Ruling DPP’s Lai Ching-te wins Taiwan Presidential election, what might this lead to?

’지구촌 첫대선’ 대만, 中아닌 美선택 전세계 안보•경제에 영향은? Last weekend, all eyes were on Taiwan as there were both presidential and parliamentary elections. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te became the new President of Taiwan with 40-percent of the vote; while the DPP failed to hold onto its parliamentary majority. As much as cross-strait relations are a sensitive issue regarding both China and the U.S., the election outcome made many wonder how global geopolitics would be rearranged. How do the two superpowers view Lai’s win and how would this affect Seoul’s diplomatic strategy? For this, we invite Professor Kim Hun-wook from Korea National Diplomatic Academy into the studio. Welcome, professor. And we also have Xu Qinduo, a Senior Fellow at Pangoal Institution. Good to see you, Mr. Xu. (KIM) Q1. Let’s first get to know more about Taiwan President-elect, Lai Ching-te. Could you tell us about him including how a former doctor was propelled into politics? (XU) Q2. With Lai Ching-te winning 40 percent of the ballot, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party secured an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term. What does Lai’s win, and the DPP’s win hint at? (KIM) Q3. Taiwan’s Parliament’s 113 seats have also been filled and though the DPP won the presidential election, it failed to retain a majority in the legislature. Kuomintang gained 52 places, becoming the largest party in the chamber. What does this suggest? (XU) Q4. Regarding the result, China claimed the election outcome does not represent Taiwan’s mainstream public opinion and underlined that Taiwan will eventually be reunified with the mainland. What could China’s thoughts be? (KIM) Q5. As much as they have a complicated history, the economies of Taiwan and China are very much intertwined. And now that Taiwan’s DPP has won the election, many are concerned that there could be a retaliatory move from Beijing. Could there be economic coercion by Beijing? (XU) Q6. The U.S. State Department congratulated Lai on his victory and praised the Taiwanese people for demonstrating the strength of the island’s robust democratic system and electoral process. But President Biden said the U.S. does not support its independence. Is this to prevent China from attacking Taiwan? (BOTH) Q7. Cross-strait relations have been a huge issue between China and the U.S. How would this election result in any way affect tensions? (KIM) Q8. With the DPP’s win, some say there could be increased pressure for South Korea to take a clearer stance on the Taiwan issue if tensions between the U.S. and China were to escalate more. What are your views? (XU) Q9. If Seoul takes a clearer stance regarding the Taiwan issue, how might that affect Sino-Korean ties? (KIM) Q10. Taiwan-based global foundry leader TSMC is now widely expected to expand its global influence even more. How would that restructure the global chip supply chain and how should South Korea’s chip makers deal with it? Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have for today’s edition. Thank you Qinduo, and Professor Kim for your time and insights. We appreciate it. #Taiwan #President #LaiChingte #DPP #Diplomacy #대만 #라이칭더 #외교 #경제 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2024-01-15, 18:30 (KST)