Taiwanese Missing Future: When the KMT Sees Its Wildest Behaviour, Its Promised to Save It
China is closest to Taiwan at 81 miles away, so it is an “existential threat” to us. The K.M.T. government of China fled to Taiwan in 1949 after a Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War gave them control over all of China. Like millions of Taiwanese, I grew up under the threat of a Chinese military invasion. In weekly drills during my school years, we practiced seeking shelter under our little wooden desks in case of an attack. The danger has increased as China has more military power and Beijing has avoided courting Taiwanese hearts and minds with economic threats.
I will be going to the polls on Saturday worried about our future and unsure if we can keep up with what we have achieved.
Taiwan is a shining example of freedom, democracy and inclusivity. We have one of the world’s most open societies, the highest percentage of female legislators in Asia and a government minister who is transgender. Decades of hard work, smart policies and entrepreneurial mind-sets have led to enviably high standards of living and made us the global heart of the semiconductor industry.
Su thanked her family for leaving Taiwan, a better place where people are free to speak their minds. She said it’s now her responsibility to preserve that freedom and leave Taiwan in an even better place for her children, and for future generations to come.
If there’s a presidential win for the DPP, the party is due for an ideological discussion on this issue. It’s clear to him that there’s too many people who think the KMT is too pro-China. And he thinks it ought to seek out the voices of younger generations within the century-old party.
The KMT has dealt with China in the last 30 years, but it is very different now. We should be cautious of the ambitious nature of it.
The Eternal Question in Taiwanese Politics: Su Chiao-hui, the 55th District of New Taipei City
The lead vehicle is full of partisans standing on the truck bed. One man riffs constantly into a loudspeaker, announcing to the people of the 5th District of New Taipei City that their elected legislator Su Chiao-hui is here.
Some excited supporters chant back. Two groups set off firecrackers for good luck. Others on the street wave politely, or seem not to acknowledge the presence of four large vehicles adorned with photos of Su’s face, having seen it for months leading up to Saturday’s presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan.
The KKT, the military regime that fled from China and then ruled over Taiwan starting in 1949, has historically been associated with unification and with the idea of one day merging China and Taiwan.
Before becoming the premier of Taiwan, Su’s father was chairman of the DPP, and he also helped to establishing the party at the tail end of martial law.
“We are a party founded under the shadow of a one-party state,” Su said in an interview with NPR. “But we wanted more democracy and freedom. We’ve never stopped pursuing that.
Lai has vowed to continue President Tsai’s agenda on international relations. Su is running for her third term in office.
And while the DPP has historically been associated with politicians who favor formal Taiwanese independence, today’s DPP leaders have moved closer to the political center on this.
The eternal question in Taiwanese politics is China. Due to the long standing view of Taiwan as a rogue Chinese province by China, it would cross a diplomatic red line to make a formal declaration of independence.
China is unconvinced. The government of Taiwan refused to meet with the president, and called Vice President Lai a “separatist” in an indication that cross-strait diplomatic relations will not be allowed to resume under a new administration.
“It’s not us – it’s China that has rejected talks with the DPP,” Su said. In return for talks with China, the DPP would be very happy.
The opposition claims that Ukraine instigated the war with Russia by trying to join NATO. “It’s almost like they’re saying if you vote for the Democrats, you’re going to end up fighting with China in a war, because Taiwan shouldn’t try to make any friends on the global stage.”
The legislator was at large. In Taiwan, citizens vote for both their district’s representative and for a political party; a number of legislative seats are reserved for that at-large vote, and allotted to parties in proportion to their share of the vote. Parties can distribute seats as they see fit, even if they are not interested in being a legislator.
Source: As China looms large, two opposing visions face off in Taiwan’s election
Taiwan’s President Wins: A Tale of Two Opposing Visions Face Off in Trump’s Electioral Election (The Sunflower Movement)
The building was occupied for a month by protesters in the fall of 2014) after the KMT signed a trade agreement with China. Students led the movement that later came to be called the Sunflower Movement.
The protesters received server space from Hsu’s company at the time. He got into politics because of the Sunflower movement, as a government advisor on youth policy and entrepreneurship. But he was later recruited by the very party that the students were protesting — the KMT.
“I realized you need to be in the government to change the system,” Hsu said. “And you have to be willing to be on both sides and to build that bridge.”
“[The KMT] wanted someone with fresh thinking, no political baggage, not a second generation of politician … I hesitated because I don’t think it fits my ideology, but I thought I could create chemistry change within the old party by being inside.
Following his 2019 vote to legalize same-sex marriage (which passed and was made into law), the KMT did not see fit to nominate Hsu as a legislator for the 2020 election. He is a fellow at the school of public policy and government at Harvard University.
Protesters from the anti-gay protest went to the Legislative Yuan as well. Some people made life-size dolls of him and whipped them to look like an effigy.
Source: As China looms large, two opposing visions face off in Taiwan’s election
Taiwan’s Tangent Problem and the Status Quo of Self-Governance in the Kremtschild-Morse Theory
It takes two people to tango. There needs to be an understanding of what the red line is for both sides. I think the KMT has historically been able to thread that line pretty well and also create an ambiguity on both sides to allow room for survival and resistance on both sides.”
Taiwan and China are at the moment a satisfying answer to both sides. “We believe that the best way to deal with the situation is to kick the can down the road.”
The idea is unpopular in Taiwan, and the KMT has moved to the center on cross-strait issues. The status quo of self-government in Taiwan, without unification or formal independence is advocated by the KMT like their opposition.