While mainland Chinese media has been congratulating Taiwan’s Kuomintang party on its overwhelming victory in last weekend’s regional elections, observers warn that unification may not be a big issue with the new regional governments.
Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party was routed during the weekend’s regional elections. The party’s candidates held a mere six cities and counties from a total of 22 that were up for grabs in the island’s mayoral and county magistrate races.
The Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party effectively erased the ignominy of its last election defeat four years ago, winning in 15 cities and counties throughout the island. Their victories included a landmark sweep in Kaohsiung as KMT candidate Han Kuo-yu single-handedly smashed the DPP’s decades-long dominance of the island’s second largest city.
President Tsai Ing-wen, also chairwoman of the independence-leaning DPP, resigned as party chief to take responsibility for the humiliating drubbing.
In Beijing, Communist Party mouthpieces and cadres in charge of Taiwan affairs were quick to conclude the results were indicative of pro-reunification sentiments among Taiwanese, and that it would be difficult for the US to continue to meddle in the island’s politics under changing regional dynamics.
A spokesperson with the Chinese State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office noted on Sunday that the results reflected Taiwanese’s strong will to share the benefits of peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait as well as their aversion to the DPP’s “desinicization.”
Tsai will only lean more on the US for her own survival and that of the DPP, but Taiwanese voters have realized that peaceful development is the right path for the island, and their demand for economic development and better livelihoods will counter the influence the US can exert by playing the Taiwan card, said the Global Times in an op-ed.
Analysts said the likelihood of Tsai running for a second term in the 2020 presidential race was now slim and she can only serve out her remaining time as a lame duck. Beijing will likely continue to bypass the Tsai administration to further double down on KMT officials at municipal levels for more city-to-city exchanges and pro-reunification campaigns.
Beijing may also hedge its bets with Taipei’s re-elected mayor Ko Wen-je as well as the KMT’s Kaohsiung mayor as frontrunners to contend in the 2020 and future presidential elections to stave off whoever the DPP fields.
In its official response to Beijing, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council highlighted the danger of misjudging voters’ sentiments.
“[The mainland] should neither interfere in our internal affairs, nor unilaterally interpret the expectations of Taiwanese, or they may risk misjudging the cross-strait situation,” reads the council’s statement.
Observers in Taiwan pointed out that the KMT’s wins should not be read as tantamount for a win for reunification with China, as unlike presidential races, a candidate’s stance on cross-strait ties may take a back seat in regional elections, where debates normally center around economic and livelihood issues.
Meanwhile, the Tsai administration could seek to put the newly-elected KMT mayors and county magistrate on a tight leash with several ongoing probes into Beijing’s interference as well as alleged vote-rigging cases.
Before the elections, Taiwan sounded the alarm at a campaign by Beijing to spread volleys of misinformation in cyberspace on the self-ruled island known for its freedom of speech.
Read more: Former US envoy says Hong Kong serves as a lesson to Taiwan
Why would a successful country like Taiwan wanted to be ruled by the CCP ?
Why would a successful country like Taiwan wanted to be ruled by the CCP ?
The Taiwan people realised that closer cooperation with Mainland China is the only way forward in order to realise cross strait peace and security and prosperity. No point to antagonise your biggest trading partner by siding with the US against China. China has said you can have self rule government as long as you acknowledge China’s suzerainty. They aren’t pressing for immediate unification, but an acknowledgment that Taiwan is part of China.
The Taiwan people realised that closer cooperation with Mainland China is the only way forward in order to realise cross strait peace and security and prosperity. No point to antagonise your biggest trading partner by siding with the US against China. China has said you can have self rule government as long as you acknowledge China’s suzerainty. They aren’t pressing for immediate unification, but an acknowledgment that Taiwan is part of China.
Apparently Taiwanese voters think they are not that successful, despite gweilo tell them so.
Apparently Taiwanese voters think they are not that successful, despite gweilo tell them so.
DPP and Tsai In Wen play anti Chinese sentiment to weed out oppositions to rule Taiwanese in the pocket, for ever if they have their way. This time voters have seen through the trick. They prefer to tap into Chinese world instead of waiting for people like Bolton or Rubens uncertain largesse.
DPP and Tsai In Wen play anti Chinese sentiment to weed out oppositions to rule Taiwanese in the pocket, for ever if they have their way. This time voters have seen through the trick. They prefer to tap into Chinese world instead of waiting for people like Bolton or Rubens uncertain largesse.
Rizvi, maybe it’s because the Taiwanese also have small weapons.
Rizvi, maybe it’s because the Taiwanese also have small weapons.
Before everyone starts waving the victory flag, take a look at what was voted onhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Taiwanese_referendum
Before everyone starts waving the victory flag, take a look at what was voted on https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Taiwanese_referendum
Before everyone starts waving the victory flag, take a look at what was voted on https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Taiwanese_referendum
No where in the mainland media, have i detected even a trace of talk about reunification in their exhortation of the KMT wins this time. No CCP officials or CCTV journalists mentioned this subject. But judging from the reaction of this empire paid scribe, i think the emperors in washington are pretty mad with Tsai Ing-wen.
For the uninitiated on the issue of Taiwan Reunification:
Reunification is hard coded into the constitution of the Republic of China of which taiwan is the only surviving political entity today. When Jiang Jieshi (Generallisimo Chiang Kai-shek) moved the polity of the republic of china to taiwan, he had specifically drawn up this constitution with the hope of eventually recapturing and reuniting with the mainland and had actively promoted this enterprise to his death. Therefore, he resisted strongly every effort by the empire to press him to declare taiwan as an independent state before his death. His successor Jiang Jingkuo (Chiang Ching Kuo) who was also his son, also pursued this doctrine to his own deathbed.
Today, no taiwanese politician, NGO or civilian dare to challenge this surviving piece of the constitution, no matter how strong the backing from the empire and the japs. Despite her overwhelming majority in the presidential election in 2016, Tsai Ing-wen dare not declare independence. This is not wholely due to the mainland threat of military intervention. She knew she would incur the wrath of her fellow countrymen because she would have committed treason had she done so. And this goes for her DPP predecessors as well; ex-presidents Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui bian had declared publicly that taiwan independence is not a possibility.
The DPP from its inception had championed and even moved into motion acts and policies that seek to separate taiwan from the mainland and eventually to full independence. The DPP had and continue to violate this basic tenet of the constitution of the republic of china. And therefore, Tsai and her bunch of independence agitators are traitors to the people and the nation. In any normal country, these traitors shall be tried and hang by their necks until they breath no more.
No where in the mainland media, have i detected even a trace of talk about reunification in their exhortation of the KMT wins this time. No CCP officials or CCTV journalists mentioned this subject. But judging from the reaction of this empire paid scribe, i think the emperors in washington are pretty mad with Tsai Ing-wen.
For the uninitiated on the issue of Taiwan Reunification:
Reunification is hard coded into the constitution of the Republic of China of which taiwan is the only surviving political entity today. When Jiang Jieshi (Generallisimo Chiang Kai-shek) moved the polity of the republic of china to taiwan, he had specifically drawn up this constitution with the hope of eventually recapturing and reuniting with the mainland and had actively promoted this enterprise to his death. Therefore, he resisted strongly every effort by the empire to press him to declare taiwan as an independent state before his death. His successor Jiang Jingkuo (Chiang Ching Kuo) who was also his son, also pursued this doctrine to his own deathbed.
Today, no taiwanese politician, NGO or civilian dare to challenge this surviving piece of the constitution, no matter how strong the backing from the empire and the japs. Despite her overwhelming majority in the presidential election in 2016, Tsai Ing-wen dare not declare independence. This is not wholely due to the mainland threat of military intervention. She knew she would incur the wrath of her fellow countrymen because she would have committed treason had she done so. And this goes for her DPP predecessors as well; ex-presidents Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui bian had declared publicly that taiwan independence is not a possibility.
The DPP from its inception had championed and even moved into motion acts and policies that seek to separate taiwan from the mainland and eventually to full independence. The DPP had and continue to violate this basic tenet of the constitution of the republic of china. And therefore, Tsai and her bunch of independence agitators are traitors to the people and the nation. In any normal country, these traitors shall be tried and hang by their necks until they breath no more.
Because people don’t like cuts in their pensions; Taiwan lives off of trade with the mainland where increasingly people find jobs. China has made it much easier for Taiwanese to live and work there. People don’t want these games that Tsai and Washington play to f up their lives.
Because people don’t like cuts in their pensions; Taiwan lives off of trade with the mainland where increasingly people find jobs. China has made it much easier for Taiwanese to live and work there. People don’t want these games that Tsai and Washington play to f up their lives.
But most taiwanese do not want to be under the rule of the CCP
But most taiwanese do not want to be under the rule of the CCP
Low Shen-Cheang Nonsense, they want to be indepedent not part of China.
Low Shen-Cheang Nonsense, they want to be indepedent not part of China.