As Ireland prepares to assume the EU Presidency in 2026, its cautious approach to Taiwan continues to draw attention. Why does Ireland remain an outlier among EU member states in its engagement with Taipei, and how much is that caution driven by concerns about Ireland–China relations?
In this episode, we speak with John McGuinness, Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow–Kilkenny, and Chairman of the Ireland–Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, about his recent visit to Taiwan and meeting with President William Lai. We discuss opportunities for cooperation under Ireland’s National Semiconductor Strategy, potential trade growth in the semiconductor industry, agri-food exports, and technology sectors — and whether Ireland is missing key trade opportunities with Taiwan. We also explore how China’s influence and EU foreign policy dynamics are shaping Ireland’s diplomatic balancing act between Beijing and Taipei.
Date of Recording: November 7th, 2025
Thumbnail picture courtesy of the Office of the President, Republic of China, Taiwan.
#Ireland, #Taiwan, #China, #EU, #ForeignPolicy, #Trade, #Semiconductors
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As Ireland prepares to assume the EU Presidency in 2026, its cautious approach to Taiwan continues to draw attention. Why does Ireland remain an outlier among EU member states in its engagement with Taipei, and how much is that caution driven by concerns about Ireland–China relations?
In this episode, we speak with John McGuinness, Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow–Kilkenny, and Chairman of the Ireland–Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, about his recent visit to Taiwan and meeting with President William Lai. We discuss opportunities for cooperation under Ireland’s National Semiconductor Strategy, potential trade growth in the semiconductor industry, agri-food exports, and technology sectors — and whether Ireland is missing key trade opportunities with Taiwan. We also explore how China’s influence and EU foreign policy dynamics are shaping Ireland’s diplomatic balancing act between Beijing and Taipei.
Date of Recording: November 7th, 2025
Thumbnail picture courtesy of the Office of the President, Republic of China, Taiwan.
#Ireland, #Taiwan, #China, #EU, #ForeignPolicy, #Trade, #Semiconductors
Taiwan's Great Recall - Ep2 - Interview with Jinan Church Civic Group
Perspectives with Neilo
36 minutes 10 seconds
4 months ago
Taiwan's Great Recall - Ep2 - Interview with Jinan Church Civic Group
Welcome to the second installment in our series on Taiwan’s Great Recall in which we aim to bring you perspectives from all sides of the debate at this important moment in Taiwan’s democratic journey.
As we explained in our first episode, since the last election in January of 2024, Taiwan’s parliament or Legislative Yuan has been controlled by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and their smaller ally the Taiwan People’s Party who according to opponents have sought to block the ruling party’s agenda, freeze or cut budgets, undermine Taiwan's constitutional order and weaken efforts to bolster defense capabilities against growing Chinese military threats.
The KMT insist that they are seeking to strengthen and protect Taiwan’s democracy and say these recalls are politically motivated. They accuse the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of instigating the recall campaign, of mobilizing civic groups and attempting to use recalls to eliminate the opposition.
On a Friday afternoon in early June, I met up with members of Public Collaborative Tactics, a grassroots pro-recall group based at Jinan Presbyterian Church—just steps away from the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
I was really interested to find out how the group came together and what motivates their cause. I also wanted to hear their thoughts on the Chinese Nationalist Party or KMT and if they had particular concerns about the party’s behavior. I also asked if they had connections with any political parties and how they were funded - but to begin the group introduced themselves and then told me how they all came together.
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#TaiwanPolitics, #TaiwanGreatRecall, #DemocracyInAsia, #KMTvsDPP, #CivicActivism, #Taiwan2024, #PerspectivesWithNeilo, #PwNeiloPodcast, #TaiwanNews, #RecallMovement, #TaiwanCivicGroups, #JinanChurch, #Geopolitics
Perspectives with Neilo
As Ireland prepares to assume the EU Presidency in 2026, its cautious approach to Taiwan continues to draw attention. Why does Ireland remain an outlier among EU member states in its engagement with Taipei, and how much is that caution driven by concerns about Ireland–China relations?
In this episode, we speak with John McGuinness, Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow–Kilkenny, and Chairman of the Ireland–Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, about his recent visit to Taiwan and meeting with President William Lai. We discuss opportunities for cooperation under Ireland’s National Semiconductor Strategy, potential trade growth in the semiconductor industry, agri-food exports, and technology sectors — and whether Ireland is missing key trade opportunities with Taiwan. We also explore how China’s influence and EU foreign policy dynamics are shaping Ireland’s diplomatic balancing act between Beijing and Taipei.
Date of Recording: November 7th, 2025
Thumbnail picture courtesy of the Office of the President, Republic of China, Taiwan.
#Ireland, #Taiwan, #China, #EU, #ForeignPolicy, #Trade, #Semiconductors
