The KMT may try and push a model of cross-Strait cooperation pioneered by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/12/01
By: Brian Hioe, 破土 New Bloom

Credit: Han Kuo-yu / Facebook

International views of 2018 local elections in Taiwan, unsurprisingly, have in many cases skewed towards the assessment that China may have been the ultimate victor in nine-in-one elections. This is evident in the coverage of the event by a number of western media outlets.

This includes headlines such as “Will Taiwan Be the First Domino to Fall to China?” in a New York Times op-ed, “Beijing’s Ground Game in Taiwan Is Growing Smarter” in Bloomberg, and “The big winner in Taiwan’s weekend elections? China” in CNBC. A particularly egregious example would be a BBC article by Cindy Sui that asks the question of “Taiwan’s political earthquake: Does China gain from Tsai Ing-wen’s losses?” in its title, but which ends with the conclusion that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s loss is because it remains committed to the political independence of Taiwan and that this is why voters have punished it. A number of commentators have criticized this article as bordering on Chinese propaganda. Many have also asked the question as to whether Chinese election interference was another factor in the KMT’s victory.    [FULL  STORY]