China offers student exchange programs as a part of its United Front to influence Taiwanese society at all levels. These budget-friendly travel packages are hard to resist.
Ever since the Sunflower Movement, Beijing has made winning favor from Taiwanese youths whose identities are in flux a priority, attempting to attract them across the strait for “integration and development.” However, a decade of observation shows only limited effectiveness of this approach.
The law requires marriage as a prerequisite for ART and restricts the use of this technology to infertile couples. However, over the last decade and as Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage, calls for legislative amendments have gradually increased.
It’s unlikely that anyone will be able to capitalize on political gains solely based on their involvement in the Sunflower Movement anymore, and that’s probably for the best.
The Sunflower Movement began on March 18, 2014. A group of NGOs and student activists who have long sought to hold the government accountable on human rights and trade issues stormed into Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, occupied the legislative floor for 585 hours, and attempted to occupy the Executive Yuan building nearby.
After the Taiwan elections, China will forgo short-term provocations in favor of long-term pressures on the Lai Administration.