South China Morning Post
Date: 22 Jun, 2019
By: Minnie Chan
       Kristin Huang
       Matt Ho  

• President Tsai Ing-wen’s re-election prospects boosted as Hong Kong protests highlight city’s ties with mainland
• Han Kuo-yu, candidate for Beijing-friendly opposition Kuomintang, says Taiwan will adopt the arrangement ‘over my dead body’

As protesters and police clashed outside Hong Kong’s legislature over the city’s 

extradition bill on Wednesday last week, Taiwan’s pro-independence ruling party was wrapping up its primary poll.

The next day, buoyed by the tensions in Hong Kong, President Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of the self-ruled island, emerged to beat her former premier, William Lai Ching-te, and secure the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) ticket to seek re-election in January.

But it did not stop there – even front-running presidential contenders from the mainland-friendly main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), including former Foxconn chairman Terry Gou and popular Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu, are now telling voters that Hong Kong’s extradition bill proves a 

“one country, two systems”

 for Taiwan similar to the governing formula for Hong Kong would not work for the island.By Saturday, Han had openly criticised the Hong Kong authorities’ handling of the 

controversial legislation

 that would allow the handing over of fugitives to Taiwan as well as to mainland China – a clear shift in position.    [FULL  STORY]