Questions about China dominate Taiwanese elections, says Nathan Batto

WHEN OUTSIDERS think about Taiwan’s elections, they often look for answers to the grand questions of the island’s future: does this election indicate that Taiwan will move towards unification with China, or towards becoming a formally independent country? Meanwhile, people on the ground often note that surprisingly little of the political discussion is actually about China. Candidates usually spend most of their time talking about other issues, such as nuclear power, high consumer prices, health-care spending and public housing. As a result, analysts often argue that Taiwanese voters have moved past questions about China and now care more about issues that affect their day-to-day quality of life.

Both types of observers are misguided. China is always at the heart of Taiwanese national elections, but the considerations are always more complex than simply unification or independence.