From April 1 to 3, 2026, Doctoral Student Pao-wen HUANG of the Research Training Group GRK 2833 “East Asian Futures” attended the 23rd Conference of the European Association of Taiwan Studies in Portsmouth, UK, titled “Echoes of Authority: Forty Years on from the Eve of the Lifting of Martial Law”. Ms. HUANG presented her research in a session on “Cold War geopolitics”, once more chaired by Rudolph NG. Her research on “Tariff Reform Under Martial Law: Taiwan’s Trade Policy and Visions of the Future” examined Taiwan’s international trade environment under martial law and the ways in which tariff reform was shaped by authoritarian politics. It discusses the complex economic environment in Taiwan after its withdrawal from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The study argues that tariff reforms in the 1970s–1980s reflected the logic of authoritarian governance while also supporting rapid economic growth. This conference brought together scholars in Taiwan studies from a wide range of fields, including politics, gender studies, history, and international relations. In addition to academic presentations, the conference also included film screenings and discussions with directors.