Taiwan election: Many young voters say China is not their biggest concern

Taipei
CNN
—

Looking back, Taiwan’s retired admiral Wu couldn’t be more proud of his decades of service sailing around the world in guided missile frigates.

Although he once led hundreds of Taiwanese naval officers on missions thousands of miles from his homeland, he was honored to represent his home country, the Republic of China, officially known as the Taiwanese government.

“I believe that I am a member of the Chinese civilization,” said the Navy veteran, who asked CNN not to use his full name for fear of being targeted for his views.

The issue of identity and Taiwan’s relationship with China is one of the most important political divides in Taiwan, and research shows it is closely related to voting patterns in the last election.

But as the island’s democracy of 23.5 million people prepares to elect a new leader this Saturday, experts say identity may not have had much of an impact on the election outcome. ing.

Mr. Wu’s loyalty to his Chinese heritage is typical of veterans who grew up in Taiwan’s authoritarian era and of many older generations whose families fled to Taiwan at the end of the Communist Party’s civil war in 1949. But research shows that the younger generation now overwhelmingly identifies with themselves. Taiwanese.

Political research has traditionally shown that people who identify as Taiwanese but not Chinese are more likely to support the pro-independence ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Incumbent Democratic Progressive Party President Tsai Ing-wen has received frequent angry warnings from Chinese officials since taking power eight years ago and cannot stand for re-election due to term limits.

Although many young voters supported Ms. Tsai in the last presidential election, recent polls show that many now support third-party candidates. Ke Wen-Ji is a former mayor of Taipei and a member of the political party he founded, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). 5 years ago.

Mr. Ke has billed himself as a “pragmatic” choice and is perhaps more ideologically oriented than the other two candidates, incumbent vice chairman William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party and New Taipei Mayor Hou Youxi of the Kuomintang Party. isn’t it.

Lai said he would follow Tsai’s policy roadmap and emphasized that Taiwan is not subordinate to China. Hou characterized the election as a choice between “war or peace,” adding that only the party can reduce the risk of war with China. China’s communist rulers claim Taiwan as part of their territory, even though they have never ruled it, and have vowed to “unify” it. If necessary, force cooperation with the island.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ke said that China would continue to strengthen its deterrence capabilities through regular dialogue with the Chinese government, but did not specify how that would be achieved.

CNN recently interviewed 12 young Taiwanese in their 20s and 30s from all political walks of life to understand their voting priorities.

Almost all of them identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese, but a majority do not see China as the most important factor in this election because they believe the status quo will not change in the short term. he told CNN.

“both [DPP and KMT] It’s just competing ideologies, but for me neither independence nor unification is realistic, and no matter who is in charge, our lives haven’t actually improved,” said a civil servant in New Taipei City. Charles Shen, 34, said. .

Monica Chen, 28, a sports coach in southern Tainan, a traditional Democratic Progressive Party stronghold, said she was tired of the debate over political rhetoric.

“We have always known Taiwan as a country and we are Taiwanese,” she said. “But I don’t think there’s any difference between the Republic of China and Taiwan. I think the debate over this will only further widen the political divide.”

Some young Taiwanese voters told CNN they believe the ongoing debate over Taiwan’s future is ideological. That’s because the only viable option is to maintain the status quo, an agreement in which Taiwan remains autonomous without determining its final status.

A formal declaration of independence would almost certainly lead to war, and there is little support for a full transfer of power to China.

Leung, a 34-year-old engineer from Taoyuan City who recently worked in mainland China for two years, said more emphasis should be placed on cross-strait education.

“I feel that ‘resist China’ is just a political slogan of the ruling party. Many people in Taiwan have little understanding of China,” Leung said. He asked that only his name be used because he may work in China again. future.

“Instead of blindly opposing things related to China…I think we should promote exchanges so that people on both sides can understand how different they are from each other,” he added.

After Tsai’s election victory in her first term in 2016, the Chinese government has cut off official communication with the Taiwanese government and steadily increased economic, diplomatic, and military pressure on Taiwan, impeding bilateral exchanges. There is.

Austin Wang, an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who specializes in Taiwanese politics, said that many Taiwanese do not believe that the election will fundamentally change the relationship between Taipei and China, so this election is about livelihood issues. He said it has taken center stage. short term.

“In the eyes of many Taiwanese, the status quo is not going to change anytime soon, so they see no need to choose sides,” he said. “So if the status quo is always going to exist, then maybe we can look at other issues like social justice and rising housing prices.”

basic problem

The majority of young voters interviewed by CNN highlighted concerns about their economic well-being, particularly about stagnant wages and a lack of public housing.

Taiwan’s export-dependent economy is estimated to expand by only 1.61% year-on-year in 2023, the slowest pace in eight years due to sluggish global demand for technology products, according to estimates by the Government Statistics Bureau. .

While Taiwan has an undisputed role as a world leader in supplying cutting-edge semiconductor chips, income levels for other workers have remained largely stagnant for the past two decades.

According to the latest official statistics, the median monthly salary in Taiwan in 2022 is $1,386, which is higher than other high-growth countries in the so-called “Asian Four Tigers”, including South Korea ($1,919) and Hong Kong ($2,444). was significantly lower than that of ) and Singapore ($3,776).

At the same time, public housing is not readily available in Taiwan. According to statistics from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, as of November 2023, public housing accounts for only 0.2% of all housing in Taiwan, significantly lower than in many other developed countries.

“I think housing justice is one of the most important issues in the future,” said Luo Chengsheng, 22, a student from the southern city of Chiayi, who was voting for the first time. They are “too passive” in curbing housing prices.

Some young voters believe Koh can achieve better economic equity because he is seen as having a better understanding of the challenges facing younger generations, CNN said. told.

Other young voters have questioned whether Mr. Coe can address these fundamental issues, especially since his fledgling party has no experience managing the economy beyond the local level. It’s for a reason.

“I think it remains to be seen how much of his campaign promises his party can really achieve,” said Johnny Huang, a 27-year-old financial adviser from Kinmen County who supports the opposition Kuomintang party. “Reform is more than just chanting slogans. I prefer supporting candidates who will bring steady change to Taiwan.”

Still, just because this election focused on domestic livelihood issues does not mean that Taiwan’s younger generation is unaware of the threat posed by the Chinese government.

Wang, a political scientist, said there is a clear consensus in Taiwanese society that unification with mainland China is never an acceptable option.

According to the latest survey conducted by the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Committee in October 2023, more than 60% of respondents support maintaining the status quo indefinitely, while those who support immediate or eventual reunification with mainland China It was only 6.8%.

Some young voters emphasized the importance of defending Taiwan’s hard-won democracy and demonstrating to the international community that Taiwan is determined to defend its freedoms and deserves its continued support.

Beijing’s crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong has only deepened concerns among many that Taiwan’s uniquely vibrant democratic culture may not last long under Chinese Communist Party leaders. Ta.

“The goal of annexing Taiwan is a long-standing policy of the Chinese Communist Party, and Taiwan’s president cannot change it,” said Alice Yang, a 27-year-old lawyer who supports the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. .

“We must show the world that there will be no compromise on our sovereignty,” she added. “If we elect a president that is too friendly to China, other countries may be reluctant to intervene on our behalf if something happens in the Taiwan Strait, because they We will think it is our own doing.”

“I think the voting decision is mainly determined by which issues people care about the most,” said Carrie Wang, a 26-year-old student from Taipei. “For me, I think it’s most important to choose a president who can best move our country forward in the international world.”