S. Leo Chiang’s documentary films explore lives across continents and culture, from the first Vietnamese-American congressman to the first LGBT political party in the Philippines to a legendary Hawaiian ukulele player. His latest film, the documentary short “Island in Between,” has been nominated for an Academy Award. Its subject, Taiwan’s Kinmen Island and Chiang’s own relationship to his native Taiwan, couldn’t be more timely, in the wake of Taiwan’s recent presidential election and as Congress considers a foreign aid package with billions of dollars at stake for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region.

Show Notes:

• Unique political fault lines in Taiwan complicate China resistance
• US, Taiwan grapple with key differences in debate over deterring China
• Taiwan, US struggle over differences on weapons to counter China
• Savoring a Taste of Taiwan
• Senate passes security supplemental, but House prospects murky