Joking aside, In the latest Taiwan Presidential election, the ruling-party’s candidate William Lai Ching-te won with 40% of the votes. The opposition party’s candidate Hou Yu-ih received 33.5% of the votes, while Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party garnered 26.5% of the votes.
What this tells me is that 60% of Taiwanese DO NOT SUPPORT the winner’s foreign affairs policies ( that is, when it comes to declaring independence from China). So, even if he were pro-Taiwan independence ( a declaration of which will certainly prompt a CHina invasion ), HE CAN’T DECLARE IT. Simply put, 60% of Taiwanese prefer the current status quo.
And in the Taiwanese Legislature, which consists of 113 seats, the newly elected President’s Party ( the DPP, which China views as pro-independence ) only has 45% of the seats. The more China-conciliatory party, which is the Kuomintang has 46% of the seats, while the Centrist Taiwan People’s Party has 9% of the seats.
I don’t see any danger of the newly elected President rocking the boat when it comes to declaring independence. He cannot overcome the 55% that will oppose him.
That’s what’s great about a Democracy like Taiwan. One person, no matter how prominent cannot control all decision making.
Thanks for the back story.
Taiwan’s Legislature has had some “non-joking” scenes:
https://youtu.be/sWiVHqBJbQg?si=HdYtvr_kBFB_j5-T