DPP's Defeat in Taiwan Welcomed by China... Awkward Moment for the US

Failure in COVID-19 Response, Plagiarism in Papers Affect Fairness, China’s War Threat Influences Voters
Concerns Over China's Influence in 2024 Taiwan Presidential Election as US Looks to Understand Kuomintang's Intentions

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Cho Young-shin] "Taiwan's ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has intensified activities seeking independence by relying on the United States, pushing Taiwan Island into the brink of war. The trend toward cross-strait unification is unstoppable, and those who go against this trend will inevitably be buried by the tide of the times."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

China's state-run Global Times published an editorial on the 28th following the DPP's crushing defeat in the Taiwan local elections held on the 26th. China openly welcomed the DPP's electoral loss, which had championed Taiwan independence. The Global Times argued that the election confirmed that the DPP's "Kang Zhong Bao Tai (抗中保臺, Resist China and Protect Taiwan)" card no longer works, asserting that this election holds symbolic significance.

In the local head elections held on the 26th across 21 counties and cities in Taiwan, the DPP managed to win only five places, including Tainan and Kaohsiung. On the other hand, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) swept 13 locations, including the capital Taipei, New Taipei, and Taichung (with the People First Party winning 1 place and independents 2 places).

Taiwan's United Daily News described the election results as "the biggest local election defeat since the DPP's founding in September 1986."

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen took responsibility for the election loss and resigned as the DPP chairperson (party leader).

The prevailing outlook is that the momentum for Taiwan independence will weaken as a result of this election. The United States, which supports Taiwan independence and seeks to check China, has also been put in an awkward position. Depending on the outcome of the Taiwan presidential election in January 2024, the highly volatile Taiwan could potentially become dormant.

The causes of the DPP's crushing defeat include mental fatigue due to failures in COVID-19 response, fairness controversies stemming from plagiarism allegations against Lin Zhi-jian, the next-generation DPP leader and mayor of Hsinchu, and China's overt war threats following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

Accordingly, attention is focused on the Taiwan presidential election in January 2024. If the KMT regains power, the drive for independence is likely to significantly decline. The KMT's stance is to maintain amicable relations rather than pursue radical unification, and to unify when the situation permits.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Beijing (China) and Washington (U.S.) are closely watching how this election result will affect cross-strait issues. Citing experts, SCMP stated that ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the U.S. will seek to understand the intentions of the KMT.

Some quarters in China predict that China will intervene in the 2024 presidential election through various means, including blocking political donations to the DPP.