Young Taiwan activists have occupied the parliament, scuffled with police, braved water canons, and staged mass sit-in protests in a wave of anti-China sentiment likely to turn the island’s politics on its head in the January 16 presidential election.
Grievances range from a government-proposed agreement to open much of Taiwan’s service sector to mainland investment, to Taiwan’s entrance into the Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and most recently to President Ma Ying-jeo’s meeting with China’s leader Xi Jinping.
The protests reflect a surge of nationalism among Taiwan’s youth, who are far more likely than their elders to identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese.
They also come ahead of the January 16 elections in which the youth movement will likely help vote in a president from an independence-leaning party, something Communist Party rulers across the narrow Taiwan Strait will never condone, even though the island is self-ruled.
The three presidential contenders are Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Eric Chu, chairman of the ruling Nationalist party and James Soong, chairman of the People First Party, a minority party.
Tsai, the leader of the independence-leaning DPP, an organisation loathed by rulers in giant neighbour China, has been holding a double-digit lead on average against her rivals.
Huang Yen-ju is a member of the Black Island Nation Youth Front, a youth group that have actively participated in anti-China protests.
Now she has found a new front to pursue her cause by working for the DPP campaign.
“When it comes to our life, there are many factors that make me realise I don’t want to be governed by mainland China, including the freedom of speech, and our right to vote. We get to choose the representative democratic system that we desire. We don’t want this right to be deprived of,” Huang said.
The DPP is detested by Beijing because the party believes the future of Taiwan is for its 23 million people to decide, which Beijing takes to mean independence.
But the party has been supported by youthful voters angered by a perceived economic dependence on the mainland.
The margin of Tsai’s expected victory is important in terms of how fiercely democratic Taiwan gets on with Communist-ruled China, which considers the island a breakaway province.
The links between Beijing and the DPP will be crucial to managing one of the world’s most potentially dangerous relationships, with Taiwan facing a China that aims hundreds of missiles at the island and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing’s control.
“I don’t think so. The existence of our country is crucial to China. Whether Tsai Ing-wen serves four years (one term) or eight years, Xi Jinping has only seven years left. He has to work with Tsai, besides the mainland needs Taiwan, so we don’t need to take lightly of ourselves, we have our own advantages and we can be in control,” said 22-year-old college student Chiang Po-yueh, when asked whether the DPP’s win could push Taiwan to the brink of breaking off with China.
The energetic and fast-growing youth movement epitomises a young generation who are increasingly politically and socially aware. It also reflects the same fears about Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula under which Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and which Beijing aims to impose upon Taiwan, said Ho Ming-sho, a sociology professor at National Taiwan University.
Months of pro-democracy protests on Hong Kong streets in 2014 threw that formula under a harsh light and became a huge embarrassment for Beijing.
“Nowadays the young people have very clear desires. With decreasing wages for fresh recruits, they are growing uncertain about their future, they also have a stronger sense of national identity and refuse to allow Taiwan to become a second Hong Kong, and these are their economic and political desires. They want political autonomy, I don’t think they are pushing for independence, but autonomy at least. They are sending a very clear message. The young people need more space to involve politically, they want to be able to vote when they reach 18 years old, and they want more freedom to speak out, these are all clear signs,” said Ho.
The voting age in Taiwan is set at 20, but the vast majority of young Taiwanese believe the voting age should be lowered to 18, according to local media reports.
Taiwan’s ruling Nationalist Party fled to the island after losing the civil war against China’s communists in 1949. China has since viewed Taiwan, which goes under the official name of Republic of China, as a renegade province and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control.
President Ma, who steps down in January due to term limits, has made improving economic links with China a key policy since he took office in 2008. He has signed landmark business and tourism deals, though there has been no progress in resolving their political differences. (Reuters)