Tag: China

Where’s Post-Election Taiwan Heading?

Written by Plamen Tonchev. The presidential and parliamentary elections held in Taiwan on 13 January 2024 were closely watched globally, as their potential implications could reverberate far beyond the island’s shores. Two oft-quoted arguments relate to the fact that Taiwan is home to a huge chunk of the world’s cutting-edge semiconductors, and the volume of maritime traffic through the 110-mile-wide strip of water between the Chinese mainland and the self-governed island. Add to that the political significance of Taiwan’s subjugation to Beijing’s “national rejuvenation” vision, as well as the geostrategic importance of the first-island chain to the entire Indo-Pacific region.

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Taiwan’s 2024 Elections: How will China Respond?

Written by T.Y. Wang. Lai’s victory, nevertheless, is a rebuke to Beijing’s sovereignty claim of the island and a hard pill for Chinese leaders to swallow. In the aftermath of the election, observers are pondering how Beijing will react to Taiwan’s electoral outcomes. Chinese leaders view Lai as a “separatist,” and his affiliated DPP is a secessionist political party. A win by Lai, in their mind, means Taipei will continue its policy of pursuing Taiwan independence in spite of Lai’s pledge to continue the incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen’s policy of maintaining the status quo. Prior to the election, Beijing had magnified a “war and peace” narrative, intensified its military and economic pressure on Taiwan and warned the island citizens to make a “correct choice” in the elections.

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Beyond Mayday’s Lip-synching Investigation: Taiwan’s Music Freedom Questioned Under PRC Influences 

Written by Chen-yu Lin. On December 28, 2023, Reuters and CNN​ reported a disconcerting incident involving Mayday, a Taiwanese rock band, who found themselves entangled in a request from Chinese authorities to make pro-Beijing statements. As reported by CNN, the authorities demanded a public statement affirming the unity of China and Taiwan as a single nation. The band’s refusal to comply resulted in consequences related to alleged lip-synching, which is referred to as “deceptive singing (假唱)” in Chinese. This accusation carries the potential for fines or even performance bans under Chinese law. These developments stemmed from their December concert in Shanghai and are potentially connected to Taiwan’s presidential election in January 2024, prompting an ongoing investigation.​ 

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Taiwan and the Free World Need A New Strategy To Confront China 

Written by Daniel Jia. Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election has concluded. The Taiwanese people have elected the China-defiant candidate as the new president. For Taiwan, the results of the election are important. But what is more important, in view of the presence of China’s meddling with Taiwan’s election, is to lay out new strategies to mitigate China’s interference in the future.  

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A Routine Election with Mixed Results 

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. 

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