This year will be the most democratic year in history. More than 70 countries, accounting for half of the world’s population, called elections. Few will be more important and media-worthy than the events Taiwan celebrates this Saturday. Small island with a population of 24 million In the Far East, which the UN does not recognize. Disparaged for decades as China’s internal problem, global attention is now focused on this issue; geopolitical board and has a near monopoly on the latest generation of chips.
No country goes to the polls with such enthusiasm. Taiwan reaches out after a painful past colonialism And dictatorships and embraced them with the power of converts. Their democracy has no rotten origins but plenty of youthful enthusiasm. “Democratic Taiwan” is often mentioned in official speeches, so this phrase describes the country. No more perfect democracy Asia nor the country that boasts parliamentary debates, street demonstrations, mass participation in elections, vibrant civil society, women’s rights and the LGTBI community… Taiwan claims democracy as a brand image. Chinese this overshadows it.
“I come to every election, of course I’m excited,” admits Joyce Lin. He and his seventy-year-old sister have lived in Los Angeles for the past half-century, returning to the island for a few weeks each visit. “I support Taiwan, not China,” she said at the polling station. Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).
Shakespeare’s dilemma
Taiwanese will face a Shakespearean dilemma at the ballot box: approach China’s economic surge or keep a cautious distance to preserve their identity. In other words: vote Kuomintang (KMT) or PDP. Victory for the latter would mean an unprecedented third term that would punish Beijing’s patience. Eight years of the Presidency Tsai Ing-wenThis move, which Beijing has described as a dangerous pro-independence movement despite its restrictions, has taken a very long time for China. There is high tension in the Formosa Strait due to the frequent voyages of Chinese ships and aircraft over the intermediate or unofficial border. Polls give the PDP a slight advantage, but Taiwan’s recent history has not been immune to last-minute changes.
The process is being followed with the entomological interest of Beijing and Washington. It is already part of the ritual for the PDP and half of Taiwan’s population to accuse China of interference. disinformation and threats. Additionally, the KMT, the other half of the population, and Beijing blame the Taiwanese Government. paranoiac. What happened this Tuesday gives rise to the second one. Taiwanese received an unprecedented mobile phone warning from Foreign Minister Joseph Wu about a missile launched by China. scares. It was a satellite that was part of a joint program with the European Space Agency, and this Wednesday Taipei admitted that it was devoid of “political purposes” after inspections by the Security Department and its “international friends”.
The truth lies in Aristotle’s middle ground: Chinese oppression is not non-existent, as Beijing claims, nor is it the “greatest oppression in history” as Taipei promises. They are much smaller than previous elections because China has finally realized that its hostility serves the interests of the independence party and Washington. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the following for the new year: reunification This is inevitable. Beyond this inevitable classic, there was no further comment from Beijing, to which Taipei responded by declaring that only the Taiwanese would decide their future.
China-US relationship
The island will also decide on its connections with the country. United States of AmericaIt is seen by some as a guarantor of security and by others as a disturbing element. Interactions between Washington and the island, which angered Beijing, have continued to increase in recent years. China condemns US crossing all red lines gun sales periodic meetings, visits by leaders and the dynamite of old principles. China reiterated that interference in its most sacred issue would not lead to any harmony. The elections took place during a rare calm following the summit, which even allowed the resumption of military dialogue between the heads of both powers; But in China, tensions are accepted as part of the new normal, and the United States knows Beijing knows this. He has a liver in Taiwan.
The economic aspect is added to the geopolitical importance of Taiwan, which is the most erogenous spot in East Asia. The island produces 90 percent of the water chips and semiconductors The most advanced in the world. This alleged Chinese invasion, which has been declared imminent and inevitable for four decades, would deprive the United States of an indispensable material on the battlefield. technological career this will solve global supremacy. Ties between Washington and Taipei have forced China to rush to develop a sector in which it still lags behind.
While geopolitical ramifications concern the world, daily events keep many Taiwanese alert. The island, oasis aside, has lost the vitality that made it one of the four Asian tigers decades ago. Panel frozen salaries with real estate price increases, very low birth rate This puts the pension system at risk, and many young people put their nationalism aside to seek a better future in China.
A walk through Taipei reveals old buildings crying out for a coat of paint or a pickaxe and tangles of cables dotting neighborhoods of low-slung, dilapidated houses. Taiwan’s capital pales in comparison to the more modern, technological and powerful Chinese provincial cities. Talkative and with an easy smile, Wu drives an old and slightly smelly taxi, reminiscent of those who suffered in Beijing 15 years ago. Progress and democracy are a dilemma that China and Taiwan solve in different ways. “Democracy, of course. Voting is priceless,” Wu replies.