In balmy southern Taiwan, with its rural hamlets, industrial belts and slower-pa...
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan - In balmy southern Taiwan, with its rural hamlets, industrial belts and slower-paced cities, a rising tide of residents are pushing back against opposition presidential hopeful Han Kuo-yu, fearing he’ll sell out core Taiwan interests to China.
Instead, as he prepares for the election on Saturday against incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen and her independence-minded Democratic Progressive Party , he has seen his fortunes wane, hammered by criticism over controversial public remarks and failing to deliver on campaign promises, including oil exploration in the South China Sea.
Taiwan’s vote for a new president and parliament comes at a delicate moment for its giant neighbor, and sentiment in southern Taiwan has become a key factor for the election, which could set the democratic island’s future course with autocratic China. “The main aim of this election is to reject any rapprochement with China,” Yin told Reuters in a small office stacked with anti-Han pamphlets and those pledging solidarity with the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.Han, 62, has proven a divisive figure since reappearing in politics in 2017 to make a failed bid for the chairmanship of the Kuomintang. Known for fiery rhetoric, his ability to electrify crowds helped him clinch the mayorship of Kaohsiung in late 2018.
Wang Lin Chiao, a Kuomintang politician seeking a parliamentary seat in the southern township of Meinong, said that stability is paramount, and that continued engagement with China is the only way forward. But some, such as Chiu Yi-ying, a DPP lawmaker competing against Wang for the 222,700-voter constituency, say Taiwan must further deepen its “New Southbound Policy” of economic engagement with 18 countries in South-east Asia, rather than rely on China.
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