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Taiwan election: Tsai Ing-Wen wins landslide in sharp rebuke to China Taiwan election: Tsai Ing-Wen wins landslide in rebuke to China
(about 1 hour later)
Win marks dramatic comeback for party that campaigned against unification with ChinaWin marks dramatic comeback for party that campaigned against unification with China
Tsai Ing-Wen has been re-elected as Taiwan’s president, as voters delivered a sharp rebuke to Beijing by choosing a leader who had campaigned on protecting their country from China. Taiwanese voters have re-elected incumbent president Tsai Ing-Wen in a landslide election that serves as a sharp rebuke to Beijing and its attempts to intimidate and cajole Taiwan into China’s fold.
As results came in on Saturday following a quiet day of voting in schools, temples, and community centres across the island, Tsai, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), quickly established a lead over her opponent, Han Kuo-yu, of the Kuomintang, which promotes closer ties with China. Winning more than 8m votes, the most any presidential candidate has garnered since Taiwan began holding direct elections in 1996, Tsai easily defeated her opponent Han Kuo-yu, whose Kuomintang party promotes closer ties with China.
“With each presidential election, Taiwan is showing how much we cherish our free democratic way of life and how much we cherish our nation,” Tsai said in her victory speech in Taipei.“This election result carries an added significance. They have shown that when our sovereignty and democracy are threatened the Taiwanese will shout our determination even more loudly back.” “This election is about whether or not we choose freedom and democracy,” Tsai said, delivering her victory speech in Taipei. “We must work to keep our country safe and defend our sovereignty.”
Han conceded after Tsai garnered 8m votes, compared to Han’s 5.3m, with more than 80% of the votes counted. More than 14 million citizens travelled to their hometowns to vote in the presidential and legislative election on Saturday, casting ballots in schools, temples, parking lots and community centres. Tsai’s party also won the majority of seats in the legislature.
“I have called Tsai and congratulated her. I did not work hard enough and failed everyone’s expectations,” he said. Tsai’s win, coming after major losses for her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the 2018 midterm elections, marks a dramatic comeback helped by a slowly improving economy, missteps by the opposition, and mass protests in Hong Kong that exposed what coming under Beijing’s authority might look like to many young Taiwanese.
Her win, coming after bruising losses for her party in the 2018 mid-term elections, marks a dramatic comeback helped by a slowly-improving economy, missteps by the opposing party, and mass protests in Hong Kong that exposed what coming under Beijing’s authority might look like to many young Taiwanese. Increased intimidation from China appears to have helped Tsai, who opposes unification with the mainland. In the run-up to the election, China twice sailed its new aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait. In a speech addressed to Taiwan last year, Chinese leader Hu Jintao said Beijing would not rule out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its authority.
Beijing claims Taiwan is an inalienable part of China that will be brought under its control by any means necessary, including force. Cross-strait ties have worsened over the last four years under Tsai, who opposes unification with China. During Tsai’s first term, Beijing cut off dialogue with Taiwan, persuaded several of its few remaining allies to drop recognition of Taiwan, and halted independent travel of Chinese tourists to Taiwan.
“This is a test of how much democracy and freedom have developed in Taiwan,” said Tek Dee, 36, who voted in Taipei. She said she had barely slept the night before due to anxiety about the election. “It’s a rejection of China’s attempts to swallow up or influence Taiwan.” “This election result carries an added significance. They have shown that when our sovereignty and democracy are threatened the Taiwanese will shout our determination even more loudly back,” Tsai said.
“With each presidential election, Taiwan is showing how much we cherish our free democratic way of life and how much we cherish our nation,” she said.
Taiwan came under military rule by the Kuomintang (KMT), formerly the governing power of China, after its leaders fled the country in 1949 ahead of advancing communists. Since martial law was lifted in 1987, it has gradually evolved into one of the most vibrant democracies in Asia. Although Taiwan enjoys de facto independence, it is recognised as a state by only 15 other countries.Taiwan came under military rule by the Kuomintang (KMT), formerly the governing power of China, after its leaders fled the country in 1949 ahead of advancing communists. Since martial law was lifted in 1987, it has gradually evolved into one of the most vibrant democracies in Asia. Although Taiwan enjoys de facto independence, it is recognised as a state by only 15 other countries.
On Saturday, residents also voted for district and at-large party representatives for the parliament. Han, Beijing’s preferred candidate, conceded the election by saying he had not “worked hard enough”. “No matter what happens, I still hope to see a united Taiwan … I urge president Tsai Ing-wen to focus on giving people a life where they can live safely and happily,” he said.
Supporters of Han Kuo-yu, a populist candidate who has drawn comparisons to Donald Trump, were grim-faced and some were crying at the KMT’s headquarters in Taipei. Han, who had campaigned on the slogan “Taiwan safe, people rich,” backed away from calls for closer ties with China after it appeared to hurt his popularity. In November, when his party released a list of pro-unification party members for at-large legislative seats, support for him dropped.
Many have described the election as a generational standoff, with older voters supporting Han and the KMT’s policies of closer economic ties with China. Younger Taiwanese have skewed toward Tsai, whose campaign has focused on appealing to the youth. Supporters of Han, a populist candidate who has drawn comparisons to Donald Trump, were grim-faced and some were crying at the KMT’s headquarters in Taipei.
“Tsai’s victory dispels the narrative that Beijing has been pushing that Taiwan’s economic and political future is reliant on China,” said Jessica Drun, a non-resident fellow at the Project 2049 Institute. “This is just a huge loss for the [Chinese communist party]. The CCP is likely to respond in terms of doubling down on their current strategy of trying to punish Taiwan as much as possible, but at the end of the day it shows its just going to push people toward a green president,” said Lev Nachman, a PhD candidate at the University of California, Irvine, studying social movements and focusing on Taiwan.
In Kaohsiung, a DPP-stronghold that Han won in a surprise victory in 2018, voters said they had been galvanised by the protests in Hong Kong. Several said many of their friends and relatives had travelled back home to vote, in contrast to previous elections. Taiwan does not have absentee ballots and voters must cast their ballots where they are registered in their hometowns. Supporters of Tsai said the result was proof of the maturation of Taiwan’s democracy. In the lead-up to the election, citizens were flooded with fake news and disinformation campaigns that many suspected to have come from China.
“Hong Kong has driven a lot of young people to come back and cast their votes,” said Wu, who voted for Tsa along with his two daughters, in a district dominated by public servants and military officers that typically supports the KMT. “This is a test of how much democracy and freedom have developed in Taiwan. People can judge right from wrong, whether the news is true or false, and whether or not they will support politicians who do little but put on a show,” said Tek Dee, 36, who voted in Taipei. “It’s a rejection of China’s attempts to swallow up or influence Taiwan.”
Increased surveillance and repression in China under its leader, Xi Jinping, who said last year in an address directed at Taiwan that independence was a “dead end” and unification was inevitable, have also pushed more voters away. Others believe Han was the victim of smears from the media, proof that Taiwan has become overly politicised. “This election is a battle between truth and evil. If Han loses, I will not believe in justice any more,” said Xu, a lecturer at a local university in Kaohsiung who asked to only give her surname.
“Young people here are very much more anxious about going to China,” said Shelley Rigger, a professor of east Asian politics with a focus on Taiwan at Davidson College. Many have described the election as a generational standoff, with older voters supporting Han and the KMT’s policies of closer economic ties with China. Younger Taiwanese have skewed toward Tsai, who campaigned heavily on pledges to protect Taiwan’s democracy.
“Everyone in Taiwan knows about Xinjiang. Everyone in Taiwan knows that your phone is not secure. They have this sense that in the mainland they would be surveilled and would have to watch everything they did … and really bad things can happen,” she said. “Tsai’s victory dispels the narrative Beijing has been pushing that Taiwan’s economic and political future is reliant on China,” said Jessica Drun, a non-resident fellow at the Project 2049 Institute.
The election has been characterised by a flood of fake news and disinformation, which many observers believe came from China. But Han supporters say he is also a victim. While Tsai has positioned herself as a protector of Taiwan’s sovereignty, some believe she and her party have not gone far enough. Tsai has said she will maintain Taiwan’s current de facto sovereignty and oppose any form of “one country, two systems” – the framework employed in Hong Kong that has been floated as a possible model for Taiwan.
“This election is a battle between truth and evil. If Han loses, I will not believe in justice anymore,” said Xu, a lecturer at a local university who asked to only give her surname.
Still, some supporters of independence believe Tsai and her party have not gone far enough. Tsai has said she will maintain Taiwan’s current de facto sovereignty and oppose any form of “one country, two systems” – the framework employed in Hong Kong that has been floated as a possible model for Taiwan.
The foreign minister, Joseph Wu, said this week that Tsai’s government would not disrupt the status quo with a formal declaration of independence.The foreign minister, Joseph Wu, said this week that Tsai’s government would not disrupt the status quo with a formal declaration of independence.
“If today she said she was for Taiwan independence, I would immediately give her my vote,” said 22-year-old Huang Kaicheng, who recently graduated from a university in Taipei.“If today she said she was for Taiwan independence, I would immediately give her my vote,” said 22-year-old Huang Kaicheng, who recently graduated from a university in Taipei.
Huang voted for Han but believes neither party has offered much in the way of policy proposals. “Whoever we elect, it won’t make a difference. Life goes on,” he said. Huang voted for Han but believes neither party has offered much in the way of policy proposals. “Whoever we elect, it won’t make a difference,” he said.
In China, state media covered the election but censors appeared to have blocked discussion of the race, with the hashtag Taiwan 2020 election returning no results. Xinhua ran a special report on the number of Taiwanese who had come to work in China. Tsai’s win also comes after another election result that has been embarrassing for Beijing, when pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong won a landslide victory in district council elections in November.
The state-owned Global Times posted on Twitter that “analysts from Chinese mainland forecast more obstacles in cross-Straits relations after her reelection, leading to some calling for a firm preparation for reunification”. Response to Taiwan’s election was muted in China, with the country’s state council for Taiwan affairs issuing a statement that Beijing “resolutely opposes any separatist attempt for ‘Taiwan independence’” and maintains its support for “peaceful reunification.”
Additional reporting by Wu Pei-lin Censors appeared to have blocked some of the discussion of the race on Weibo, with #Taiwan2020 returning no results. But internet users left comments under a report on Tsai’s win by state news agency Xinhua accusing domestic media of misleading them.
“We can’t see the real information, so the election results in Taiwan and Hong Kong are always unexpected,” one wrote. “How did this happen?” another wrote.
Additional reporting by Wu Pei-lin and Lillian Yang