🇹🇼 Taiwan Election: Freedom Wins, China Loses
Hello! And welcome to the very first Inside The Newsroom of 2020. A new project I’ll be pursuing will be to keep a pulse on every major election around the world, and this past weekend saw the first of the new year. History took place in Taiwan where it re-elected incumbent president Tsai Ing-Wen, a staunch supporter of democracy and freedom and less ties with China. The result was also a big win for the U.S. and its allies, who seek to instil democracy around the world as a way of weakening its greatest economic and political foe. Below is everything you need to know about Saturday’s election, but before we get into it, I need to ask a favor…
On Sunday I’ll be walking a marathon for the Crohn’s & Colitis charity. Yes, a full 26.2 miles, which means I need all the support I can get. I’m an unfortunate sufferer of Crohn’s, and while it certainly affects other people more severely, I’ve had my share of… shitty situations. So please help me out in donating something small. Thank you 🙏
Okay, let’s get started. Taiwan 👇
Anti-China Tsai Wins Landslide
Taiwan went to the polls Saturday night in a so-called referendum of future ties with mainland China. In a stinging rebuke to the Communist Party, incumbent president Tsai swept her way to 57 percent of the vote, dispatching pro-China candidates Han Kuo-yu and James Soong.
When veteran politician Soong threw his hat into the ring, there were fears in China about the lack of a unified challenge to the pro-freedom Tsai. Turns out those fears were for nothing as Soong only managed to grab 4.3 percent of the vote, leaving the pro-China candidates well short of a majority.
Taiwan Delivers Rebuke To China
For the second time in six weeks, China’s leaders were dealt hefty blows to their influence and popularity. In Hong Kong’s November local elections, pro-democracy candidates won close to 60 percent of the total vote, which translated to more than 75 percent of the seats up for grabs. Now it was Taiwan’s turn to shine a light on hope, delivering a clear mandate that the country wants to be free from the mainland.
More than 14 million citizens traveled to their hometowns to vote, including my friend’s mother who flew back all the way from Canada just to vote, only to return 48 hours later. Tsai’s win could be seen as a shock. Her Democratic Progressive party (DPP) received a shellacking in the 2018 midterm elections, but a slowly improving economy and the mass protests in Hong Kong that exposed what life under China could look like, drove a dramatic turnaround that saw Tsai garner the most votes ever in a presidential election since the country began holding direct elections for the position in 1996.
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Tsai Ing-wen’s Victory Speech (with English translation)
Taiwan’s Chinese History
Taiwan and China have a long and complicated history that ultimately boils down to China wanting to reincorporate Taiwan into its country again, while the majority of Taiwanese people want to be a separate nation. After decades of hostile rhetoric, tensions between the two countries began to settle in the 1980s, after China suggested the “one country, two systems” solution, which would see Taiwan given increased autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. Taiwan rejected the offer but did relax rules on movement of people and trade.
In 2000, tensions simmered again when Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian as its president, who openly supported independence. Chen’s re-election in 2004 prompted China to pass an extreme law that gave itself the right to use “non-peaceful means” against Taiwan if it tried to secede from China. When Tsai became the first female president of Taiwan in 2016, China felt obliged to act once again, only this time in a way that was far pettier. During Tsai’s first term, China pressured international companies to list Taiwan as a part of China on their websites and threatened to block trade with them if they failed to do so. Ooooo 👻
What Role Does the U.S. Play In All of This?
In times of extreme partisanship, you can count on China to unite most Americans. Tsai’s victory was unsurprisingly met with congratulations from across the spectrum…
Tsai’s re-election is an undeniable win for the U.S., as it continues to support democracy and the weakening of China. In fact, the two countries have been travelling to other small countries to provide aid to impoverished countries, as a way to stop them from relying on China for help.
Next Election…
Jan 26: Peru (parliamentary election)