Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

A proposal to bolster laws against espionage passed its third reading in the legislature yesterday.

The amendment would see more severe punishments for military personnel convicted of espionage and breaches of national security, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers called for tougher restrictions on retired high-ranking military officers visiting China for political events.

US president-elect Donald Trump’s victory at the polls caught the majority of observers off-guard, although a cool-headed analysis of the result shows that Trump’s rise to power was primarily driven by a backlash from disadvantaged white and middle-class Americans against the mainstream elite, which centered on issues such as globalization and free trade.

A political novice, Trump’s brand of “nativism” runs contrary to the doctrine of economic integration with China espoused by the pro-China camp in Taiwan. Since the US election, Taiwan’s pan-blue media have described Trump as a “madman,” a “clown” and “unpredictable.”