Continuing the format of roundtable discussions, “Coffee and International Politics,” on March 29th we discussed the political trends in Taiwan and China with the EESC Associate Expert, Raigirdas Boruta. During the conversation, we explored topics such as the Taiwanese presidential election and its influence on the processes of adopting laws within the country, as well as Beijing’s cautious reaction and China’s foreign policy and technological ambitions.
Regarding the dynamics of Taiwan elections, it was emphasized that the processes of passing laws on foreign policy or security issues will be particularly complicated, in contrast to solving health care or education issues, where a greater consensus between parties can be expected.
From China’s perspective, the election results were not a surprise, as public opinion polls had been predicting the victory of the DPP (Democratic Party) candidate for quite some time. Beijing’s response has been measured and cautious, but it is likely to continue military, economic, and diplomatic pressure, intensifying the polarization of Taiwan’s society.
China’s attitude towards relations with the US, as reflected in the Chinese media, can currently be described as relatively neutral and positive, with relations seen as moving towards normalization. In the case of Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections, China’s assessment would be quite positive in connection with the Taiwan issue, since the Trump administration’s rhetoric on this issue sends rather ambiguous signals.
In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, there are no noticeable changes in China’s attitude, but any sharp escalation would be unacceptable to China, and it would try to put pressure on Russia. There is a tendency in the Chinese media to try to show a diversity of opinions on the topic of war, which is why more articles appear in the search results, for example, from the Sputnik news portal.