Winner will savour the moment – but struggle against Beijing
William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) made history yesterday by securing a third term for the presidency for his party for the first time in Taiwan’s democratic era.
While achieving over 40 per cent of the vote was a decent performance, it falls short of the two far larger majorities of the current president, and the person he has served as deputy for the past four years, Tsai Ing-wen.
Ms Tsai will be a hard act to follow. In the final rally of the election held in Taipei and attended by 200,000 people, Ms Tsai said that, however people felt about her time in power, every day there had been at least some progress. Her management of the pandemic attracted praise globally. So too did her navigation of the transition from Donald Trump to Joe Biden, and the constant application of pressure by Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Lai’s own position on cross strait relations is clear cut. Taiwan has its integrity and autonomy and stands, as he said in the first speech he made after being elected, on the side of democrats and against autocrats.
Despite his strong words, his problem will continue to be the same his predecessors have struggled with. China still accounts for 45 per cent of Taiwan’s trade. Almost 250,000 Taiwanese reside across the strait. Taiwan’s greatest economic partner is also its most serious security problem.
This economic dimension matters because, if there was one other theme in the elections, it is the frustration by the young at high property prices. Tiny flats in downtown Taipei can go for well over £1 million. The Taiwan People’s Party, contesting a national election for the first time, made a solid showing, making a clear bond with younger, first-time voters.
In the long term, that may well be the most important outcome of this election. The Taiwan People’s Party may go on to become the opposition in the future. But for now, the DPP continue to rule the roost.