German freelance journalist based in Taipei | @TaiwanFCC VP | Field producer for @DasErste ARD public television | Words in @TableBriefings, @tagesspiegel, etc.
Taipei City, Taiwan
Joined February 2018
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Nach fast zwei Jahren Arbeit ist unser Taiwan-Band für die @bpb_de endlich da!
Auf 190 Seiten haben mein Co-Autor Frédéric Krumbein und ich versucht, Taiwans bewegte Geschichte, geopolitische Lage und nationale Identität für ein breites Publikum verständlich zusammenzufassen.
Encouraging news coming out of Japan today!
Scoop - Japan and Taiwan are working on a broad trade pact, according to sources with direct knowledge of the talks, that could provide a strategic anchor between the Asian tech powers and break a logjam in Taiwanese trade diplomacy. @NikkeiAsia 1/4 asia.nikkei.com/economy/trad…
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
Reminder: it has been 2 days since it was revealed that the US Intelligence Community told @CommerceGov that a top executive at Megaspeed is a Chinese spy. @BISgov could send an Is Informed Letter to @nvidia today blocking AI chip shipments to Megaspeed, but it has not. Why not?
Reminder: it has been 1 day since it was revealed that the US Intelligence Community told @CommerceGov that a top executive at Megaspeed is a Chinese spy. @BISgov could send an Is Informed Letter to @nvidia today blocking AI chip shipments to Megaspeed, but it has not. Why not?
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
A @WSJ analysis of ship-tracking data shows Chinese research vessels sailing back and forth in a lawnmower pattern over swaths of ocean to Taiwan’s south and east, helping Beijing to complete its portrait of waters surrounding the island: wsj.com/world/china/china-sc… w/ @austinramzy
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
New big turn in our Singapore chip-smuggling investigations: U.S. officials believe the mysterious business woman seen with Jensen Huang in Taiwan in recent years is a Chinese intelligence asset. Pres. Trump was briefed but took no action. nytimes.com/2026/10/29/us/po…
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
Update: Pakistan has quietly reversed this decision and allowed Taiwan’s two main civilian airlines to use its airspace again. While this unprecedented move was short-lived, it still sets a concerning precedent for China to take note of.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
An unprecedented development by Pakistan to close its airspace to Taiwanese airlines under its so-called "One China" policy, which in reality is more aligned to Beijing's "One China Principle" in this particular case.
It's unclear if Islamabad made this decision unilaterally, but given its close relationship with Beijing, it could be another concerning precedent where countries with close relationship to China weaponize access to airspace to squeeze Taiwan's international space.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
How big is the interest for Taiwan in smaller European countries?
I was on @taiwanplusnews with @DemesDavid to discuss trends and challenges of reporting about Taiwan for European media, in other languages than English.
The episode can be viewed here: youtube.com/watch?v=RaJMC4hj…
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
I look forward to to hearing how the “blame NATO” camp explains this:
Russian President Vladimir Putin cited genetics to declare that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people” and reiterated his claim to Ukrainian territory, saying: “I think that it is not their territory but the historical territory of Russia.” wapo.st/48aZaZF
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
This is an alarming case that reflects the extent of China's attempt to silence dissent inside Taiwan:
"Prosecutors in Taiwan have indicted five people for allegedly trying to injure a comedian who mocks the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping as part of his act.
The five suspects in Taiwan are accused of accepting NT$450,000 ($13,900) from some Chinese people to “break arms and legs” of comedian Huang Yihao’s, Taiwan’s national news agency CNA reported Wednesday."
apnews.com/article/taiwan-ch…
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
A #Taiwan comedian joked about Xi Jinping. But #CCP recruited local gangsters to throw paint & feces at his club, & rammed him in a staged car accident. Good that the #Taiwan gov’t cracked this #transnationalrepression case. #China should be condemned! nitter.cf/Terenceshen/status/200…
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
These are not transfers from the US, but from other countries. The US is now actively sabotaging Ukrainian defense of civilians.
Breaking news: The Trump administration has not approved the transfer of interceptor missiles to Ukraine that are needed to protect the country from Russian attacks, officials said, a delay that comes as President Trump has embraced Russia in recent weeks. wapo.st/4yCb7T7
Then again, Chiang refused to explicitly rule out running for either president or vice president in 2028 just yesterday. Seems like an unnecessary self-own at this point.
Chiang Wan-an asks Lu Shiow-yen to manage his campaign. This is an open sign that Chiang feels threatened by Shen such that he will compromise with Lu and back out of contending for the 2028 KMT presidential nomination to maintain his mayorship of Taipei
udn.com/news/story/6656/9823…
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
Russian satellites may be attacking the Finnish mapping satellite that aids Ukraine and is trying to reduce Europe’s reliance on American gear.
In May, five Russian satellites surrounded a commercial imaging satellite.
And this week, one of them — Cosmos 2612 — is maneuvering to get even closer. It will make its closest pass over the next 24 hours.
(h/t @AdamCohen8 for the visualization)
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
Latest: Zelenskyy tells reporters over WhatsApp that restrictions on Ukraine's Starlink systems remain. Interceptor drones can't function, logistics and operations hobbled. The maximum speed is 161 kph; "exceeding this limit causes the Starlink connection to cut out completely, resulting in the loss of the drone."
He says Ukraine has done tests to determine whether SpaceX is truly facing technical issues, as has been told Kyiv by the US side, or if this is a "deliberate operation... to restrict us, cut us off, and prevent us from defending ourselves and protecting our people, both at the front and among the civilian population."
He says Ukraine "sent a couple of vehicles equipped with Starlink terminals into European Union territory."
"They moved at speeds exceeding 180kph, and the Starlink systems worked perfectly. We have the relevant logs and evidence to prove this."
He adds: "The conclusion is clear: the restrictions are in effect within Ukraine but do not apply within the European Union. In other words, this is a planned operation."
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
Confirmed: von der Leyen tells press conference following the European Council the EU will develop a new weapon to "immediately" limit access to the single market "when it's in the union's interest"
The kill switch aimed at China is coming. Understand goal is to present this yr
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
EXCLUSIVE: Elon Musk came to Donald Trump with the plan to throttle Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet network, sources have told the Telegraph.
The tech billionaire made the proposal during the US President’s row with Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil refineries.
‘The reality is that they were both in it,’ a senior source said of Musk’s and Trump’s involvement.
But after a night of carnage in Kyiv caused by the slowdown, Musk was alarmed about the possibility of adverse consumer reaction in Europe.
The SpaceX boss then proceeded to tweet, blaming the US administration, and ultimately, President Trump for authorising the slowdown.
‘He tweeted out that he was innocent and that it was the US administration that did it,’ the source said.
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
“However, after what was described as a “night of carnage” in Kyiv because of the blackout, a senior source said Mr Musk had been alarmed about the possibility of adverse consumer reaction in Europe.” telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2…
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
Special guest at the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday.
Constructive talks on the future of the Indo-Pacific 🇹🇼🇪🇺
Yesterday, I met with Joseph Wu, Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council (NSC), at the European Parliament.
Our meeting focused on a constructive exchange of views on the current situation in the Indo-Pacific and geopolitical developments in the region.
Especially at a time of growing international tensions, direct dialogue, mutual understanding, and the exchange of different perspectives are essential. Stability, security, and peace in the Indo-Pacific are also in Europe’s interest.
Good policymaking begins with dialogue, listening, and understanding the perspectives of others. This meeting was a valuable contribution to that effort.
David Demes 戴達衛 retweeted
Defense Minister Wellington Koo told the Legislative Yuan on Oct. 12 that the ROC Navy will assist the Coast Guard Administration if PRC maritime militia vessels conduct military operations near Taiwan. Koo said the Coast Guard would remain the primary agency for driving such vessels away, with the Navy assisting under the two services' support agreement, and that militia vessels are considered part of the PRC's armed forces.
The remarks follow a recent reporting that the militia fishing vessel Minfudingyu (07902) operated off Taiwan's east coast in mid-August alongside China Coast Guard cutter 2502 and the research ship Xiangyanghong 3.
