectives of the pact.  2. Conclusion of a Sino-Japanese military alliance. A special secret committee, composed of an equal number of delegates from each nation, should be organized to prepare for the conclusion of an offensive and defensive alliance against attack by a third country.  3. Acceleration of solutions of pending questions between China and Japan. a) Engagement of a senior political adviser: The Nationalist government should engage a senior Japanese political adviser to assist in the conduct of the domestic and foreign affairs of the Nationalist government. b) Engagement of military advisers: The Nationalist government should engage military advisers, along with military instructors. c) Opening of airline services between China and Japan: Airline services between China and Japan should be opened immediately. To realize such a service, various means should be used to induce the Nanking authorities to establish an airline corporation in North China, to begin flights between Formosa and Fukien province, and to start test flights between Shanghai and Fukuoka. d) Conclusion of a reciprocal tariff treaty: A reciprocal tariff treaty should be concluded promptly between China and Japan, on the basis of the policy approved by the ministries concerned, with regard to the abolition of the special trade in eastern Hopei province and the lowering of the prohibitively high tariffs. For this purpose Japan should, if necessary, propose the creation of a special committee composed of Japanese and Chinese representatives.  4. Promotion of economic cooperation between China and Japan. Japan should promote cooperation with the common people of China to establish realistic and inseparable economic relations between China and Japan that will promote coexistence and co-prosperity and will be unaffected by changes in the Chinese political situation. “ The document also included suggestions for Japan's economic expansion into South China. This included tapping into the natural resources of the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi, building a railway between Guangzhou and Swatow, and establishing air routes between Fuchoz and Taipei, which would connect to services in Japan and Thailand. It also called for survey teams to be dispatched to explore the resources of Sichuan, Gansu, Xinjiang, and Qinghai provinces, and for support to be provided to the independence movement in Inner Mongolia. However, these initiatives presented significant challenges. The preface to the "Second Outline of Policy to Deal with North China" cautioned, "In implementing this policy, we must carefully consider the Nanking government's prestige and avoid actions that could prompt it to adopt an anti-Japanese stance in response to the desires of the Chinese people."  On September 19th, six fundamental points for a settlement in North China were dictated to China to “establish a common defense against communism, promoting economic cooperation, lowering tariffs, initiating an airline service between the two nations, employing Japanese advisers, and controlling subversive Koreans." September 22 was set as the deadline for a response from China. While agreeing to some Japanese requests, the Chinese included several counter-demands that the Japanese found completely unacceptable. These demands required Japan to “(a) refrain from using armed intervention or arbitrary actions in its dealings with China, (b) recognize China as an equal and sovereign state, (c) avoid leveraging antigovernment groups or communist elements, and (d) remove any derogatory references to China from Japanese textbooks. The Chinese also insisted that any agreement regarding North China “must precede the annulment of the Tanggu and Shanghai cease-fire agreements, the disbanding of the East Hopei regime, a prohibition on unauthorized Japanese flights over North China, a ban on smuggling activities by Japanese, the restoration of China's right to control smuggling, and the disbandment of the illegal East Hopei government along with the armies of Wang Ying and Prince De in Suiyuan”. Now that mention of a Prince De in Suiyuan brings us to a whole new incident. This podcast series should almost be called “the history of Japanese related incidents in China”. Now we've spoken at great lengths about Japan's obsession with Manchuria. She wanted it for resources, growing space and as a buffer state. Japan also had her eyes set on Inner Mongolia to be used as a buffer state between Manchukuo, the USSR and China proper. Not to mention after the invasion of North China, Inner Mongolia could be instrumental as a wedge to be used to control Northern China. Thus the Kwantung Army began fostering a Mongolian independence movement back in August of 1933. They did so through a special organ led by chief of the general staff Koiso Kuniaki. He began work with the Silingol League led by Prince Sonormurabdan or “Prince So” and another influential Mongol, Prince Demchukdongrob or “Prince De”. Prince De was the West Sunid Banner in Northern Chahar. Likewise the Kwantung Army was grooming Li Xuxin, a Mongol commoner born in southern Manchuria. He had been a bandit turned soldier absorbed into Zhang Xueliangs army. Li had distinguished himself in a campaign against a group of Mongols trying to restore the Qing dynasty to further establish an independent Mongolia. During Operation Nekka Li had served in a cavalry brigade under Zu Xingwu, reputed to be the best unit in Zhang Xueliangs Northeastern border defense army. He led the army's advance unit into western Shandong. Afterwards Li suddenly became friends with Major Tanaka Hisashi, the head of the Special Service Agency at Dungliao where he defected to the Kwantung Army. He soon was leading a force too strong to be incorporated into the Manchukuo Army, thus it was disbanded, but his Kwantung Army buddies encouraged him to move to Tolun in Rehe province. At one point during the Nekka campaign, Li's army was threatened by a strong Chinese counterattack, but they had Manchukuo air support allowing them to capture Tolun. This victory launched what became the East Chahar Special Autonomous District with Li becoming a garrison commander and chief administrator.  Back in time, upon the founding of the Chinese Republic, the affairs of Inner Mongolia fell upon the Bureau of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs. This was reorganized in 1930 into the Commission on Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs when the provinces of Chahar, Suiyuan and Ningxia were organized. Prince De had been a member of a nationalist group known as the Young Mongols, although his aim was self-determination for Inner Mongolia within China, not independence. The Nationalist government's support for Chinese settlement in Mongol territories and its disregard for Mongol perspectives quickly triggered a rise in Mongol nationalism and anti-Chinese feelings. This was exacerbated by the government's introduction of a law on October 12, 1931, requiring local Mongolian administrative units to consult with hsien officials on matters concerning their administration. The nationalist sentiment was further fueled by the presence of the neighboring Mongolian People's Republic in Outer Mongolia and the establishment of Xingan province in western Manchuria by Manchukuo authorities in March 1932. This new province included the tribes of eastern Inner Mongolia and granted them greater autonomy than other Manchukuo provinces while banning Chinese immigration into it. When Nanjing did not react to these developments, Prince De and his supporters took steps toward gaining autonomy. On July 15th, 1933, Mongol leaders from western Inner Mongolia gathered at Pailingmiao for two weeks to deliberate on a declaration for regional independence. Although many princes were initially hesitant to take this step, they reconvened on August 14 and sent a cable to Nanjing announcing their decision to create an autonomous Mongolian government. The cable was signed by Prince So and Prince De. Over the following two months, additional conferences at Pailingmiao were held to organize the new government, which would operate under Nanking's guidance but without involvement from provincial chairmen. On October 22, Prince Yun, head of the Ulanchap League and a close ally of Prince De, was elected to lead the new regime, with Prince De assuming the role of chief of its political affairs bureau. After receiving a cable from the Mongolian leaders in August, Nanjing quickly sent Minister of the Interior Huang Shao-hung and Xu Qingyang, head of the Commission on Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs, to halt the movement. However, the Mongols declined to travel to Kalgan or Kueisui to meet Huang. In November, as the leader of a special commission appointed by Nanjing, Huang reached an agreement with Yun De and other Mongolian leaders concerning a proposal that abandoned the Mongols' demand for an autonomous government. This agreement was later altered by Nanjing, and its essential points were excluded from a measure approved by the Central Political Council of the Kuomintang on January 17, 1934. The dispute reignited, fueled by the Nationalist government's rising concerns over the anticipated enthronement of Pu Yi in Manchukuo. On February 28, the Central Political Council enacted a measure that outlined "eight principles of Inner Mongolian autonomy" and created the Mongolian Local Autonomous Political Council. Since these principles did not grant authority over foreign and military affairs, powers explicitly reserved for the central government in the January measure, they were seen as a concession to the Mongols and were accepted. On March 7, the central government issued regulations to establish a semi autonomous regime for Inner Mongolia, which was officially launched at Pailingmiao on April 23. Although the council was led by three moderate princes, Prince Yun, supported by Princes So and Sha, the real administrative authority was held by Prince De, who served as the secretary-general. Most of the twenty-five council members were of Mongolian royalty, through whom Prince De aimed to fulfill his objectives. Nevertheless, the Nationalist government seemed to consider the council merely a token gesture to placate De, as Nanking never provided the promised administrative funds outlined in the "eight principle declaration." Was not much of a shock Prince De sought support from the Kwantung Army, which had established contact with him as early as June 1934. Japanese pressures in North China were starting to alter the power dynamics, and after the first Western incident in Jehol in February 1935, it compelled the relocation of Sung Queyuan's army from Chahar to Hopei, providing encouragement to Prince De. In May, he met with Kwantung Army Vice Chief of Staff Itagaki Seishirö, Intelligence Section Chief Kawabe Torashirö, and staff officer Tanaka Ryükichi, where he was officially informed for the first time about the Kwantung Army's intention to assist him. On July 25, the Kwantung Army drafted its "Essentials of Policy toward Inner Mongolia," which regarded Japanese support for cooperation between De and Li Xuxin as part of their strategic preparations for a potential conflict with the Soviet Union. Shortly after this policy was adopted, a conflict arose over who had the authority to appoint the head of the Mongol Xukung banner, situated north of the Yellow River and Paot'ou. Following the death of the previous administrator, Prince Xu declared that he had taken control of the position. In response to a request from the local abbot, Prince Yun, acting in his capacity as chairman of the Mongolian Political Council, dismissed Xu. Xu then turned to Nanking through Suiyuan Provincial Chairman Fu Zuoyi, arguing that the central government held the authority to appoint heads of administrative units. In retaliation, Prince De dispatched troops to Xukung. On November 10, Fu presented a mediation proposal, which was rejected since it not only failed to acknowledge Shih's dismissal but also demanded the withdrawal of De's forces. De refused to pull back, further intensifying his hostility toward the Nanking government. In December, the Kwantung Army attempted to move Li's forces from eastern Chahar into the six Xun to the north of Kalgan, which serves as Chahar's granary. Following the Qin-Doihara agreement, Matsui Gennosuke from the Kalgan Special Service Agency secured a deal to separate these six districts from the southern region predominantly populated by Chinese; a Mongolian peace preservation corps was tasked with maintaining order in the northern area, while a Chinese corps was responsible for the south. During the discussions for an autonomous regime centered around Song Queyuan in North China in November 1935, Kwantung Army troops were concentrated around Gubeikou. To exert pressure on Song's rear, the Kwantung Army proposed replacing the Chinese peace preservation unit in the area north of Kalgan with Li Xuxin's army, which would establish this territory as its base.   The operation commenced on December 8. In a surprise attack just before dawn, Li captured Paochang. By December 12, despite facing strong Chinese resistance and the heaviest snowfall in sixty years, Li, aided by Kwantung Army planes disguised as those of the Manchukuo Airline Corporation, had taken control of Kuyuan. Further advances were halted by an order from Kwantung Army headquarters, and on December 13, it was reported that, had the operation not been stopped, Tokyo would have issued an imperial command. The operation had faced opposition from the Tientsin army, which feared it would weaken Song Queyuan's position just as they were informing Tokyo that the autonomy movement was going smoothly. Additionally, both Britain and the United States publicly expressed strong opposition to the Kwantung Army's involvement in the autonomy movement. However, the directive was ultimately prompted by the emperor's anger upon discovering that a unit of the Kwantung Army led by Colonel Matsui Takurö had advanced to Tolun to support Li's progress. Although Li's advance was halted, the operation undeniably contributed to the formation of the Hopei-Chahar Political Council.   Although the operation was halted, the Kwantung Army remained committed to its objectives. They contended that Li's army's advance into the six districts north of Kalgan was merely a peace preservation unit moving into territory within the truce line established by the Tanggu Agreement. Consequently, on December 29, they ordered Li to advance southward. Li peacefully occupied Changpei the following day and entered Shangtu on December 31. Manchukuo civil officials were appointed to oversee the six districts, and the currency of Manchukuo was introduced, although the existing tax system initially remained unchanged. The Kwantung Army allocated silver worth 6 million yuan to support administrative expenses. This outcome, known as the Eastern Chahar incident, marked a complete success for the Kwantung Army, which then redirected its focus toward Suiyuan Province. Each year, the Kwantung Army developed a secret plan for covert operations for the following year. The 1936 plan included strategies to secure air bases for routes connecting Europe and Asia, targeting Tsinghai and Sinkiang provinces, Outer Mongolia, Western Mongolia, and even remote areas of Ningxia province. In January 1936, staff officer Tanaka Ryūkichi formulated a document titled "Essentials of Policy Toward (Northwestern) Inner Mongolia." This document advocated for the establishment of a Mongolian military government to facilitate Japanese operations in northwestern Mongolia and suggested pushing Fu Tso-yi out of Suiyuan into Shansi province. Tanaka's proposals were incorporated into the final plan of the Kwantung Army, ultimately leading to the Suiyuan incident of November 1936. In February 1936, a meeting at Pailingmiao, where Prince De proposed the independence of Inner Mongolia, resulted in the departure of Prince So and several other Mongolian leaders from the coalition. They sought to establish a rival political council at Kueisui under the protection of Fu Zuoyi. By April, De and his supporters decided to form a military government at Tehua in Chahar, which was officially inaugurated in June as the Inner Mongolian government, headed by De with Li Shou-hsin as his deputy. This new government quickly signed a mutual assistance treaty with Manchukuo, and the emperor granted De the title of prince.   In July, at a conference in Tehua, Tanaka was appointed as the head of the Special Service Agency for Inner Mongolia with the mission of implementing the army's Intelligence Section plans. He traveled to Pingtiqüan alongside Chief of Staff Itagaki and Intelligence Chief Mutō Akira to propose a local anti-Communist agreement to Fu. After failing to convince Fu, he attempted to persuade Sun Tien-ying to form a puppet army but managed to recruit only a bandit from Suiyuan, Wang Ying. The February 26 mutiny in Tokyo heightened anti-Japanese sentiments in China, resulting in increased violence. By August, the construction of an airplane hangar in Paot'ou was halted due to riots by local Chinese residents. On August 13, a group of fifteen Japanese, led by Nakajima Manzo, was ambushed while delivering ammunition to a pro-Japanese leader who was shortly thereafter assassinated. Chinese soldiers from Wang Qingkuo's 70th Division carried out the attack, and tensions escalated as the arrival of ammunition and Japanese laborers in Kalgan prompted border villages to strengthen their defenses.   By late September, Tanaka's "Guidelines for the Execution of the Suiyuan Operation" received approval, with operations set to commence in early November. The plan evolved from a covert mission into a personal initiative by Tanaka, financed largely through funds from the Kwantung Army's secret services and profits from special trading in eastern Hopei. Tanaka claimed to have transported 600,000 yen to Tehua in October and later sent 200,000 yuan into Inner Mongolia, estimating total expenses at approximately 6 million yen. He acquired new weaponry from the disbanded Northeast Army and established three clandestine forces: Wang Ying led 500 men, including artillery; Qin Xiashan commanded 3,000 from Sun Tienying's army; and Chang Futang also led 3,000 specialized units. During strategic meetings, Tanaka dismissed proposals for unified command and refusing to integrate secret units into the Mongolian army. He advocated for the slogan "Overthrow Chiang Kai-shek," while Matsui managed to include "Independence for Inner Mongolia."   The Japanese had developed the entire battle strategy. The 1st Army, commanded by Li Xuxin, would serve as the left flank, while the 2nd Army, led by Demchugdongrub, would be positioned on the right. Wang Ying's forces were designated as the central force. Their initial targets would be Hongort, Xinghe, Tuchengzi, and Guisui city, followed by a division to seize Jinging, Baotou, and Hetao. On November 13, Prince Demchugdongrub's and Wang Ying's forces left Shandu in two columns to assault Xinghe and Hongort. By the 15th, 1,500 troops reached Hongort, where they engaged the 1st Cavalry Division led by Peng Yubin. The next day, Ryukichi Tanaka, Demchugdongrub's chief advisor, sent two cavalry brigades and one infantry brigade to capture the town, effectively overrunning its defenders. Meanwhile, Wang Ying dispatched a smaller group to secure Tuchengzi.   Fu Zuoyi established his headquarters in Jining that same day. After assessing the situation, he concluded that if the enemy secured Hongort, it would diminish his defenders' morale. Consequently, he launched a counterattack. Peng Yubin led a joint force of the 1st Cavalry Division and Dong Qiwu's 218th Brigade to confront around 400 of Wang Ying's men defending Hongort and Tuchengzi. By 7 AM on the 18th, Tuchengzi was reclaimed, and at 8:30 AM, the 1st Cavalry Division entered Hongort, charging through 500 of Wang Ying's soldiers. The struggle for Hongort persisted for over three days, resulting in nearly 1,000 casualties before Fu Zuoyi regained control.   As the tide shifted against the invaders, Fu Zuoyi initiated an offensive toward the Bailing Temple, the rear base of the enemy, well-stocked and defended by 3,000 men under Prince Demchugdongrub. Fu Zuoyi ordered the 2nd Cavalry Division, along with the 211th and 315th Brigades, the 21st Artillery Regiment, and a convoy of 20 trucks and 24 armored vehicles to assault the Bailing Temple as quickly as possible. Taking advantage of the Mongolian chaos, Fu Zuoyi's 35th Brigade executed a flanking maneuver west of the Bailing Temple amid a severe snowstorm.   At 1 AM on the 24th, the battle for the Bailing Temple commenced as the Chinese engaged the Mongolians for the fortified positions around the temple. From 2 to 4 AM, the Chinese advanced closer to the temple walls, facing artillery and machine-gun fire. They launched desperate frontal assaults against the city gates, suffering heavy losses. A fierce stalemate ensued, with Japanese aerial bombardments causing significant casualties to the Chinese forces. Fu Zuoyi subsequently ordered all armored vehicles to converge at the main city gate. Despite intense fire, the armored cars managed to breach the gate, allowing Chinese infantry to flood into the temple area. The resulting carnage within the temple walls led to 900 Mongol deaths, with 300 captured as the rest fled. The Chinese suffered 300 casualties but secured the strategically vital rear base, along with a substantial stockpile of provisions, including 500 barrels of petrol, 600 rifles, 10 machine guns, vehicles, and field guns. Following the devastating defeat at Bailing Temple, the invaders regrouped at Xilamuleng Temple. On the 28th, the Japanese sent 100 vehicles to transport 3,000 troops to prepare for a significant counteroffensive to recapture Bailing Temple. On the 29th, Wang Ying personally led 2,000 cavalry north of Shangdu to Taolin in an attempt to contain the enemy. However, after he left the bulk of his forces at Xilamuleng Temple, officers from the Grand Han Righteous Army secretly began negotiating to defect to the Chinese side, undermining the forces needed for the counterattack against Bailing Temple.   The counteroffensive commenced on December 2nd, with 10 armored vehicles and 1,000 Mongol troops leading the charge at 6 AM. They were pushed back by the heavily fortified 211th Brigade, which was well-supplied with machine guns and artillery. The following day, at 3 AM, the Mongols attempted a surprise attack but faced an ambush as they crept toward the temple. They incurred hundreds of casualties, with 230 men either captured or having defected. After this, the counterattack stalled, as the Mongol forces couldn't approach within 3 miles of the temple. Subsequently, the Chinese 2nd Cavalry Division launched a pincer maneuver, causing significant casualties among the invaders. By 9 AM, the enemy had suffered 500 casualties and was in retreat. At 7 PM, Fu Zuoyi ordered another counteroffensive. By the next morning, hundreds more had been lost, and several hundred soldiers were captured. With such heavy losses, the defense of Xilamuleng Temple weakened significantly, prompting more officers to defect to the Chinese. Late on the 4th, Fu Zuoyi assembled a force comprising two cavalry regiments, one infantry regiment, one artillery battalion, four armored vehicles, and a squadron of cars to launch a nighttime assault on Xilamuleng Temple.   Meanwhile, the 2nd Cavalry Division clashed with Wang Ying's cavalry 30 miles northeast of Wulanhua. Wang Ying's 2,000 cavalry had been raiding nearby villages to create diversions, drawing enemy forces away from the Bailing-Xilamuleng theater. By the 9th, Wang Ying's cavalry were encircled in Xiaobei, where they were nearly annihilated, with Wang escaping with around a hundred guards toward Changpei. On the 7th, some Grand Han Righteous Army officers set in motion plans to defect to the Chinese side. Early on the 9th, these officers led their men to invade the residence of Japanese advisors, killing all 27 Japanese officers under Colonel Obama. Simultaneously, Fu Zuoyi's forces executed a flanking maneuver against the Xilamuleng Temple amidst the chaos. With mass defections, the Chinese forces surged into the temple area, resulting in the invader army disintegrating in confusion and surrender. After seizing the temple, the invaders were routed, their lines of communication severed, and only isolated pockets continued to resist. Taking advantage of the confusion, Fu Zuoyi launched simultaneous attacks, attempting to capture Shangdu. However, Yan Xishan sent him a telegram, ordering him to halt, stating that Shangdu fell under the jurisdiction of Shanxi and not Suiyuan.   In response to the loss, Tanaka planned a counteroffensive with Qin's troops, but Chiang kai-shek commanded a strong defense of Pailingmiao, successfully outmaneuvering Tanaka's strategies. The resurgence of Chinese forces led to the disintegration of Qin's troops, who revolted and eventually joined the Nationalist army. The Kwantung Army aimed to redeploy its forces for recovery but faced opposition from Tokyo, which criticized the situation. After Chiang kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang on December 12, Tanaka and Prince De seized the opportunity to reassess their strategy. Ultimately, the Kwantung Army decided to abandon efforts to reclaim Pailingmiao, marking the official end of hostilities on December 21. The Suiyuan incident ultimately strengthened Chinese resolve against Japan and increased international distrust.   The defeat of Japan's proxy forces inspired many Chinese to advocate for a more vigorous resistance against the Japanese. The triumph in Suiyuan was celebrated throughout China and surprised the international media, marking the first occasion where the Chinese army successfully halted a Japanese unit. Delegations traveled from as distant as southern Chinese provinces to encourage the defenders to continue their fight. Captured Japanese weapons and equipment served as proof of Japan's involvement in the conflict, despite Japan's Foreign Minister Hachirō Arita claiming that "Japan was not involved in this conflict in Suiyuan at all." After his defeat, Prince Demchugdongrub and his Inner Mongolian troops retreated to northern Chahar, where he had to reconstruct his army due to significant losses. The Japanese implemented new regulations for the Mongolian Army to enhance its effectiveness, and efforts to recruit new soldiers commenced.   I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. More incidents and more battles to seize territory raged in North China. However things did not go according to plan for the Japanese and their puppets. The tides had turned, and now a more angry and invigorating China would begin lashing out against the encroachment. It was only a matter of time before a full blown war was declared. 

Angelica Oung joins Teen from Taipei to talk about perfect bilingualism, wayward Taiwanese politics, and Noah Smith's weaboo fixations. Pt. 1 of 2 Bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag

For today's episode, Lawfare Foreign Policy Editor Daniel Byman talked with Evan Braden Montgomery and Toshi Yoshihara, both Senior Fellows at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, to discuss their recent Lawfare article, "Beijing's Changing Invasion Calculus: How China Might Put Taiwan in its Crosshairs." Together they discuss how China might use a blockade, subversion, and nuclear threats to intimidate Taiwan, the United States, and key regional states like Japan. They also discuss how Taipei and Washington might change their approach to reduce the risk of Taiwanese coercion.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.