On January 25, 2024 IU kicked off its new Taiwan Studies Initiative with an online roundtable addressing the results of Taiwan’s recent presidential and legislative elections. The roundtable featured Professor Shelley Rigger of Davidson College, Professor Wei-ting Yen of Franklin and Marshall College, and Dr. Yen-Tu Su of Academia Sinica. These experts offered insights into what the election means for domestic politics in Taiwan, the changing political role of Taiwanese young people, and Taiwan’s relationship with China and the rest of the world. Attention focused on the DPP’s unprecedented third-time success in the presidential election and the split results of the legislative election, including insightful commentary on the emerging impact of Taiwanese youth as an influential political voice. Experts and audience members debated the critical role that a third party, the Taiwan People’s Party, will play as a decisive political force in legislation going forward, given the lack of a clear legislative majority for the two main parties, the DPP and the KMT. The topic of China’s influence on the election and the narrowing, but still salient, differences between the two main party platforms with respect to China also sparked insightful discussion. The participation of more than sixty attendees, hailing from over twenty different universities and across three countries, made for an engaged and exciting conversation about Taiwanese democracy and the future of Taiwan, US, and China relations. Stay tuned for upcoming events from our Taiwan Studies Initiative!
Authored by Dr. Sara Friedman and Dr. Fei-Hsien Wang, EASC affiliates
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