Introduction

Abstract

The introductory chapter outlines the proceeding 15 chapters in this co-edited book, which is based on a conference jointly hosted by the European Research Centre on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT) at Eberhard Karls University Tübingen and the Taiwan Studies Programme at Nottingham University, which was held in Tübingen in December 2019. This book provides the first comprehensive assessment of the first Tsai administration by looking into different policy fields and issues that the editors found most salient during those four years, from 2016 to 2020. Domestically, the implementation of same-sex marriage, curriculum reform, ‘transitional justice’ and pension reform stand out as major policy achievements for Tsai's supporters but met with considerable opposition within Taiwanese society as well. Externally, the New Southbound Policy and the triangular relationship with China and the USA embodied major challenges for Tsai's first administration, which are closely scrutinised in this volume.