Kuomintang

Freddy Lim’s Departure Pushes NPP Toward Cooperation with the DPP

Brian Hioe
Freddy Lim announcing his withdrawal from the New Power Party over the party’s failure to adopt a clear policy regarding whether to cooperate with the DPP in next year’s presidential and legislative elections seems to have been surprisingly successful as a political strategy. Lim was able to successfully force the NPP into at least publicly claiming that it will endorse Tsai Ing-wen for reelection in 2020 elections next year...
August 2019EnglishPolitics8 min read

The NPP Faces Crisis After Major Controversies, Unexpected Departure of Freddy Lim

Brian Hioe
The NPP saw two major controversies erupt in the past week, not only regarding a conflict of interest scandal regarding legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal that led to her being stripped of her position as a legislator, but also questions about the political orientation of the party vis-a-vis the DPP going into 2020 elections. Subsequently, with little warning, NPP legislator and party heavyweight Freddy Lim announced earlier today that he would be withdrawing from the NPP and running in Taipei’s Zhongzheng-Wanhua district as an independent...
August 2019EnglishPolitics22 min read

Han Kuo-yu Confirmed as the KMT’s Presidential Candidate, But Fractures Remain Visible in the Party

Brian Hioe
Han Kuo-yu was confirmed as the KMT’s presidential candidate on Sunday at the party’s National Congress, although an unusual development was the simultaneous announcement that a KMT president would not simultaneously serve as the chair of the party going forward. Indeed, this seems to be a sign of continued fractures within the party...
EnglishJuly 2019Politics6 min read

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...
EnglishJuly 2019Politics7 min read