The real question is, which new strategies did China use ahead of the Nov. 24 polls, and to what extend were they successful?

The News Lens
Date: 2018/12/12
By: Chen Yu-hua

Credit: AP / TPG

Taiwan completed its nine-in-one local election on Nov. 24, 2018, which ended up being a historical defeat of the ruling Democratic Progress Party (DPP). Before and after every election, Taiwanese officials and the general population question whether China would or did meddle in the process. However, this question is somewhat misleading, because China has been meddling in Taiwanese elections, if not everyday life, since the very beginning of Taiwanese democratization.

The very first Taiwanese presidential election was completed against the dire backdrop of multiple Chinese military exercises and missile tests around the waters of Taiwan from July 1995 to March 1996. Therefore, the real question is: did China’s meddling in the 2018 Taiwanese election use any new strategies, or transform into a different model? And, if so, was China successful?

Before and during the election, many were worried that China would try to replicate a so-called Russian model to meddle in the election. Generally speaking, people holding this concern referred to two specific events in which Russian behavior interfered in another country’s affairs: 1) the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014; and 2) the 2016 U.S. presidential election.    [FULL  STORY]