Page 11 - Aruba Today
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WORLD NEWS A11
Monday 18 January 2016
China, economy tests for Taiwan presidential winner Tsai
C. BODEEN sembly long-dominated by Chou Tzu-yu bowing in someone would continue es” for failure, Diamond
Associated Press the Nationalists. apology for waiving the to bully Taiwan, at all differ- said.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Tai- “I wasn’t surprised a bit by Taiwanese flag on televi- ent levels, even a 16-year- While China had largely
wan’s presidential election the outcome. The Nation- sion. Her apology was trig- old who’s trying to make refrained on comment-
victor Tsai Ying-wen will en- alists had to go. Now Tsai gered by her South Korean a name for herself in the ing about the election be-
joy a broad mandate from just needs to focus on the
her commanding victory economy so I don’t expect Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen waves as she
and her independence- she’ll do anything to rile celebrates winning the presidential election Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Taipei, Taiwan.
leaning party’s new legis- up China,” Taipei tour bus
lative majority, but man- driver Tan Kuang-jung said (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
aging the island’s delicate as a constant drizzle fell
relations with China will be over the capital Sunday. management company’s entertainment field. This is forehand, its Taiwan Affairs
tricky. The reasons for the massive fears that China would something most Taiwanese Office responded swiftly
Already, Beijing warned fol- win were many. cancel appearances and find unacceptable,” Chou to the result with a state-
lowing her Saturday night Outgoing President Ma endorsement deals. said. ment reiterating that it
victory that it will not budge Ying-jeou had been grow- “What happened surround- The size of the win could would deal only with those
on its bottom line that Tai- ing increasingly unpopular ing Chou Tzu-yu, that whole also put additional pressure who agree that the “two
wan’s leader must agree among Taiwan’s 23 mil- controversy, made it almost on Tsai and the DPP, said sides of the strait belong to
that the communist main- lion people, largely due to a given (Tsai) would get Larry Diamond, a senior fel- one China.”
land and self-governing is- perceptions that his push over the 50 percent mark,” low at the Hoover Institution That was followed by an-
land democracy are part for closer economic ties said Raymond Wu, manag- who closely follows Taiwan- other statement from the
of a single Chinese nation. with China was benefiting ing director of Taipei-based ese politics. Foreign Ministry stating that
The sides could be in for a just a few and the futures political risk consultancy e- “When you do as well, as “China’s sovereignty and
lengthy wait as China as- of young Taiwanese who telligence. decisively as the DPP has territorial integrity brook no
sesses whether it feels it can have seen wages stagnate “It’s an indication that done, there are no excus- division. q
trust Tsai. and good full-time jobs
“To handle cross-Taiwan harder to find.
Strait relations after Tsai’s Fearful of their original can-
election will be difficult, didate’s poor reception
not just for Taiwan but also among voters, the Nation-
for mainland China,” said alists dumped her in favor
Huang Jing, a China ex- of Chu, but even he proved
pert at Singapore National unable to raise their pros-
University’s Lee Kuan Yew pects. He resigned as party
School of Public Policy. chairman immediately af-
Tsai, who will be Taiwan’s ter Saturday’s defeat.
first female president, won Newly politicized young
by 56 percent of the vote people had coalesced in
to 31 percent for her clos- opposing yet another trade
est rival Eric Chu of the agreement with China and
China-friendly Nationalist are believed to have voted
Party, which has held the heavily for the DPP.
presidency for the last eight A further backlash against
years. Her Democratic Pro- the party’s pro-China
gressive Party won 68 of 113 stance was prompted by
parliamentary seats, giving a viral video of 16-year-
it its first majority in the as- old Taiwanese entertainer
