Key points China’s peaceful unification policy and cross-Strait relations are pluralistic. Weak Democratic Progressive Party government, China plans to unseat it in 2028 In addition to defense capabilities, international cooperation is necessary to protect democracy Matsuda Yasuhiro, Professor, The University of Tokyo Taiwan’s presidential and Legislative Yuan elections were held on January 13, 2024, and William Lai of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was elected president. This time, as there were three strong candidates, Lai’s vote share was only 40.05%, and the ruling party is expected to fall short of a majority in the Legislative Yuan election, resulting in a “weak DPP” government. The international community has been paying close attention to the presidential election because of fears that a war could break out in the Taiwan Strait, following in the footsteps of Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and the ... ... [Read more]