China Question Looms Large as Elections Approach in Taiwan

Taipei's relationship with Beijing is the defining factor in Taiwan's upcoming general elections.

Transcript

00:00 The presidential candidate for Taiwan's main opposition, the Kuomintang or the KMT,

00:05 is on the back foot. A group linked to his party is being investigated for organising

00:10 trips to China sponsored by Beijing, which could fall foul of Taiwan's election interference

00:16 laws.

00:17 "The judiciary should be clear and transparent. But the CCP should not do anything to me that

00:28 will cause the political situation to be out of control."

00:33 With just 30 days until Taiwan heads to the polls, trips like these are rocking local

00:37 politics. The government sees them as attempts by Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of

00:42 its territory, to influence the elections. Others defend them as just neighbourly exchanges.

00:49 The China issue is at the heart of Taiwan politics. It's often said that there's no

00:53 such thing as right wing and left wing here. Instead, the difference between the two major

00:58 political parties is defined by how they view the relationship with neighbouring China.

01:03 The ruling Democratic Progressive Party says Taiwan is its own country and has initiated

01:08 military upgrades and a boost in defence spending in its attempts to stand up to Beijing.

01:15 But the opposition Kuomintang says Taiwan and China are both Chinese and favours a closer

01:20 relationship with Beijing.

01:23 This question of Taiwanese versus Chinese identity splits society and generations.

01:28 "Taiwan is also a part of China. In the Qing and Ming dynasties, Taiwan was a part of China."

01:37 "I don't think the Kuomintang will immediately agree with us. I don't believe this. But

01:47 of course, a lot of information has been telling us that it might be like this."

01:51 But this split is changing.

01:53 "There is certainly a generational shift. The older generation was a lot more likely

01:59 to be foreign-ification and the younger generation a lot less likely. The younger people tend

02:05 to have a separate, almost distinct Taiwanese national identity as opposed to a more Chinese

02:11 national identity."

02:13 This shift in national identity is now playing out in the polls. The presidential candidate

02:17 for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party is the front-runner for the next president.

02:22 And the Kuomintang, with its association with Taiwan's belligerent neighbour, is struggling

02:27 to win over young voters who may decide this election.

02:31 Dolphine Chen and Rick Glauert for Taiwan Plus.

02:34 (speaking in foreign language)