Here's a photo of then KMT chairman Lien Chan (middle) with Chinese president Hu Jintao (left) last year.
Posted on 01/13/2008 6:07:29 PM PST by charles m
Taiwanese are now weighing up the impact of the weekend's landslide electoral victory to the Opposition Party, the Guomindang, which promises to build stronger relations with mainland China.
It is a blow to those who want formal independence from Beijing and a more independent Taiwan.
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has taken full responsibility for the weekend's loss and has also resigned as chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party won only 27 seats in Taiwan's new 113 seat assembly.
The party, which had been pushing for a seat at the United Nations and formal independence from China, was smashed in parliamentary elections and looks set to lose the presidency as well.
When President Chen Shui-bian won in 2000, he ended the Guomindang's 51-year rule.
But on the weekend, voters deserted his party in droves.
"When Chen Shui-bian won, people had very high expectations, feeling hopeful about tomorrow and I was one of them," one man said.
"But we see in the past eight years, nothing has changed, and we're even going backwards."
Another voter says "I think the economy has gone down. I want more focus on fixing it".
Predictions
The legislative result has left analysts predicting the Guomindang will re-take the presidency in March elections and steer Taiwan closer to mainland China.
It has promised these closer ties will boost Taiwan's economy.
On the other hand, the DPP is warning that the Opposition will sell out Taiwan's interests to China, but most voters clearly do not seem to believe that.
David Goodman, Professor of Contemporary China Studies at the University of Technology in Sydney, says the kind of initial thrust that brought the DPP to power a few years ago has clearly played itself out.
"The same kind of bad odour in which the Nationalist Party got itself before is the kind of space that the DPP has began to occupy for the last few years," he said.
"I think that in the last couple of years, the Nationalist Party, the KMT, Guomindang, have reorganised themselves.
"They are no longer the organisation they were when they were the one party of the one-party state. They are a very different animal.
"Of course in Taiwanese politics, anything can happen, almost. But you'd have to say that the signs are that the Nationalist Party candidate is likely to win, hands down.
fyi
(sigh)
If that is what the majority of Taiwanese want, best of luck to them. I’d take a look at Hong Kong to see what is in store.
Do you suppose the Noise from across the pond of Antiwar Freaks returning to power in the USA has a small influence?
ie, when it comes to communism, and you’re surrounded, “if you can’t lick’m, join’m”, comes to mind./defeatism
All said and done, even the KMT will not hand over Taiwan to the PR China until they get a share in ruling China i.e, Democracy in PR China. When that happens on th mainland, there will be initially such a mess that it’ll scare the shit out of many in Taiwan and Hong Kong. I wouldn’t be unduly worried about this development. It is a people expressing their views in a democratic election. Clearly the corrupt incumbent had to go.
Time to rearm Japan.
Did the Taiwanesse use electronic voting. Could the mainland Chi-Com controllers have hacked the election.
Coming to the states soon.
To do what? Defend a Taiwan that doesn’t want to be defended?
Why do so many, seem to presume the KMT is the more accomodating party, to mainland China?
Remember, it is the KMT which fought the communists. It is the KMT which in fact faced off against the CCP, for decades, and it is the KMT which Richard Nixon basically abandoned.
The KMT is not a party of limp-wristed quitters. They still hold in some quarters, that they are the one legitimate government of all China.
I think this means, Taiwan will become stronger, but more engaged with China. Probably buy a lot more arms. All the while, keeping the strength to insist, that relations grow in such a way that Taiwan keeps its interests intact.
It could be, I’m way wrong, but I don’t see this as a terrible thing. Unless we are/were looking for Taiwan to actually provide the reason for war. The likelihood of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, probably just went down.
OTOH, this means we need to start dealing with our trade deficit, and stop pretending China is a quaint third-world nation of cheap labor for outsourcing.
Because now, the economic contest begins in earnest.
This vote is more problematic than I’d like to see, by far.
We are concerned for Taiwan, and we have reason to be. Then you hear overatures of the Taiwanese wanting closer relations with the Mainland and now this.
When the mainland does attack Taiwan, it could very well site vote outcomes like this to say, “The majority of Taiwanese want to return to the mainland.” And what could we say?
The Taiwanese need to be very careful what messages they send out. There may come a time when they need us, but have sent so many mixed messages that we would be stupid to step in. And I say this as a hawk who thinks we should side with Taiwan.
I will remain of that opinion, pending the destruction of the basis for that opinion by the Taiwanese themselves.
They are building a new defense facility in Taiwan. So they are still serious about the threat from the mainland.
I believe they only use paper ballots.
I think maybe this story is oversimplifying. I haven’t followed recent politics in Taiwan, but the Kuomintang is the party of Chiang Kai-Shek.
What I think they probably intend is to stop the verbal provocations against China, which never actually got anywhere, and try to establish stronger trade relations, to improve the economy.
I seriously doubt whether they want to cede the island to the mainland Communists.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
I doubt they have the intent of ceding the island, but this is very likely the end of the China-Taiwan game for the United States. China has seen that its economic rewards-and-punishments game has already born fruit, and will simply enwrap the island. Taiwan will increasingly simply go China’s way if this holds, and I would expect that not long into the next decade (several years from now) Taiwan will be seen as putting on a public face of pride but towing the Chinese line on economic matters.
Taiwan is part of China. It’s time for the two sides to put aside their differences, become one economy, and get to the business of doing businesss).
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