This year the Passport to Taiwan Festival returned to Union Square on Sunday May 28th after a 3 year hiatus due to the pandemic.
This outdoor event which ran from 12 Noon to 5:00 pm celebrating the delicious food, vibrant spirit, and diverse music culture of Taiwan was a jubilant affair. It has been held annually in New York City near the end of May ever since 2002. This outdoor event which ran from 12 Noon to 5:00 pm celebrating the delicious food, vibrant spirit, and diverse music culture of Taiwan was a jubilant affair. It has been held annually in New York City near the end of May ever since 2002.
The Passport to Taiwan Festival is not only about Taiwanese music and food culture. This year it provided even more interesting content. Talking Taiwan,the longest running Taiwan-related podcast and Golden Crane Award winner made its debut there. Felicia Lin, its award-winning podcast host broadcasted a fun and interactive Talking Taiwan Live Stream all day long, while interviewing five notable Taiwan guests, and impromptu Taiwan-related enthusiasts who stopped by wanting to share their interesting Taiwan stories.
I had a chance to interview Felicia and talk to her about the significance of the event and a bit of Taiwan’s history. In full disclosure, I am the Executive Producer of Talking Taiwan.K: Can you tell me about the history and significance of the Passport to Taiwan?
The idea for an outdoor festival celebrating Taiwan dates back to 1999 when the U.S. Congress designated the second week of May Taiwanese American Heritage Week. But it wasn’t until 2002 that the first Passport to Taiwan was held, so it has been around for nearly two decades if you don’t count the pandemic.
Events like this are important, not just as a celebration of our culture and roots, but in the case of Taiwan, it’s especially important for our community’s representation, due Taiwan’s international isolation.
K: Tell me more about that.
F: How is it that Taiwan, with its effective early containment of COVID-19 (that made it a haven for COVID-refugees) has been blocked from joining the World Health Organization? And why is it that Taiwanese athletes have to compete under the name “Chinese Taipei” at the Olympics? It’s the same reason that Taiwan does not have a seat in the United Nations. The People’s Republic of China refuses to recognize Taiwan since it lays claim to Taiwan despite never having ruled it, not for one day.
China also forces countries to choose between having diplomatic relations with Beijing or Taipei. This is what happened recently when Taiwan lost Honduras as a diplomatic ally to China, leaving Taiwan with only 13 diplomatic allies.
K: What is the situation between Taiwan and China?
F: China’s President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that China will not renounce the use of force in seeking to reunify Taiwan with China. This is nothing new. During Taiwan’s first direct presidential elections in 1996 China lobbed ballistic missiles across the Taiwan Strait and now nearly three decades later, China sends planes on a daily basis into Taiwan’s ADIZ (air defense identification zone). The record stands at over 90 aircraft in one day.
Taiwan is now the most democratic nation and the first to legalize same sex marriage in Asia. Its path from authoritarianism to democracy was hard won after enduring 38 years of martial law (the second longest period in world history).
Peacefully safeguarding Taiwan’s democracy and human rights is a very real concern as the world witnesses Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s President Xi Ji Ping publicly praising Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for his leadership.
K: What is the state of the U.S. Taiwan relations?
F: I’d say it’s very favorable. In August of 2022, then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and when Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen visited the U.S. earlier this year she met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in April. According to 2022 data, the United States was Taiwan’s second-largest trading partner for goods, while Taiwan was the United States’ 10th-largest trading partner.
Taiwan most notably produces 90% of the world’s semiconductors which are used in most electronics, and TSMC, Taiwan’s largest producer of semiconductors, is building a plant in Arizona.
K: Is there anything else you’d like to add that we haven’t covered?
F: Aside from all of these geopolitical issues related to Taiwan, I do hope that people can get to know more about Taiwan through the vibrant stories and people connected to it, by listening to our podcast Talking Taiwan.Visit our website talkingtaiwan.com or you can find us on all the major podcasting platforms.
The Passport to Taiwan Festival in New York City’s Union Square is definitely a late Spring NYC Cultural Must-Experience Event!
To learn more, go to: https://p2tw.org/
Link to the Village View article: https://villageview.nyc/2023/07/29/passport-to-taiwan-more-than-just-food-culture-and-music/
Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/artist/32si7c4nk210HPuqbXvhJg