TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — "Saturday's election is a referendum on how Taiwanese people answer to China," said a former U.S. deputy national security adviser on the day of the island nation's presidential and legislative elections. "They do not believe the communist regime will peacefully coexist with a free society, and the answer to 'one country, two systems' is 'No.'"
Steve Yates, who offered advice to former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney from 2001 to 2005 and is now a commentator on FOX News, led a delegation of Washington-based media experts to Taiwan this week to gain insight into the country's vibrant and competitive democratic system. The team visited campaign headquarters and took part in the carnival-like Kuomintang (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) campaign rallies between Wednesday (Jan. 8) and Friday (Jan. 10).
Speaking about his observations of the campaign rallies, Yates said the delegation was impressed with how colorful and entertaining they were. He also said popular participation in the election process was a measure of how Taiwanese people value their freedom and democracy.
Five hours into the vote counting on Jan. 11, incumbent Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) won 57 percent with over 8 million votes. Yates noted that Tsai had garnered more votes than the previous presidential election in 2016 and that she had gained a competitive edge due to external factors.
Yates said Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) deserves credit for Tsai's landslide victory. First, there was Xi's speech at the beginning of 2019 warning Taiwan that unification is the goal and force is an option. Second, Hong Kong police violently cracked down on pro-democracy protests.
Yates recalled that Tsai had previously won nearly seven million votes and that this year she added one million more. He told Taiwan News that this reflects doubts among Taiwanese — especially the younger generation — that China can peacefully co-exist with a free society.
As Hong Kong's protests make manifestly clear, there is no freedom or peace under the "one country, two systems" formula with Communist China, he added.
Yates congratulated Tsai on her re-election and advised her to be bold given her significant mandate. He hoped there would be more high-level communications or ministerial visits to Taiwan and that Tsai's administration would continue to act as a responsible and reliable international partner as it has done previously.
