OPINION:
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TAIPEI, Taiwan — “Here, take these,” said a campaign aide to Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as she shoved two erasers into my hand. “It’s to erase all the fake news coming from the mainland, the CCP. Don’t believe a word they say.”
The DPP, which has held the presidency for the past eight years, knows it is not the party the mainland’s ruling Chinese Communist party wants to win in Saturday’s presidential election, as Beijing has labeled many within the DPP as “separatists” who long for the day Taiwan will be an independent nation.
DPP officials have been the subject of multiple online smear campaigns, many of which are believed to have been orchestrated by Beijing, trying to steer the election into the hands of the two opposition parties who take a more cordial view of the mainland.
DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, is currently the vice president under outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen. During Ms. Tsai’s two terms in office, Taiwan hasn’t had any formal or informal communication with the Chinese government, has actively pursued alliances with the U.S. and Japan, and has worked to build Taiwan’s defenses in case of an invasion.
However, the race for president and for control of the national legislature is not all about Taiwan’s independence, the DPP campaign aide insisted to me this week. The DPP has been very liberal in pursuing equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community — more than any other nation in the region — and has brought in investment from other nations looking to divert manufacturing from China. This, in turn, has led to more economic prosperity for the Taiwanese.
Our Western delegation toured the DPP’s baseball-themed headquarters, where campaign aides told us Mr. Lai’s personality has been softened by ownership of his dog, Luke — who is prominently featured in the party’s campaign merchandise. Every call that comes into the party headquarters — even complaints about DPP’s eight years in office — is addressed and answered. This is a democracy, after all, and every voice matters.
Still, touring the headquarters, one couldn’t help but overhear the lively press conference being held only a few feet away.
DPP spokesman Vincent Chao was blasting a comment former President Ma Ying-jeou of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party made earlier in the day. Mr. Ma sparked a late-race furor by saying the Taiwanese people should “trust” Chinese President Xi Jinping. He implied Taiwan could never win a war against China and that building up a strong defense would be dangerous for the island state – all stances the DPP says the KMT’s current leaders also support.
“Trust Xi?” Mr. Chao questioned incredulously. He insisted Mr. Ma was openly “advocating for capitulation” and cited Beijing’s harsh treatment of democracy activists in Hong Kong as an example of why that strategy would not work.
The DPP believes China will be a main issue in the election, banking on the fact that the majority of Taiwanese identify as Taiwanese, not Chinese, and value their independence. All the saber-rattling and “grey-zone activity” Mr. Xi is conducting in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, the party argues, means Taiwan needs to develop a closer relationship with its allies and build up its own military.
The KMT, the oldest political party in both China and Taiwan, has taken a different tack: Its campaign is much more focused on domestic issues – stagnant wages, the lack of affordable housing and growing wealth inequality – than it is on confronting China.
Although it agrees that most voters here see themselves as Taiwanese, the KMT argues for the need for open communication with China and a more diplomatic relationship with the mainland, allowing each side to have its own interpretation of Taiwan’s ultimate future.
Given the most recent polls, KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih is hoping for an upset Saturday, arguing Taiwan is not a global flashpoint that could start the next world war and that it can manage the China threat through diplomatic engagement and increased cross-strait trade and investment.
Some might call it a strategy of appeasement or downright naive – the exact opposite of “peace through strength.” However, not every part of KMT’s agenda capitulates to China. The party argues that Taiwan, which imports 95% of its energy, needs to invest in nuclear technology to become energy independent, whereas the DPP has taken a hard line against nuclear power.
In this country of more than 23 million, which has been ostracized by much of the world because of pressure from the CCP, both parties are grateful for the world’s focus on the island’s robust political debate and free and fair elections. Taiwanese living overseas have traveled back to the state to cast their vote in person. Turnout is expected to be above 70% on Saturday when everyone casts a paper ballot, the results of which will be tallied that day and results delivered that night.
No matter what the outcome, the Taiwanese people are proud – and should be proud — of their democracy. And the entire world, and especially authoritarian China, will be watching.
• Kelly Sadler is the commentary editor at The Washington Times.
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