About Taiwan Liberty Society

Taiwan Liberty Society is an independent, non-profit organization founded by Taiwanese scholars committed to advancing the principles of a free market, the rule of law, and limited government. Our mission is to cultivate an institutional environment conducive to individual empowerment and free enterprise, thereby upholding the principles of liberty and democratic values. In furtherance of our mission, we enhance public awareness of the advantages associated with a free market through diverse channels, including media coverage, articles, seminars, and workshops designed for a broad audience. Additionally, we are actively committed to collaborative research efforts and develop evidence-based policy recommendations, aiming to make substantive contributions towards the realization of liberty.

Mission & Vision

Upholding the principles of free markets, limited government, and the rule of law, our core mission includes: 1. Promoting and deepening liberal thought in Taiwan to counter communist ideologies; 2. Establishing a permanent archive for liberal works that have been censored or erased in the Chinese-speaking world; 3. Producing high-quality research and policy recommendations from a liberal perspective to support political and economic freedom in East Asia. Through these efforts, we are committed to strengthening the liberal order in Taiwan and East Asia, and contributing to the restoration of a global liberal order.

Our Story

Taiwan is located at the heart of the Western Pacific island chain and has for centuries been part of maritime trade routes connecting Northeast, East, and Southeast Asia. Maritime trade has long served as a vital sphere of practice for liberal thought. After experiencing two forms of imperial rule—under the Qing dynasty and then Japan—the pursuit of freedom and liberty has become a central and shared memory in Taiwanese society.

Before and after World War II, liberal intellectuals from Taiwan, Japan, and China entered higher education, publishing, and media. As a result, liberal political and economic thought took root in Taiwan’s public sphere. During Taiwan’s late Cold War democratization process, liberalism and libertarianism became an essential foundational ideal. Influential figures and publications—such as Yin Haiguang’s introduction of Hayek’s theories, Chiang Shuo-chieh’s policy advocacy, and the Taipei Society’s Deconstructing the KMT-State Capitalism, were crucial forces in advancing Taiwan’s democratization and liberalization.

Yet throughout Taiwan’s liberal transformation and democratisation, the threat from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has loomed persistently. As the victor of the Chinese Civil War, the CCP opposed Taiwan throughout the Cold War. In the 21st century, China has further intensified its military pressure on Taiwan while expanding its global influence through rapid economic growth. These actions not only threaten the development of liberalism in Taiwan but have also devastated the space for liberal thought within China itself. With China’s extensive internet censorship, repression of human rights lawyers, and the full-scale crackdown on Hong Kong, Taiwan has become the only Chinese-speaking society with full freedom of speech and press.

In 2022, as Russia invaded Ukraine and China resumed large-scale military exercises near Taiwan, freedom in Taiwan faced the real military threat. Meanwhile, the liberal international order upheld by the West encountered its most serious challenge to date. At this critical historical juncture—marked by global instability and rapid technological change—a group of like-minded partners inspired by the Atlas Network came together in 2024 to establish the Taiwan Liberal Society, formally registering the organisation with the Ministry of the Interior.