Monday, March 26, 2018 | 5:30 PM EDT - 7:00 PM EDT

National Committee on U.S.-China Relations |, New York, NY

With the Sunflower Movement of 2014, Taiwanese youth became a significant factor in Taiwan’s politics. In the aftermath of the protests, some assume that young Taiwanese uniformly believe that Taiwan should keep its distance from the Chinese mainland. In fact, however, many have moved to mainland metropolises seeking employment. What does Taiwan’s younger generation really think about China, democracy, and independence vs. unification? The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) recently conducted a survey to assess attitudes towards these critical issues. On March 26, 2018, TFD President Szu-chien Hsu shared their findings and discussed how young Taiwanese are shaping the island’s political future. 

Dr. Szu-chien Hsu

Dr. Szu-chien Hsu became president of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) in June 2016. As president he has sought to make TFD a dynamic and engaging organization that can support democracy in Taiwan and in the region. Dr. Hsu is also an associate research fellow at the Institute of Political Science of Academia Sinica in Taipei and director of the Center for Contemporary China at National Tsinghua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Dr. Hsu’s research focuses on Chinese politics and cross-strait relations. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University.

In addition to his academic work, Dr. Hsu has also been actively involved in many civil society organizations and activities. He has represented Taiwan in the Northeast Asian Steering Committee of the Global Partnership for Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC), and has served as a board member of the Peacetime Foundation of Taiwan and the Taiwan Democracy Watch.