Taiwan’s post-election analysis: Bo-jiun Jing was interviewed in Nikkei Asia
December 2, 2022: Bo-jiun Jing, a Research Fellow at ISDP’s China Center and Asia Program, was quoted in an analysis by Thompson Chau in Nikkei Asia on Taiwan after the elections.
Tsai, who cannot run for a third term in 2024 because of term limits, “risks being a lame-duck president sooner than expected,” commented Bo-jiun Jing.
“The DPP’s drubbing has certainly weakened Tsai’s power base within the party – especially when fingers are being pointed at the president for not holding mayoral primaries to nominate strongest candidates for the party,” the Taiwanese researcher told Nikkei Asia.
“Although she has asked Premier Su Tseng-chang to stay in his post after he offered to resign, other DPP leaders may pressure her to form a new cabinet to deal with domestic affairs in the coming months,” Jing added. “There won’t be major shifts in Taiwan’s foreign policy, because the local elections are neither a rebuke nor an affirmation on the country’s international relations. I expect Tsai to likely continue pursuing her ‘steadfast diplomacy’ approach and enhance ties with the United States and other democratic partners.”
William Lai Ching-te, who challenged Tsai in the last presidential primary and has served as vice president during her second term, is seen as the most likely DPP presidential candidate for 2024.
“Incumbent Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan and former Vice President Chen Chien-jen might still throw their hat into the ring. However, the party’s big losses in Taoyuan and Taipei have undermined their chances in the primary, not least because Cheng and Chen served as the campaign chiefs for the two vital and failed mayoral bids respectively,” Jing said.