Written by Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy. In 2023, Taiwan continued to present itself as a democracy internationally through subnational diplomacy. As it elected a new president and a new parliament in the new year, this article anlayses how the dynamics of cross-Strait relations are driving the internationalisation of Taiwan. It is expected that the two sides are likely to drift further apart in the coming years and this will further strengthen Taiwan’s identity as a democracy.
Written by Jonathan Sullivan. Taiwan has concluded its eighth direct election of the Republic of China (ROC) President. It was not a pivotal, watershed or critical election, and it was not a contest between war and peace or the embodiment of democracy vs authoritarianism; it was an entirely normal election. The main issues (China, the economy), turnout (71%), the communications environment (parochial and partisan), the candidates’ micro-scandals (this time round requiring knowledge of esoteric building code and land-use regulation), the boisterous rallies and hustings etc were all familiar and part of the routine functioning of Taiwanese democracy. The Central Election Commission once again organised a flawless election. The nuts and bolts of voting stations in temples and school gyms, accurate and fast analogue counts, volunteers getting people lined up and in and out smoothly, etc, are the little things that add up to a big sum.
Written by Dominika Remžová. A few days prior to this year’s EU-China summit (the first to take place in person since the COVID-19 pandemic), the Financial Times has published an opinion piece by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Secretary-General of NATO, calling for the Union’s stronger support for Taiwan. The article singles out security considerations as the main reason for such a principled stance, which the author acknowledges has been taken up by only a few Central and Eastern European (CEE) leaders. This focus on security issues and small states is noteworthy, as it provides the most fruitful avenue for further strengthening of ties moving forward.
Written by Raian Hossain. Taiwan has severe military security concerns, and the island has over-trade and investment dependency towards the PRC, which raises the question of economic security. As of 2022, the PRC accounted for 25% of Taiwan’s exports and 20% of its imports, making Beijing still the largest trading partner of Taipei. However, Taiwan made significant progress in growing trade by 25% with the U.S. in 2021 and expanded its trade volume with New South Bound countries under President Tsai Ing-wen. After a year of negotiations aimed at diversifying trade and commerce, the U.S. and Taiwan signed the first part of the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade. Meanwhile, the second round of negotiations has already started.
Written by Michael MO. Hong Kong’s pro-democracy struggle was a hot-button issue in 2020’s Taiwan presidential election campaign. Both President Tsai and former head of Executive Yuan Su Tseng-chang took the city as a case in their speeches to remind the Taiwanese to defend the island and not turn Taiwan into another Hong Kong. Three years on, specific policies to guard the country against the potential legal and political harassment from the extraterritorial application of the NSL remain non-existent. While the issues of Hong Kong may no longer be a concern in the presidential race, the need to build a robust defence to protect Taiwanese interests in Hong Kong should still be on the political agenda of the island.
Written by Patricia Elnakhal, H.K. Wind and Fengze Strategy. Currently, the controllable intensity on the Taiwan Strait can potentially escalate. The growing frequency of analogous cases that several military aircraft from the mainland flying into the island’s air defence zone cause the intensity on this territory, while the situation is still under control because these actions are mainly for strategic purposes. More importantly, none of the powers is fully prepared for uncontrollable collisions, but the situation’s development indeed keeps invisibly escalating. As a lesson from the Ukraine war, Taiwan has to construct an unbroken and heavy rope connecting itself to the international community to prepare well earlier for various possibilities. The connection between Taiwan and the international community could be observed through two main aspects: the diplomatic interactions connecting to international politics and the economic development connecting to the international market.
