China heaps pressure on Taiwan president after poll defeat
Tsai resigns as chair of the Democratic Progressive Party after losing key battleground cities in mayoral polls
Chinese state media heaped pressure on Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday after her ruling proindependence party suffered heavy defeats in local elections at the weekend, as party officials sought to work out what went wrong. Tsai, who faces a presidential election in a little more than a year, resigned on Saturday as chair of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after losing key battleground cities in mayoral polls to the China-friendly Kuomintang. The DPP now only controls six cities and counties to the Kuomintang’s 15. Han Kuo-yu, the Kuomintang’s mayor-elect in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, and the most high profile of the party’s winners, said he will open the door to contacts with China. Beijing has refused to deal with Tsai’s administration since she took office in 2016, accusing her of pushing for the island’s formal independence. That is a red line for China, which considers the democratic island sacred Chinese territory. Tsai has said she wants to maintain th...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.