Kuomintang

The KMT Attempts to Use Hong Kong as a Wedge Issue Against the DPP

Brian Hioe
Recent claims by KMT politicians illustrate an unusual tactic taken by the party on cross-strait issues: That of accusing the DPP of unnecessarily provoking China on cross-strait issues. While this may not be anything new in itself, with the KMT having long claimed that the DPP is dangerously provocative of China by pushing for its Taiwanese independence ideology, Hong Kong has become a particular point of attack... Read More
EnglishJuly 2019Politics0 Comments 07 min read

Has the KMT Appropriated the Referendum as an Electoral Stratagem?

Brian Hioe
Demonstrations organized by the KMT on Sunday last week in Taipei prove ironic in several respects. The demonstration was against recent changes to the Referendum Act pushed into law by the DPP which will split which day that referendums are held on from the day that political elections take place, and make it so that referendums can only be held every two years... Read More
EnglishJuly 2019Politics0 Comments 07 min read

KMT Presidential Primary Debates Revealing of Party’s Current Political Consensus

Brian Hioe
Three KMT presidential primary debates have been held in the past two months. Three sessions were held, each lasting two hours, in order to have one debate held in northern Taiwan, one in central Taiwan, and one in southern Taiwan. The first debate was held on June 25th in Kaohsiung, the second debate on June 29th in Taichung, and the last debate held on July 3rd in Taipei... Read More
EnglishJuly 2019Politics1 Comment 023 min read

KMT Manipulation of the Media Visible in Hualien County Commissioner Scandal

Brian Hioe
Much attention as of late has been focused on Chinese efforts to influence Taiwanese media through either directly channeling funds into Taiwanese media outlets or spreading disinformation. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the KMT had long conducted such manipulation of the media in Taiwan, well before the Internet age, by drawing on traditional clientelist networks. This is visible in unresolved scandals in Hualien regarding former county commissioner Fu Kun-chi... Read More
EnglishJuly 2019Politics0 Comments 05 min read