Sancai News: What inspirations does the Taiwan presidential election bring to the world?

[New Sancai first release] As the first election in 2024, the presidential and congressional elections held on this small island in the Pacific have really attracted international attention. Why does the general election in this tiny place so affect international trends, and what inspiration will the election results bring to the world?

First, let’s take a look at Taiwan’s current key international position. First, from a geographical point of view, in the strategic position of the "First Island Chain" that the United States has operated in the Western Pacific for many years, it stretches from Japan in the north, through the Philippines to the south, and to New Zealand. In this strategic defense line, Taiwan is not only located in a key position in the middle, but also It is also the top priority that directly faces mainland China. In other words, without Taiwan, the first island chain would completely lose its strategic significance.

Next, Taiwan's development in the field of science and technology in the past two or three decades has indeed been obvious to the world, and TSMC, Taiwan's so-called "national guardian mountain", is the most advanced. Not only have the United States, Japan, and Germany released various offers and conditions to attract TSMC to set up factories in the past, but local governments in Taiwan have also made every effort to provide the most favorable locations and conditions to beckon to TSMC. To put it simply, if TSMC's production capacity is affected due to the situation in Taiwan, everything from the global technology industry to the people's livelihood industry will be affected. Therefore, Taiwan's strategic strength in industry and economy is also the focus of the international community.

So in this Taiwan presidential election, what are the three parties competing with each other in the final stage? And what impact and inspiration will the results of the just-concluded general election bring to the world?

In fact, if you look closely at the voting results of this general election, Lai Qingde of the Democratic Progressive Party, who finally won, received just over 40% of the total votes, while Hou Youyi of the Kuomintang, who lost the election, had 33% of the support, and Ke Wenzhe of the People's Party, who came in third, actually also had 33% of the vote. 26%. In other words, no one gets more than half of the votes. In other words, no matter who is elected, more than half of the people actually do not support him.

However, the election process and results this time were the most peaceful or the most peaceful in Taiwan’s election history. Not only was there not much acrimony between the parties before the election, but although there were confrontations on issues or so-called "smearing" and "smearing", they were all still in a very rational and restrained atmosphere. This is true for candidates and so is voters. The atmosphere on the day of the voting was as comfortable and pleasant as the weather that day. The voting ended at 4 p.m., and the counting process did not have any suspicion of fraud or cheating, so before about 8 o'clock, two groups The candidates who have lost their battle have already called the elected Lai Ching-te to congratulate each other, showing the best democratic manner and accepting the final results. If compared to the 2020 election in the United States, the big brother of democracy, which is "clouded with doubts" and even the doubts are still unresolved, Taiwan's election process can really be regarded as one of the examples of democratic textbooks.

In addition, the first point in the elected quasi-president Lai Ching-te’s acceptance speech was very admirable. He said: “I will thoroughly study the political views and ideas of the two opponents. As long as they benefit the country and the people and meet the needs of national development, I will incorporate it into the policy policy." If it really reaches such a state, wouldn't it be a blessing to the people? Originally, each camp proposed what they thought was the best policy for the country. As a result, Lai Ching-te, who was elected, not only did not belittle the plans of the other two candidates just because he was elected, but also publicly declared that he would adopt and implement all good policies in an "open-minded" manner. This alone is another textbook example of "democracy."

Finally, we look at the cross-strait issues that attract the most international attention. In fact, the biggest common denominator of the top three groups of candidates on cross-Strait issues is to "maintain the status quo." Therefore, no matter who is elected, the international community does not have to worry too much about Taiwan unilaterally moving in a provocative and extreme direction. Although Lai Ching-te, who is now elected, has a relatively preconceived image of his cross-strait stance, in the end, during his campaign and in his speech when he was finally elected, it is not difficult to see that "maintaining the status quo" is still his self-acknowledged mission. , so at least for the international community, the variables on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can be reduced, which is also a sign of responsibility to the international community.

In short, Taiwan's general election has indeed demonstrated to the international community the democratic style that a mature democratic society and system should have, from candidates to voters. The final result, as well as the elected candidate's willingness to work for cross-strait peace and stability, is the attitude that a dedicated member of the international community should have. Using this election as a starting point for the world to enter 2024 can also be regarded as a good start. Let us look forward to Taiwan's next development, and let us look forward to the smooth and peaceful conduct of the general elections that will be held in various places around the world in 2024.

(Author: Fang Mingguang)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: First published by Xinsancai)