Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao is a professor at the Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan. He also directs the Center for Asia-Pacific Area Studies (CAPAS) and has been a presidential policy adviser.

Recent articles

Taiwan’s presidential election is taking place against the background of tension between the emergent Taiwanese national identity and the public’s impressions of China and its policy towards the island. These underlying trends of opinion among the Taiwanese people will help define future political developments across the straits, says Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao.

Taiwan’s people are voting twice on 20 March - for a president, and in a national referendum. Both decisions address a crucial question for the island state: will it declare independence from the huge neighbour claiming sovereignty over it, the People’s Republic of China? A respected analyst seeks an answer in Taiwan’s tumultuous recent democratic experience.