Taiwan Roundtable Discussion on National Security and Constitutional Crisis
The Hoover Institution is pleased to announce a significant event concerning Taiwan's national security and constitutional challenges. On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM PT, the institution will host a Taiwan Roundtable Discussion that aims to bring critical insights into the current political landscape of the Indo-Pacific region.
As tensions rise, Taiwan is grappling with what many experts are calling a potential constitutional crisis. This situation intensified in December 2024 when Taiwans opposition-controlled legislature made a crucial decision to impose a two-thirds supermajority quorum requirement for the Constitutional Court to consider new cases. This legislative move has resulted in a significant bottleneck for the Court, particularly after the legislature voted down all newly nominated judges, leaving it with only eight members. This insufficient number is inadequate to fulfill the new quorum requirement, effectively stalling the Court's ability to function as intended.
In a bid to address this concerning scenario, the Taiwanese government has appealed to the Constitutional Court, urging it to convene and assert that the recent amendments are unconstitutional. This legal maneuver highlights the ongoing power struggle between the ruling party and the opposition, which could have profound implications for Taiwan's judicial independence and democratic integrity.
This roundtable discussion will feature three distinguished experts, each bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in Taiwanese politics and judicial systems. They will delve deep into the factors that have led to this current confrontation, the various options available to the Constitutional Court, and the broader implications for judicial reforms aimed at fortifying independence amid escalating political tensions.
A Closer Look at the Participants
One of the notable participants is Chien-Chih Lin, who serves as an associate research professor at the Institutum Iurisprudentiae, Academia Sinica, and as an associate professor at the Graduate Institute of National Development at National Taiwan University. Lin boasts impressive credentials, having earned his LLM and JSD degrees from the University of Chicago. His academic pursuits center around comparative constitutional law in Asia, and he is the co-author of significant works such as Constitutional Convergence in East Asia (2022) and Ultimate Economic Conflict between China and Democratic Countries (2022). His extensive writings have appeared in both peer-reviewed and student-edited law journals and edited volumes, including the Oxford Handbook of Constitutional Law in Asia and the American Journal of Comparative Law. Additionally, he serves as the book review editor for the International Journal of Constitutional Law.
Another key speaker, Weitseng Chen, is part of the esteemed faculty at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law. His expertise lies in law and economic development, as well as legal history within the context of Greater China. Chen has authored several influential books, including Regime Type and Beyond: The Transformation of Police in Asia (Cambridge University Press, 2023) and Authoritarian Legality in Asia: Formation, Development and Transition (2019). Chen completed his JSD at Yale Law School and has previously held a position as a Hewlett Fellow at Stanfords Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). He also has experience practicing corporate law across the Greater China region with a prominent law firm.
The discussion will be further enriched by Kharis Templeman, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, who is actively involved in the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific. Templeman, a political scientist with a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, has focused his research on Taiwan's political dynamics, democratization processes, election management, and broader security issues affecting Pacific Asia. His insights will be invaluable in assessing the ongoing developments in Taiwan's political landscape.
This event promises to be a pivotal moment for understanding Taiwan's constitutional challenges and the implications for its future governance. As we witness the unfolding of these critical legal and political issues, the need for informed dialogue becomes more urgent than ever.
