Kuomintang

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou sits down with Straits Times senior regional correspondent Li Xueying for an exclusive interview at the Presidential Palace in Taipei, Taiwan, in April 2016, a month before he steps down as Taiwan president. (Taiwan Office of the President)

Poitical significance of former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s China visit

Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong notes that while former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s planned visit to several cities in mainland China is deemed an ancestral visit and to lead student exchanges, its political implications cannot be ignored. The trip could be a win for himself and both sides of the Taiwan Strait as the parties involved continue to push for cooperation and peaceful exchanges.
Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou (centre) waves as Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an (left) follows during a ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of "228 incident" at the 228 Peace Park in Taipei, Taiwan, on 28 February 2023. (Sam Yeh/AFP)

Will former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s China visit win support for the KMT?

East Asian Institute senior research fellow Qi Dongtao analyses the significance of former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s upcoming visit to mainland China. Could history repeat itself and the visit be a harbinger of a marked strengthening of ties between the mainland and the KMT, leading to a victory over the DPP in the 2024 elections?
Taiwan's armed forces pose for a photo with a Taiwan flag during a routine drills to show combat readiness ahead of Lunar New Year holidays at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 11 January 2023. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Can Taiwan stay safe in the next decade?

As the sabre-rattling continues in the Taiwan Strait, there seems to be no clear solution in sight for reunification. Zaobao’s correspondent Woon Wei Jong speaks to commentators and experts to take soundings on feasible solutions.
Members of Taiwan's armed forces participate in a two-day routine drill to show combat readiness, at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 12 January 2023. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Living in the dragon’s shadow: Taiwan’s identity dilemma and a view from Southeast Asia

Worsening cross-strait relations in recent times have generated anxiety about imminent conflict across the Taiwan Straits. During a three-month stint in Taiwan as the recipient of a Taiwan fellowship, RSIS academic Benjamin Ho observed that what is at stake for Taipei is not so much the threat from China per se but how domestic cleavages relating to Taiwan’s political identity complicate efforts to arrive at a modus vivendi with Beijing.
Taiwan Vice President William Lai Ching-te (front row, centre) gestures along with students participating in the International Youth Ambassador Exchange Programme during their visit to the Presidential Office in Taipei, Taiwan, 16 January 2023. (Facebook/賴清德)

Can DPP's new chair William Lai win the Taiwanese presidential election in 2024?

Zaobao correspondent Woon Wei Jong notes that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s strong stance of “Taiwan independence” has seen a shift towards a more toned down “peaceful protection of Taiwan”. With Taiwan’s Vice-President William Lai now at the helm of the DPP, he must grapple with internal and external challenges to secure the public’s votes for his party in Taiwan’s 2024 presidential race. In particular, will he be able to persuade the younger voters that his party can achieve the peaceful protection of Taiwan?
Taiwan's armed forces hold two days of routine drills to show combat readiness ahead of Lunar New Year holidays at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 11 January 2023. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

What could stir up trouble in the Taiwan Strait in 2023?

Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han notes that tensions in the Taiwan Strait last year reached an all-time high amid the visit by then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the subsequent military exercise around Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army. In the upcoming year, mainland China’s policies towards Taiwan, the US factor, along with the campaign for Taiwan’s presidential elections are key variables that could affect cross-strait relations and are worth keeping tabs on.
US President Joe Biden (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, 14 November 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

Grey skies: Outlook for US-China relations in 2023

While smiles at the recent Xi-Biden in-person meeting in Bali might have painted a rosy picture of US-China relations, the reality is that domestic politics, especially in the US, may stir and stoke tensions in bilateral relations in the new year.
Kuomintang chairman Eric Chu (second from left), New Taipei City mayor Hou You-yi (third from left) and Wayne Chiang (second from right), Taipei mayoral candidate, take a group photo at a rally ahead of the election in Taoyuan, Taiwan, 19 November 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

'Resist China, protect Taiwan' becoming a consensus in Taiwan

NUS academic Lu Xi assesses that the victory of the non-Green camp in the “nine-in-one” local elections shows that the Taiwanese people are aligning their views towards the Taiwan Strait issue regardless of political parties and camps. “Resist China, protect Taiwan” is becoming a consensus, and parties will need to compete on some other parameters such as a wholesome party image and promising political stars.
Supporters of Kuomintang (KMT) celebrate preliminary results in the Taipei mayoral election at a rally in Taipei, Taiwan, on 26 November 2022. (Lam Yik Fei/Bloomberg)

Taiwan’s 2024 presidential race takes shape

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party took a number of hits during the “nine-in-one” local elections and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as a result. Veteran journalist Gu Erde notes how the 2024 presidential race has started to take shape, but Taiwan’s elections in recent years show that voters’ tastes, especially those of the young voters, change quickly and drastically.