Taiwan’s main opposition, once a powerful political force, has lost its last two presidential elections, largely because it promoted closer ties with China. Now, in the face of voters wary of Beijing’s encroachment on the island, the Kuomintang is looking to a new type of candidate: a popular local leader with a clean slate on the thorny issue of China. .
The Kuomintang (KMT) on Wednesday nominated 66-year-old Hou Yong-Hui, a two-term mayor of New Taipei City and a former police chief looking to forge a middle ground within the party, as its presidential candidate. Relations between islands and China. Mr. Hou rallied and launched a candidacy.
“We must unite to win, especially at this stage when our country faces a fierce and dangerous international situation,” Hou said after announcing the nomination.
his candidacy tight lace It could chart a new course for Taiwan in the confrontation between the great powers of China and the United States next January and reshape tensions around the Taiwan Strait, one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints. Under DPP President Tsai Ing-wen’s seven-year leadership, Taiwan has come under increasing military and diplomatic pressure from China, but has repelled it by strengthening ties with the United States.
Within the Kuomintang, Mr. Hou is seen as a capable administrator with broad appeal, “least controversial within the party, in line with the expectations of society as a whole, and most likely to win the presidential election.” ” said Huang Gui. – Mr. Bo is a professor of international relations at the National Chengchi University and former deputy general secretary of the Kuomintang.
Hou’s nomination will face Lai Chingde, the ruling party candidate and current vice president. A victory for Lai would likely mean the continuation of China’s policy of keeping Taiwan out of high-level engagement and Taiwan’s continued rapprochement with the United States. A victory for Mr. Hou and the Kuomintang could reopen communication channels with China, ease military tensions and ease pressure on Taiwan to strengthen ties with the United States.
Mr. Hou faced stiff competition from Terry Gou, founder of iPhone and electronics maker Foxconn, even though Mr. Guo held rallies across the island to win the nomination. Lost the election. Analysts said Guo’s lack of political experience and business interests in China made him an unlikely candidate for the Kuomintang.
The Kuomintang has struggled in recent years to balance its pro-China tendencies with deteriorating Taiwanese sentiment toward China. This juggling has been complicated by Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong in 2019 and increased military exercises around Taiwan. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party has positioned itself as a champion of Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy, citing a Russian invasion of Ukraine as an example of the imminent threat of authoritarian expansionism.
But the Kuomintang did well last year, winning almost two-thirds of the local mayoral elections held, making geopolitics more important than livelihood issues. Mr. Hou won re-election with a bang and has since topped several polls within his party for his candidacy.
Unlike most politicians in Taiwan, Hou started his career as a police officer in the 1980s. He rose through the ranks and became the lead investigator in the 2004 assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian. In 2006, the Chen government promoted Hou to the island’s police chief, making him the youngest police officer ever to hold the position.
When he turned to politics in 2010, he teamed up with then-New Taipei mayor Eric Chu. Hou served as deputy mayor under Zhu before succeeding Zhu as mayor in 2018. Mr. Zhu is currently the chairman of the Kuomintang.
Hou’s supporters in New Taipei City say he is taking real action to improve the lives of residents. Jax Cheng, 28, a non-profit employee, cited Hou’s efforts to transform a large, decades-old garbage dump into a lush park space, as an example.
“People in Taiwan’s political circles seem to say too much,” he says. “But if there is a real person with the ability to enforce policy, that would be great, and everyone would welcome that person.”
Mr. Hou’s views on key geopolitical issues, such as how Taiwan should navigate its ties with China and the United States, are less established. He claims that China will claim Taiwan as its own territory and annex it by force if necessary, and he accuses the Democratic Progressive Party of seeking formal independence. The Nationalist Party claims to be the party most likely to engage China and avoid war.
Apparently trying to thread a needle, Hou said he opposes both Taiwan’s independence and the formulation of China’s proposed “one country, two systems” scheme to absorb Taiwan. While this position eschews extremes, it leaves a vast array of possible perspectives on the existential question of cross-strait relations.
Paul Chaoshan Chu, a political science professor at the National Taiwan Normal University, said his unclear stance on China has already been criticized by some observers, adding to his lack of diplomatic experience and putting him at a disadvantage. said it was possible. Party politics and voter behavior.
At the same time, Hou’s reticence could make him more attractive to centrist voters, said Liao Dazhi, emeritus professor of political science at National Sun Yat-sen University. This contrasts with the 2020 Kuomintang presidential candidate, Han Yu, who gave an enthusiastic speech and vowed to restore closer ties with China, only to be crushed by President Tsai.
Bonnie Glaser, a Taiwan expert and managing director of the US German Marshall Foundation’s Indo-Pacific program, said Hou had very little interaction with the US overall. Hou said he met at least eight times with officials from the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy. However, no US congressional delegation to Taiwan has been able to meet with him since Taiwan reopened.
Contact between the Kuomintang and China puts the Kuomintang in an awkward position at times as Beijing fuels tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
Earlier this year, former Taiwanese president and KMT leader Ma Ying-jeou headed to China on an unofficial visit, much like President Tsai visited the United States. Mr Ma has been criticized in Taiwan for making it look like he is flattering China for his ill-timed visit. (In retaliation for Tsai’s visit to the United States, China sent a record number of military planes, warships and aircraft carriers to Taiwan’s vicinity to conduct military exercises.)
“For the Kuomintang to win the election, it is essential to convince the public that voting for the Kuomintang is the safer and more viable option for achieving peace,” Dr Chu said. “At the same time, how to persuade the Taiwanese people to betray Taiwan and not allow China to completely swallow Taiwan’s sovereignty is a major challenge for the Kuomintang.”
