China has been able to split the political discourse and political linage in Taiwan through manipulation. First time in history, Taiwan’s ex president Ma Ying-jeou goes to China and says people on both sides are ‘Chinese’.
Taiwan’s presidential election is scheduled in 2024. China under Xi Jingping is going all out through either political coup or by use of force to fulfil its long out standing issue of unification of Taiwan with Mainland China thus implementing ‘One China policy’.
China simultaneously playing two games together. Aggressive posturing and show of force through fighter jets in air, naval blockades and crossing the meridian line on daily basis around Taiwan since August 2022, after the visit of Nancy Pelosi. At the same time trying the old trick of staging a political coup through Taiwan’s opposition party Kuomintang also known as KMT. This time, ‘an old move with new trick’.
Attention is turning to Taiwan’s next presidential election in 2024 after the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was thrashed at local elections held on November 2022, with President Tsai Ing-wen’s move to focus on China back firing with voters. The main opposition party the Kuomintang, or KMT, romped to victory in the mayoral and county elections, winning 13 of the 21 seats up for grabs, including the wealthy and cosmopolitan capital Taipei.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has been in power since 2016 and repeatedly asking China for engagement but China has been ignoring her. China refuses to engage with Taiwan’s ruling party, DPP but aggressively engaging with the opposition party, KMT.
In second week of February 2023, the Tsai government permitted KMT delegation to go to China with strict dictate.
Now again in end of March 2023, Ma Ying-jeou, the former Taiwanese president from 2008 to 2016 has visited Mainland China where he was given a red carpet treatment.
On his first historical landing at Beijing, first time by any leader since 1949, Ma Ying-jeou said publicly to groups of internal reporters, “People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese. They are both descendants of the Yan and Yellow Emperors”.
China has become more aggressive and Xi Jingping is putting lot of stack behind KMT. Probably KMT is one of the oldest political parties in Asia, which ruled the China from 1927 to 1948. The KMT leaders Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949, when Mao Tse-tung formed the Communist party of China, and during the civil war KMT fleet to Taiwan.
By turn of 21 century Taiwan politics has charged, the DPP of Tsai Ing-wen came to power. KMT lost, because it is believed to be biased towards China.
In 2019 election, China went all out to back KMT, it even ran disinformation campaign, it used it money power to boost the image of KMT, but it did not work and KMT lost.
At present it has very little support but slowly it is gaining ground and becoming relevant. It seems that China is being able to split the public opinion to some extent.
The activism of unification in line of ‘One China’ policy of leader like Ma Ying-jeou is working in favour of China. He is the member of KMT party and says he has gone to China to improve relation and bring about peace with Mainland.
More than seven decades has passed and lot of wind has blown over the Strait of Taiwan. The same party which CPC pushed out from Mainland China is now back to China. The clock has moved to full circle, of course in reverse direction. KMT is toeing the Xi Jingping lines and openly spear heading the unification of Taiwan with Mainland China.
If KMT comes in power in 2024, then China’s effort for reunification would become much easier and there wouldn’t be any requirement for military take over by use of force.
We have to wait for 2024 presidential election, if China could achieve its aim through sinister design of political coup otherwise use of force militarily by 2025, as a serving four star United States military general predicts.
