The vote which will take place next Saturday is a pivotal moment for Taiwan’s sovereignty. The outcome of the vote will decide relations with communist China, which intends to take control of the island. This election will also have important geostrategic consequences for the entire planet.
Less than a week before the vote, it was what we call Super Sunday. The three major parties all held a huge rally in Kaohsiung, in southern Taiwan. It was the last big opportunity to woo voters in the region.
The atmosphere was electric: at times, it felt like we were watching a baseball game, Taiwan’s national sport.
The songs are always passionate. Supporters in the crowd wear caps or clothing in the colors of their favorite political party.
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The sale of flags and caps is on the rise during an election rally of the main opposition party, the Kuomintang.
Photo: AFP / Yasuyoshi Chiba
Once again, as at every political gathering, the shadow of China looms large. Tense relations with China, fears of an invasion and also of a war between Beijing and Washington are at the heart of this election for the 19 million Taiwanese voters.
China is constantly intimidating us, says a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporter wearing a green headband. We must stand up.
At the rally of the opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), a lady explains that she is going to vote for the party, because she wants more harmonious relations and especially peace with China, which the KMT promises.
You can’t find many goods that don’t have the “Made in China” seal in Taiwan. This demonstrates the extent to which large parts of our economy depend on China and that economic relations between China and Taiwan are strong. I believe there should be a constructive dialogue between the two, says a supporter of the Taiwan People’s Party, flag in hand.
Peace versus war and democracy versus authoritarianism
In this electoral campaign which takes place at one of the most tense moments in Taiwan’s history, three presidential candidates and three visions of relations with China clash.
Lai Ching-Te, the outgoing vice president, is the candidate of the ruling DPP. Beijing hates it and describes it as separatist.
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Taiwan presidential candidate and current vice-president of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Lai Ching-te, is considered the favorite in the Taiwanese presidential election.
Photo: AFP / Yasuyoshi Chiba
Former New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-Hi represents the nationalist Kuomintang party. The DPP nicknames him the candidate from Beijing, the one who will sell Taiwan.
Ko Wen-Je, the former mayor of Taipei, hopes to confuse the issue. He is the candidate of the Taiwan People’s Party. He blows hot and cold, but he wants a certain rapprochement with China. The KMT wants to rally the opposition and implores the Taiwanese not to waste their votes by voting for Ko Wen-Je.
Lev Nachman analyzes this campaign. He is an assistant professor of political science at National Chengchi University.
What differentiates Taiwanese policy from that of the United States or Europe is the fact that the question everyone in Taiwan is asking is what our future relationship with China will be and in what direction we want us that Taiwan goes.
The KMT says it’s a choice between war and peace. The Democratic Progressive Party says it’s democracy versus autocracy. That’s a simplistic view of things, but both bases really see the election that way.
What makes the final week of election campaigning so important and special in Taiwan is that election law prohibits the release of polls in the last 10 days before the vote. It is also prohibited to publish old results and comment on them under penalty of heavy fines.
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Fighting Chinese interference
The issue of Chinese disinformation also comes up during every electoral campaign and this time, the Taiwanese are defending themselves.
As political parties prepared for their weekend rallies, dozens of young people participated in a workshop on the dangers of disinformation. Forums and training workshops like this are commonplace and even more frequent in recent weeks, as fears of vote manipulation by China are high.
We all understand in Taiwan that a certain dictatorship wants to make the Taiwanese believe that democracy is useless, that they do not need it. We’re told, ‘You don’t deserve democracy,’ says Billion Lee, co-founder of the online fact-checking citizen organization CoFacts.
I want to prove that this is false. At CoFacts, we believe in citizen initiatives. We also want to protect freedom of expression.
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Taiwanese soldiers take part in a military exercise simulating the Chinese army’s invasion of the island.
Photo : Getty Images / Annabelle Chih
Journalist Lee Chih-Te of Asia Fact Check Lab adds that with the increased importance of social networks, including TikTok which is controlled by China, disinformation on the electoral campaign and on American aid in the event of conflict is amplified.
Chinese disinformation is present, but so is military economic coercion. The intrusion of Chinese balloons, similar to the one that flew over the United States last year, has taken place every day on Taiwanese territory for a month.
China’s attempts at interference are real and multiple. Many voters, from all parties, do not hesitate to denounce him. China tries to manipulate our elections every time. We all know it. That worries me, says a DPP supporter.
Planetary consequences
But there is not only the question of relations with China in this electoral campaign. Issues such as inflation, housing and road safety are also important in the campaign. In other circumstances, the DPP in power for eight years could have been swept away by the various scandals and the wear and tear of power.
But his tough stance against China puts him in a good position, explains journalist Lee Chi-te.
It’s not that people are very happy with the DPP. I would rather say that the immense threat coming from China has stifled people’s desire to change the ruling party.
On the other hand, a voter who said she was voting for DPP and met at a KMT rally hoped that the China issue would not become an escape route for the Democratic Progressive Party to avoid answering local policy questions.
Analyst Lev Nachman says Taiwan’s presidential election will have repercussions beyond Asia, as the fate of Taiwan is the main dispute between China and the United States. It’s not just relations between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China that will be affected, but also relations between China and the United States, he said.
He goes on to point out that later this year, the United States will hold its own presidential election. Depending on the outcome of the US presidential election, it will also have a great influence not only on US-China relations, but also on US-Taiwan relations and Taiwan-Taiwan relations. China. So the next Taiwanese president will also have to manage this relationship with the United States.
The vote will take place next Saturday, and judging by the influx of journalists from around the world to cover the vote, the eyes of the world will be on Taiwan.
2024-01-08 09:32:06
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