For Taiwan’s voters, election is about more than Beijing and Washington

In the final of a five-part series on Taiwan’s election, we look at how relations between Beijing, Taipei and Washington are affecting the presidential poll

Many feel ideology is dominating campaign at the expense of economic and social issues

Reading Time:7 minutes

Lawrence Chungin TaipeiandSarah Zhengin Beijing

Published: 7:00am, 10 Jan 2020Updated: 8:13pm, 17 Feb 2020

A significant number of Taiwan’s voters remain undecided days before Saturday’s presidential election, which has become a proxy for the intensifying strategic rivalry between Beijing and Washington.

Between 15 and 20 per cent of voters have yet to choose their preferred presidential candidate, according to most opinion polls, and a sizeable number of them are scrutinising the two main parties’ economic policy platforms and finding them wanting.

Incumbent Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is the preferred US candidate, while her main challenger, the populist Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu from the mainland-friendly Kuomintang (KMT), is seen as Beijing’s top choice.

The third contender, James Soong of the mainland-friendly People First Party, has been largely ignored in the race. He declared his presidential bid – his fifth attempt – only two months before the election.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen at a campaign event on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Chiropractor Wang Wei-yang, 40, is one of Taiwan’s undecided voters, and he lamented the lack of focus on economic and social issues in the campaign. “I prefer to have a leader who can really bring us economic prosperity, but apparently neither Tsai nor Han are able to do so,” he said.

“The 2020 election is dogged by political ideologies rather than economic and public well-being issues as it has been in the past and, worst yet, foreign factors like US and China influences have become more obvious this time.”

For Taiwan’s voters, election is about more than Beijing and Washington

In the final of a five-part series on Taiwan’s election, we look at how relations between Beijing, Taipei and Washington are affecting the presidential poll Many feel ideology is dominating campaign at the expense of economic and social issues

In the final of a five-part series on Taiwan’s election, we look at how relations between Beijing, Taipei and Washington are affecting the presidential poll

Many feel ideology is dominating campaign at the expense of economic and social issues