DPP

A brawl erupted in the Taiwanese parliament on Friday during a heated debate over reforms to the legislature.

The Chinese Defense Ministry on Friday sought to bully Taiwanese voters by warning it will “smash any Taiwan independence plots,” implicitly threatening the Taiwanese if they make the “wrong” choice by voting for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate William Lai Ching-te on Saturday.

China uses everything from disinformation to “gray zone” psychological warfare and outright intimidation to influence Taiwan’s election.

China’s state-run Global Times on Thursday mocked Taiwanese and U.S. media for being concerned about “harmless weather balloons flying over the island.” 

Tech billionaire Terry Gou, founder and former CEO of the Hon Hai Technology Group — more commonly known as Foxconn — on Monday became the fourth contestant in Taiwan’s January presidential election.

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said on Thursday the regime in Beijing considers it a “priority” to block Taiwanese presidential frontrunner William Lai from visiting the U.S. as scheduled next month.

Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang announced on Wednesday that every citizen of the island nation will receive a cash gift of $6,000 Taiwanese dollars, or $195.61 in U.S. dollars, as a “New Year blessing.”

Taiwan on Thursday debuted a defense budget that would increase military spending by 13.9 percent over 2021 spending, a considerably higher increase than suggested by legislators – but still not nearly enough to counter the threat of a Chinese invasion, according to defense analysts.

The Chinese government on Wednesday published a rare “white paper” adjusting its stance on Taiwan by rescinding a long-standing promise that People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces would not be sent to garrison the island if Beijing takes control, by either political or military means.

Chinese officials and state media lashed out at former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, denouncing him as a “lunatic” and the “worst” to ever hold his office because he called on the United States to extend diplomatic recognition to Taiwan while he was visiting the island.

Taiwan’s Chinese Nationalist Party, Kuomintang (KMT), protested the coronavirus policy of the island’s ruling party at a legislative session on Tuesday, with several KMT members shoving opposing lawmakers to the floor of the parliamentary building and drenching others with water.

American and Taiwanese officials celebrated President Tsai Ing-wen’s reelection on Saturday, in what was seen as a rebuke to China.

Taiwan’s presidential election entered its final day of campaigning with a mixture of angry allegations, calls for unity, and international tensions. Incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) remains heavily favored to win, but Tsai herself advised supporters to “come together and never underestimate our rival,” meaning Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Han Kuo-yu.

In one of the odder twists of the Taiwanese presidential election, representatives of the pro-China Kuomintang party (KMT) accused incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen of “sucking up to the Chinese Communist Party” while insisting it is unfair to describe the KMT as pro-China. 

Taiwan held the equivalent of a midterm election on Saturday. The results were brutally disappointing for President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – so disappointing that Tsai almost immediately resigned as head of the party, although she remains president of Taiwan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Friday with a delegation of Taiwanese that included Lien Chan, the former chairman of the Kuomintang party (KMT), which is currently the opposition but ran the country until the year 2000. Supporters of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) complain that the trip to China undermines President Tsai Ing-wen, whose election two years ago enraged mainland China and prompted it to begin an aggressive campaign of diplomatic and economic isolation against Taiwan.

Contents: China’s warplanes conduct ‘encirclement’ patrols around Taiwan’s and Japan’s islands; Encirclement patrols follow explicit Chinese war threats against Taiwan; China unification continues to lose support among the people of Taiwan

Contents: In a major victory for China, Panama switches allegiance from Taiwan to China; Taiwan’s harsh response signals increasing tension with China; China expected to continue increasing diplomatic pressure on Taiwan

Contents: In new escalation, China cuts communications hotline with Taiwan; Taiwan’s politicians respond to the Brexit referendum result; Britain’s Millennials are furious at Boomers for Brexit vote

Contents: New Taiwan poll shows overwhelming support for independence from China; China close to imposing an air defense ID zone (ADIZ) in South China Sea

Contents: China demands new Taiwan leader explicitly affirm that Taiwan is part of China; IMF balks at new European bailout plan for Greece

Taiwan is expected to inaugurate Tsai Ing-wen as the first female president Friday, amid bad relations with China and the self-ruled island’s collapsing economy.

Contents: Taiwan’s pro-independence party wins historic presidential election; Pop star’s Taiwan flag incident illustrates how tense relations are

Contents: Taiwan may reverse South China Sea policy and oppose China; Burundi calls planned African Union peacekeeping force ‘an attack’

Contents: Russia and Ukraine escalate mutual trade sanctions over occupied Crimea; Despite China’s disapproval, US will sell $1.83 billion in weapons to Taiwan

Contents: Presidents of China and Taiwan to meet in Singapore on Saturday; China asserts a ‘bottom line’ to US in South China Sea

Contents: Afghan Taliban in crisis over successor to Mullah Omar; Taiwan student commits suicide over ‘fine-tuning’ textbook controversy

The anti-immigration Danish People’s Party (DPP) became Denmark’s second largest party in Thursday’s general election and the biggest in the right-wing bloc, which ousted a centre-left government.