Courtney Donovan Smith 石東文
@donovan-smith.bsky.social
Staff Columnist, Taipei Times Co-publisher, Compass Magazine Co-founder, Taiwan Report Central Taiwan correspondent, ICRT Former Chair, Taichung AmCham
With all the geopolitical stress, looking in on the local elections is a bit of relief: www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Donovan’s Deep Dives: Beyond Taipei, Taiwan’s local races get weird - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
Typically I focus more on analysis than advocating for any particular point, but this is an exception: www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...,
Donovan’s Deep Dives: Memo to the US: don’t be fooled by Cheng’s ‘peace’ pitch - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
I found this fascinating, but then I am super nerdy and Taichung is home (incidentally, Yang is my district's lawmaker, but never met her -- but I have met Chiang several times). www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Donovan’s Deep Dives: KMT heavyweights clash in Taichung - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
I've been covering this story for ICRT, and it is a mess. Lol, Michael Turton is right about the MRT, extending Taichung's MRT to Nantou comes up every four years during election season, despite being a ridiculous plan: www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Notes from Central Taiwan: When rational governance incinerates resistance - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
Tomorrow's column is on this subject, but some of the points are hit on in this TaiwanPlus report: www.facebook.com/reel/1091779...
13 reactions · 18 shares | What does a joint KMT-TPP policy platform mean for Taiwan's upcoming local elections and political landscape? TaiwanPlus speaks with political analyst Courtney Donovan Smith...
What does a joint KMT-TPP policy platform mean for Taiwan's upcoming local elections and political landscape? TaiwanPlus speaks with political analyst Courtney Donovan Smith to find out.
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What Taiwan needs, but will it get it? Michael Turton takes an insightful look: www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Notes from Central Taiwan: The defense budget Taiwan needs — and the one the KMT killed - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
Hammer Lee took his time joining the race, and it cost him -- he's now neck-and-neck with Su after being 10-15% ahead not long ago: www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Donovan’s Deep Dives: New Taipei City mayoral race heats up - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
I can expand on the property taxes, they are handled by local govts, but the property value estimations they use to calculate taxes are waaayyy below actual market values. In Taichung, 1/2
Notes from Central Taiwan: Subsidies today, solvency tomorrow? - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
Michael Turton has been doing some great historically relevent pieces recently: www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Notes from Central Taiwan: Resistance as tradition - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
Here is a thread of election-related columns I've done so far this year. Good for getting up to speed on the subject: www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Donovan’s Deep Dives: The stakes in this year’s nine-in-one elections - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
So I moved the time of day I check my social media from early in the day, to the end of the day, so it doesn't get in the way of getting work done. Result: I'm tired at the end of the day and don't want to deal with it, so I haven't been posting much the last few months...
Taiwan's demographic crunch is going to start to really bite this year, and only accelerate from there. Also touch on foreign employees and tech, and how they fit into this picture. www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Donovan’s Deep Dives: Taiwan’s basic services could begin to crumble this year - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
I've been busy and scaled back my social media posting dramatically in the last 6 weeks, including nothing on my personal pages. It was relaxing, but probably not a good idea. Here is a long thread of my recent columns: www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Donovan’s Deep Dives: Two glimmers of hope for solving the constitutional crises - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
The CCP isn't a political party; it is a voracious Leviathan. www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Donovan’s Deep Dives: The Chinese Communist Party’s relationship with all-encompassing power - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
I keep expecting some sort of realignment, but like a rubber band an equilibrium keeps restoring itself, which it may again soon if the DPP's polling follows on its current trend. www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Donovan’s Deep Dives: Taiwan’s political equilibrium shaken, but not stirred - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
This has been going on in one form or another for a very, very long time, as Michael Turton explores: www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Notes from Central Taiwan: Disaster reconstruction, disaster colonialism - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
taipeitimes.com
