Taiwan’s Presidential Elections: A Primer

ChinaTalk welcomes Taiwan expert and Hoover research fellow Kharis Templeman. This episode is all things 2024 Taiwan elections — slated for January 13, 2024.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Kharis is the program manager of the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific, and previously was the program manager of the Taiwan Democracy and Security Project.
In this show, we discuss:

The frontrunners’ profiles — Lai Ching-te 賴清德, Hou Yu-ih 侯友宜, and Ko Wen-je 柯文哲 — and what makes this three-way race different from previous elections;

Why the KMT’s nomination process was somewhat quirky this time around;

The importance of party unity, and why some Taiwanese political parties have failed to unify in past election cycles;

What’s on Taiwanese voters’ minds — beyond national-security concerns;

The CCP’s preferred winner — plus if and how any PRC-based interference may manifest over the coming months;

Why Taiwan’s election system is “unhackable”;

What to make of the spread of disinformation and hyper-partisanship in Taiwan’s domestic media;

And some pro tips on escaping the DC bubble and understanding the Taiwanese populace.

Outro music: Bubble Tea, by Mango Street Papa 芒果街老爸
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