My first encounter with the Taiwan Statebuilding Party was during the local election season of 2018, when I happened to be passing by a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rally in Kaohsiung.
The rally was carefully organized by the DPP. It had a well-lit stage, cameras from several television channels, multiple large LED screens and loudspeakers strategically placed, and guest performers. I later realized that the rally’s large turnout gave a false sense of security to pan-green supporters for the impending election results.
Adjacent to the rally were a few candidates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party (then known as the Taiwan Radical Wings) holding their own “rally.” The speakers stood on short plastic stools and delivered passionate speeches in fluent Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) to a crowd of no more than 30 people. Far from grandiose, their speeches — and to a certain degree, dialogue with the crowd — resonated more with me than the rehearsed rhetoric of the seasoned DPP politicians.
The Taiwan Statebuilding Party has come a long way since its founding. The once small party in southern Taiwan is now a crucial player in the pan-green alliance. In preparation for the November local elections, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party has opened more than 10 party headquarters in cities including Taipei, Taoyuan and Kaohsiung.
A recent controversy surrounding a Taiwan Statebuilding Party official has caused some fallout, followed by quick damage control. With the party receiving increased media coverage as its popular support grows, party members and its ideology are likely to come under increased scrutiny.
The Taiwan Statebuilding Party declares itself to be progressive and left-leaning. Its ideology is anti-colonial — Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) colonialism — as well as antiauthoritarian. It is pro-LGBTQ and pro-welfare, such as public housing. It is also critical of the resource disparity between northern and southern Taiwan. The party hopes to achieve the “radical flank effect” to push Taiwan toward international recognition as a legitimate state.
The Taiwan Statebuilding Party is very transparent about its interpretation of global news and geopolitics. It believes that we have entered a new cold war in which the People’s Republic of China is the primary threat to Taiwan and its liberal democracy. Through this lens of geopolitics, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party might be making the same mistakes that Cold War policymakers made.
The party adopts an outlook of the world akin to the reasoning behind the Kirkpatrick doctrine, which guided US foreign policy during the administration of former US president Ronald Reagan, supporting dictatorial governments as long as they were anti-communist. Today, we see the Taiwan Statebuilding Party supporting right-wing populist leaders, as long as they are anti-China.
The chaos unleashed by former US president Donald Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen reflects a low point in US politics. Before that election, Taiwan Statebuilding Party Chairman Chen Yi-chi (陳奕齊) voiced his unequivocal support for Trump’s platform. His support was rooted in Trump’s anti-China stance, as well as the suspicion that establishment democrats are Chinese appeasers — which is an inaccurate representation of US politics, especially after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
After the election, Chen voiced concern that the election could have been stolen, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, even comparing electoral fact-checking to the “Ministry of Truth” from George Orwell’s 1984. Comments like these plant distrust in the foundation of our liberal democracy.
Although Trump’s foreign policy created a strongman image, many of his rash decisions resulted in the US losing credibility overseas. The effects of these decisions are still being felt. Trump temporarily withheld US$391 million in security assistance to Ukraine in an effort to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate the dealings of his political opponents.
“I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma, it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play, which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained,” US Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who served on the US National Security Council, testified.
Similarly, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party cannot risk alienating the US Democratic Party by promoting Trumpism. Taiwan needs to maintain US bipartisan support.
With the DPP drifting toward a more centrist position in recent years, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party could become the face of the Taiwanese independence movement. The party must demonstrate its value to the world by showing uncompromising support to institutions that protect liberal democracies, and disdain for forces that seek to corrupt it from within.
This was successfully done by the party at the start of the war in Ukraine. In February, it expressed its unwavering support for the people of Ukraine and encouraged the Taiwanese government to impose sanctions on Russia. Meanwhile the KMT questioned whether boycotting Russian gas would hurt the Taiwanese economy. Although the Taiwan Statebuilding Party’s support for Ukraine is commendable, it should re-examine its prior outspoken support of Trump.
As the party’s interpretations on foreign policy could have the same consequences as the Kirkpatrick doctrine, it is important to note that these interpretations also reflect onto the independence movement. The Taiwanese independence movement should not contain such blatant contradictions, supporting a liberal democratic agenda domestically while turning a blind eye to the corrosion of liberal democracies elsewhere. It is equally important to preserve the ideals of democracy, lest they become a talking point for advocates of authoritarianism.
The fall of liberal democracy often correlates with the rise of majoritarianism. The Taiwan Statebuilding Party should adopt a less biased outlook on international affairs, correct mistakes it made in the past and provide critical analysis to internal forces that seek to undermine liberal democracies for political gain.
Linus Chiou is a Taiwanese student studying physics and history at the University of Virginia.
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