Taiwan’s two main opposition parties, the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), have agreed to make a decision on a joint presidential ticket for the upcoming January elections. This comes as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) denounced interference from Beijing.
The issue of China’s claim over Taiwan, which it considers its territory, is a major concern leading up to the parliamentary and presidential elections on January 13. China has been increasing military and political pressure on Taiwan to accept its sovereignty claim, which Taiwan firmly rejects. This has included high-profile war games.
Vice President Lai Ching-te, the DPP’s presidential candidate, has consistently held the lead in opinion polls. The candidates from the KMT, Hou Yu-ih, and the TPP, Ko Wen-je, are now competing for second place.
The KMT and TPP have been engaged in heated discussions for the past month on a united presidential bid. However, they had been unable to agree on how to determine the presidential candidate and running mate. After talks hosted by former president Ma Ying-jeou, a senior KMT member, the two parties announced that they will use opinion polls conducted between November 7 and this Friday to decide the composition of their joint presidential bid. The result will be announced on Saturday.
Hou, speaking to reporters, emphasized the importance of unity regardless of who becomes the presidential candidate and who becomes the vice presidential candidate. He also stated that the cooperation between the KMT and TPP will unite Taiwan.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP took office in 2016, China has cut off routine talks with Taiwan. However, the opposition parties have pledged to pursue dialogue with China on an equal and dignified basis in order to restore peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Chen Yi-fan, an assistant professor of diplomacy and international relations at Tamkang University, stated that if Hou and Ko did not work together, Lai would likely emerge as the winner. Chen also noted that both the United States and China desire stabilized relations in the Taiwan Strait, and Lai may not be the ideal person to achieve this.
As the talks between the opposition parties began, the DPP accused Ma of taking instructions from China. This accusation arose after Ma expressed support for using opinion polls, which the KMT had previously opposed. The DPP claimed that the head of Ma’s foundation had visited Beijing this month. Hsiao Hsu-tsen, the head of Ma’s foundation, denied these allegations and stated that his visit to Beijing was solely for an academic forum.
China has a negative view of Lai, believing him to be a separatist. Lai, on the other hand, maintains that only the people of Taiwan can determine their future and has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing, which have been rejected. The DPP strongly advocates for Taiwan’s separate identity from China.
Some opinion polls have suggested that if Hou and Ko form an alliance, they could defeat Lai and his presumptive running mate, Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s envoy to the United States. However, the DPP has not confirmed whether Hsiao will join the campaign.
It is worth noting that the KMT has a much larger representation than the TPP, controlling 38 of the 113 seats in parliament compared to the TPP’s five.
Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, is also running for president as a fourth candidate. Despite calling for opposition unity to challenge the DPP, Gou has lagged in the polls. The KMT and TPP did not mention him in their announcement to work together.
Candidates have until next Friday to register with the election commission.
