Election results will have significant bearing on US, China’s future policy towards Taiwan: Templeman

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/01/06
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An international relations expert has predicted three possible reactions

Beijing could have if Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is re-elected this Saturday, Storm Media reported on Monday (Jan. 6).

Kharis Templeman, an adviser for the Project on Taiwan at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, authored a report titled “Taiwan’s January 2020 elections: Prospects and implications for China and the United States.”

In the report, which was published in December, Templeman said President Tsai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) appears more likely to be re-elected now than six months ago, when her “path to re-election looked difficult.”

Templeman attributed Tsai’s improved electoral position to the months-long protests in Hong Kong, steady economic growth in Taiwan, continuous pressure from Beijing, missteps by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party, potential independent rivals, and tense relations between the U.S. and China.    [FULL  STORY]