Techno-Governance in Taiwan versus China
The panel will be a discussion on comparing Taiwan and China’s use of technology to achieve different political objectives.
Date And Time
Wed, November 20, 2019
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EST
Location
Global Taiwan Institute
1836 Jefferson Pl NW
Washington, DC 20036
About this Event
Event Description
Authoritarian governments have used technology to infringe on fundamental human rights, such as freedom of speech, access to information, and media freedom. China has leveraged artificial intelligence to exert intrusive control over its ethnic Uyghur minority as well as to monitor political opposition among its broader population. By contrast, Taiwan’s government has utilized technological advances to increase civic involvement through the openness and accessibility of information to improve government transparency and accountability. Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang has emphasized the importance of government transparency and data and information openness for a stronger democracy. As one of the most digitally connected democracies, Taiwan is a prime example of how technology can transform civic participation and improve democratic governance.
Panelists are Min Hsuan Wu of Doublethink Lab and Louisa Greve of the Uyghur Human Rights Project. GTI Research Fellow I-wei Jennifer Chang will moderate the panel. Join GTI on November 20 for a discussion on comparing Taiwan and China’s use of technology to achieve different political objectives. This public seminar is part of the Civil Society and Democracy Series, which is partially funded by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
Doors will open at 11:30 am. The event will begin at 12:00 pm. Kindly RSVP by November 18. Please, direct your questions or concerns to rsvp@globaltaiwan.org.
Reminder: All our public seminars will be live-streamed on our Facebook page at @globaltaiwaninst.
** Media: Please contact rsvp@globaltaiwan.org if you would like to bring additional crew members or equipment so that we can be sure to accommodate you.
Panelists:
Min Hsuan Wu, also known as “Ttcat,” is the co-founder and CEO of Doublethink Lab (DTL), a new organization that operates at the intersection of the Internet, public discourse, civil society, and democratic governance, researching modern threats to democracy and devising strategies to counter them. DTL is focused on mapping China’s online information operation mechanisms and facilitating the global CSO network to combat digital authoritarianism. Mr. Wu is an activist and campaigner with a developer background. Since 2004, he has committed to LGBT+, human rights, green politics, opposition to nuclear power, and the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan. Mr. Wu has expertise in networking, creative strategy planning, as well as communication design and organizational managing. He has provided the civic tech community with perspectives from civil society and has focused on open government and digital rights over the past three years.
Louisa Greve serves as the Uyghur Human Rights Project’s Director of Global Advocacy. She is an expert on human rights in China and an experienced non-profit advisor. Her first visit to East Turkestan was in 1988, and she has traveled and worked in China since 1980. She is currently Washington Fellow for CSW, a UK-based advocacy group promoting freedom of religion or belief for all peoples and faiths. Ms. Greve was formerly Vice President for Programs and East Asia Director at the National Endowment for Democracy, with previous experience at Special Olympics International, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the United Nations Development Program. Ms. Greve has served on the Amnesty International board, the Virginia Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the International Advisory Committee of the Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China. She is the author of several book chapters on ethnic issues and human rights in China, and has testified before Congress on democracy in Asia. Follow her on Twitter at @LouisaCGreve.
Moderator:
I-wei Jennifer Chang is a research fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute. Prior to GTI, Ms. Chang was senior program specialist in the China Program at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), where she examined China’s role in global conflict zones spanning from the Indo-Pacific region to the Middle East and Africa. Ms. Chang joined USIP after working as a researcher at the Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. She also covered Taiwanese politics and society as a reporter for The China Post in Taipei. Ms. Chang has also published widely on Chinese foreign and security policy, Asia-Middle East relations, civil wars, ethnic conflict, and religious freedom. She has written for several publications including Foreign Policy, The Jamestown Foundation’s China Brief, Jadaliyya, Middle East Research and Information Project, ISLAMiCommentary, and the Middle East Institute’s Middle East-Asia Project. Ms. Chang holds two Master’s degrees in International Relations and Journalism from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s degree in Asian Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.