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The Dartmouth
July 18, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Democracy in Taiwan

To the Editor:

What took place in Taiwan on March 18th is a historic breakthrough. For only the second time in history, the Taiwanese people went to the polls to elect their own president. More significantly, President-elect Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party achieved this victory in spite of China's saber-rattling and the Kuomintang Party's fifty-year stronghold in Taiwan.

Until 1987, Taiwan was under the longest period of martial rule in the modern history of the world. Until 1996, Taiwan had never popularly elected its own president. And until March 18 this year, Taiwan has never had an opposition President.

Now more than ever, we should be watching Taiwan. The possibility of conflict looms over the Strait between China and Taiwan. The ambiguity of the United States' role in the strategic triangle remains. Meanwhile, the democracy in Taiwan continues to unfold at a remarkable rate.

We Taiwanese and Taiwanese American students wish to voice our concern for the events taking place in Taiwan. As Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans, we have a unique stake in this matter: our culture and experiences link us to both the United States and Taiwan. However, we hope that everyone on this campus will share our interest. The Taiwan-China situation is not just a local issue but an international testing ground for global security and democracy.