The election victory of Lai Ching-te of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party is rippling beyond Southeast Asia. At a time when democracy is said to be in global retreat, the party is promising to further align Taiwan with democratic countries in the face of Chinese threats and intimidation tactics.
The DPP won the presidency for an unprecedented third term, although it did lose its majority in Taiwan’s legislature. Beijing views Mr. Lai’s victory as provocative, although the president-elect wants to maintain the status quo of protecting Taiwan’s de facto independence without declaring formal independence.
In this episode of History As It Happens, Washington Times Asia Editor Andrew Salmon and U.S. Institute of Peace senior China expert Carla Freeman discuss the significance of the election for Taiwan itself and global politics more broadly.
“It does have global implications. There is the Taiwan democratization story. It’s symbolically important in a region that will be the most dynamic economic area. We’ve seen setbacks for democracies around the world, and the fact that Taiwan’s democracy has prevailed even under the stresses and pressures it has faced from Beijing is striking,” said Ms. Freeman, who pointed out that the DPP’s rivals, the main opposition Kuomintang and the populist Taiwan People’s Party, also support maintaining the island’s vibrant democratic politics. Their differences lie in domestic economic concerns and how best to manage the relationship with China.
History As It Happens is available at washingtontimes.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
