China Global Television Network
Date: 05-Jan-2020
By: Tom Fowdy

Editor's note: Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. He writes on topics pertaining to China, the DPRK, Britain, and the U.S. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Next week marks the Taiwan leadership election. Incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Tsai Ing-wen faces off against mayor of Kaohsiung and Kuomintang (KMT)'s candidate, Han Kuo-yu. 

The election is expected to be interpreted as a pivotal point in the island's relationship with the Chinese mainland, with Tsai pushing for greater separation and Han arguing for the benefit of closer ties.

In doing so, the DPP leader has sought to weaponize fear of China to boost her own electoral prospects and make it harder for opponents to argue for reconciliation with the Chinese mainland.

Since the summer of 2019, she has played upon the impacts of Hong Kong protests and persistent negative coverage of the Chinese mainland by the Western mainstream media. This has already given her the upper hand. However, it hasn't been enough.    [FULL  STORY]