The presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan have concluded. The entire world was watching Taiwanese make their own decision. Several Japanese newspapers covered the election and its aftermath on their front pages.
One of Japan’s leading national daily newspapers, the Yomiuri Shimbun, described the election as “a demonstration of Taiwanese public opinion on the alert from China.” The Yomiuri editorial said that despite being under great pressure from China, Taiwanese still decided to continue with their Democratic Progressive Party government.
The editorial urged China to respect the opinion of Taiwanese, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) should refrain from threatening Taiwan through cultural infiltration and the People’s Liberation Army’s military might. It also said that president-elect William Lai (賴清德) would carry on President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) strategy, which is to face China with neither provocation nor submissiveness and to confront Beijing with self-assertion and confidence.
It also said that the Tsai-Lai strategy would deepen relations with the US and enhance Taiwan’s national defense to protect the “status quo.” In contrast, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its candidates, knowing Beijing’s intention of making Taiwan a part of China, still catered to China. The KMT’s lack of autonomy compelled voters to vote for Lai.
Likewise, the Nikkei Shimbun editorial said that Taiwanese wanted to keep distance from China, and such an opinion must be respected. The Nikkei editorial said that Lai being elected Taiwan’s next president shows that “democratic Taiwan wants to keep its distance from autocratic China.” It said that since Taiwan has been a democracy for more than 25 years, freedom of speech and a robust political environment have been a part of the country for some time. The Nikkei editorial indicated that China should recognize such a reality without ignoring the changes in Taiwan.
The Sankei Shimbun editorial said that Taiwanese demonstrated how a democratic system in full bloom works. According to the Sankei editorial, the election was meaningful, especially at a moment when China clearly shows its intention to annex Taiwan. The Sankei editorial also sent a warning to president-elect Lai, reminding him that “China is not a democratic country, it does not abide by law and it only believes in power.” The editorial said that if Taiwan wanted to negotiate with an autocratic country such as China to keep peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan must enhance its self-defense capabilities.
Russia’s war against Ukraine continues. Particularly at this moment, Taiwan has become a symbol for the world of defending democracy, and it is only natural that the world should pay more attention to Taiwan’s presidential election and what might follow. Newspapers and news media around the world have been reporting the event. Numerous journalists came to Taiwan to cover the election. On the other hand, China has tried every means of blocking such information and news. Nothing related to Taiwan’s elections could be found on the Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo.
Taiwan’s democracy is functioning smoothly. Before the election, hundreds of thousands of people gathered for the candidates, shouting, yelling, singing along with the crashing and beating of gongs and drums. The election campaigns are indeed carnivalesque, but after the election ends, all the clamor and noise eventually comes to an end. Life goes on as usual. Such a free and democratic Taiwan is indeed like a thorn in China’s side.
Wang Hui-sheng is the chief director of the Kisei Ladies’ and Children’s Hospital in Japan.
Translated by Emma Liu
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS