“To avoid a future like Hong Kong, we must actively protect freedom.”
“We are already an independent country, so what is the benefit of overstimulating China?”
The results of Taiwan’s presidential election, which was also evaluated as a ‘US-China proxy war’, ended with the Democratic Progressive Party’s victory, but Taiwanese people who met after the presidential election still appeared divided on cross-Strait issues.
Some asked, ‘What is the benefit of overstimulating China?’ Others responded that if the people do not actively protect their freedom, Taiwan will eventually live under China’s surveillance and oppression like Hong Kong. .
President-elect Lai, who is pro-American, anti-China, and independent, was elected with 40% of the support, while the pro-China Kuomintang candidate in second place received 33%, and the centrist People’s Party candidate in third place received 26%. This could be interpreted to mean that more than half of those who voted did not support the Democratic Progressive Party’s line.
On the 14th (local time), an anonymous Democratic Progressive Party supporter met in Taipei, Taiwan. When asked, “Do you expect the war crisis in the Taiwan Strait to escalate with the return of the Democratic Progressive Party to power?”, he answered confidently, “China will never be able to attack us.” “It is,” he said.
He said, “China has too much to lose to invade Taiwan. I am skeptical that China will bet its existence as a nation just by acquiring Taiwan as its territory on the map. Moreover, China’s economy is very bad right now, so it is unlikely that China will invade Taiwan in the near future,” he said.
He said, “Even if China really invades, the United States and Japan will provide support. Because Taiwan is located on the First Island Chain, the United States and its allies will defend it unconditionally. “And we will go out and fight,” he emphasized.
In fact, Taiwan is located in the center of the First Island Line (the island line connecting Japan’s Okinawa-Taiwan-Philippines-Malacca Strait), which is the border that must block the expansion of China’s naval power from the United States’ perspective. In a situation where the conflict between the United States and China is acute, Taiwan is located in a strategically important position and is sometimes called the ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier.’
Another Democratic Progressive Party supporter said, “I am so glad that Lai Qingde was elected. We are an independent country. I hope he will continue President Tsai Ing-wen’s achievements and reduce dependence on China. “That is the way we can live as an independent nation,” he said.
He said, “The people are so divided right now. But Hong Kong should not be our future. “We must come together as one against China for Taiwan’s future,” he said.
On the other hand, there were widespread opinions that overstimulating China would cause more harm than good.
A woman who works in the service industry said she was a supporter of the People’s Party (the centrist second opposition party) and said, “My hope is that Lai Qingde will expand exchanges without ostracizing China too much.”
He said, “Everyone in Taiwan knows that we are an independent nation. So, I hope that Lai Qingde will not make China uncomfortable by loudly shouting things that do not need to be said. “If we continue to provoke China with unnecessary words, the economy will suffer,” he added.
Another Taiwanese man in his 20s refused to reveal which party he voted for, but said, “After the election results were announced yesterday, people around me joked that ‘war will now break out in the Taiwan Strait.’ The Kuomintang is sometimes too biased toward China. “What I want from Lai Qingde is to maintain the status quo in relations with China and get along smoothly with China,” he said.
A woman in her 30s who said she could not vote the day before because of her part-time job said, “I supported the Kuomintang Party out of the three candidates, but since Lai Ching-de was elected, I hope he will care about the people’s livelihood. “Her livelihood is the most important thing to me,” she said.
Meanwhile, tensions are rising in cross-strait (Taiwan-China) relations with the election of Lai Ching-de, who is anti-China, pro-US, and independent.
Lai Qingde, who pursues ‘maintaining the status quo’ in cross-strait relations, has been irritating China even before the election by promising to continue current President Tsai Ing-wen’s pro-US policy of reducing overall dependence on China while maintaining economic exchanges with China.
Accordingly, China has repeatedly sent messages to Taiwanese voters that if the Democratic Progressive Party wins the election, the risk of war in the Taiwan Strait will increase.
(Taipei = News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.