Letters | What 5 million votes for Taiwan’s DPP mean

Readers discuss the implications of the election results, and why blockchain has a role to play in healthcare in mainland China

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Supporters of the DPP’s William Lai chant slogans during a rally in Tainan city, Taiwan, on January 12. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:30am, 20 Jan 2024

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Taiwan’s election results show dangerous trends. Cross-strait tensions could rise, and Taiwan’s lacklustre economy could slow down further.

While the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party’s winning presidential candidate William Lai Ching-te failed to secure an absolute majority, with about 5 million, or only 40 per cent of votes, 5 million is not a small number.

After the DPP came to power, school curriculum changes were implemented to emphasise the island’s history and treat Chinese history as “foreign”.

As those millions of votes suggest, damage has already been done to the belief system underlying Taiwan. Therefore, even if Taiwan is unified with mainland China in the end, winning the hearts and minds of those people is going to take hard work.

It would also seem the recent election was destined to unfold as it has, due to the weakness of the Kuomintang. The party has been in an awkward position because while it opposes independence, it cannot talk about reunification openly. But the KMT cannot attract voters by staking vague middle ground.