Is Tsai Ing-wen's resignation a big blow to Taiwan's strategy towards China?

After a poor performance in Taiwan’s local elections by the Democratic Progressive Party, its leader, and Taiwan President, Tsai Ing-wen resigned as the head of the governing party. On Saturday, DPP showcased a poor performance in local elections that led the opposition party Kuomintang or KMT to win several seats. Despite the election for local councils and city mayors having a domestic focus with no direct focus on Taiwan’s policy regarding China, DPP’s recent loss has opened the doors for the KMT to challenge the presidency in 2024.  

KMT party is known for its conservative stance and is traditionally seen as a “pro-China party.” China’s increasing assertiveness in Taiwan and the recent deplorable performance of the DPP are now becoming a matter of concern. According to BBC, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen had framed the recent elections as a “vote for democracy” amid rising tensions with China.

"The election results were not as expected... I should shoulder all the responsibility and I resign as DPP chairwoman immediately,"  Tsai told the media as she resigned as the party head on Saturday. 

The 110-year-old KMT party ruled the Island for 50 years but lost its grip since the younger population didn't agree with their pro-China stance. On Friday, LA Times reported that the party had rebranded itself and on Saturday, 43-year-old Chiang Wan-an claimed victory in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital. What made Chiang an integral player in KMT is his deep roots in the party’s past, He is the great-grandson of revolutionary leader Chiang Kai-Shek. Despite Wan-an’s modern stance on several issues, KMT’s erstwhile interest to unify mainland China is something that is making the whole world anxious. 

Two Parties and China-Taiwan tensions

According to BBC, the tensions between China and Taiwan escalated in August, when China organised huge military drills around Taiwan. As per the reports, the drills were conducted as a form of protest against former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. Earlier this week, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced that it has tracked 15 Chinese military aircraft and three naval vessels encircling the island nation. Countries like the US and South Korea have also expressed their concerns over the increasing assertiveness of China on the Island nation. 

KMT in the past has advocated for economic engagement with China and has appeared to be in favour of unification with China, the report stated. Although the party strongly denies being pro-China, its inclination towards Beijing has been a matter of great debate. On the other hand, DPP has taken a strong stance when it comes to the China issue, with Tsai insisting that China needs to show “Taiwan some respect and that Taipei would not bow to pressure.” Tsai's strong stance against China made her win the 2020 national election by a landslide. 

The DPP which has governed Taiwan since 2016 campaigned heavily on national security and the threat from China throughout its pitch to elect mayors and country officials. However, the party failed to win significant cities like the capital Taipei and the neighboring cities of Taoyuan, Keelung, and Hsinchu City. The recent poor performance by the party makes analysts wonder if the nationalistic stance of DPP is resonating with the voters or not, imposing a bigger question mark on the 2024 national elections amidst all the chaos.