Academics in Southeast Asia on Friday said they are closely following Taiwan’s presidential and legislative election campaigns and the influence of the US and China on voters.
Malaysians believe the key issue in the elections is cross-strait relations, while the US also plays a major role, as almost every presidential candidate would seek to visit the US before the Jan. 13 election, said Lam Choong Wah (藍中華), an analyst at the Huayan Policy Institute Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies in Kuala Lumpur.
The US and China are the two most important factors in the campaigns, as their positions and actions in the lead-up to the Jan. 13 elections would influence the voting pattern of Taiwanese, Lam said.
Chong Ja Ian (莊嘉穎), a political science professor at National University of Singapore, said that China has not attempted to directly intervene or use force during Taiwan’s presidential election.
Nevertheless, Beijing would continue to make statements on its position on Taiwan and attempt to pressure voters through aircraft and warship activity near Taiwan, Chong said.
He pointed to tax investigations in China into Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, founded by former independent presidential candidate Terry Gou (郭台銘), as a form of interference in the elections.
Huayan Policy Institute deputy director Phoon Wing Keong (潘永強) said it is imperative to avoid any military confrontation in the Taiwan Strait, and that stability must be maintained.
Phoon said that Southeast Asian countries want the Democratic Progressive Party to continue to play its expected roles, regarding the situation in the Taiwan Strait and its relations between the US and China.
Southeast Asian nations do not want Taiwan and China to decouple, but even when bolstering ties and interactions with Beijing, it is important not to neglect Taiwan’s autonomy and its self-governing political structure, he said.
Taiwan has important influence among the worldwide Chinese diaspora, who see Taiwan’s democracy and political development as a beacon, especially after Hong Kong has come under the direct rule of China, he said.
Taiwan’s democratic policies not only serve as a model for people of Chinese heritage, but also ensure cultural, academic and creative freedoms for them, he added.
Malaysians are also observing how China’s “cognitive warfare” efforts would affect the elections, and how the public and government are dealing with such interference and disinformation tactics, as Malaysians are also concerned about Beijing’s campaigns to influence ethnic Chinese communities in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world, Phoon said.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
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