Protect Taiwan’s democracy with your vote: academics

2024-01-05

A group of scholars made an appeal to voters on Friday, urging them to cast their ballot to, quote, defend democracy. At a press conference, the scholars said that the Jan. 13 election was a turning point that would shape Taiwan’s future. They called on voters not to choose the pro-China path, emphasizing that the EU and U.S. were both reducing their economic dependence on Beijing.

With just over a week till Election Day, scholars urged voters to cast their ballot “for democracy.” At a Friday press conference, they called on Taiwan to avoid reverting to its old pro-China policies.

Shen Yu-chung
Tunghai University
We certainly don’t want to see our current path of reform be changed after this year’s election. On Jan. 13, come out to vote and defend Taiwan’s hard-won democracy and human rights. Over the last eight years, we’ve deepened our connections with the international community, cementing a sort of democratic alliance.

Wang Hung-jen
National Cheng Kung University
Don’t indulge in wishful thinking about the Chinese market. Europe and the U.S. have already begun derisking from the Chinese market. The process of derisking involves gradually moving foreign capital out of China, anticipating a “black swan event” in the future. Taiwan is now seen as an investment opportunity, and not a geopolitical risk.

The academics expressed concern about China’s election interference. Whether it be spreading disinformation or buying influence, China has made moves to sway the vote. Scholars said the world was closely watching the election results, which would shape Taiwan’s future path.

Wang Guo-chen
Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research
I feel that the pro-China path is a thing of the past. China’s economy is now in decline. Around New Year’s Eve, many international institutions were forecasting that China’s economy won’t do well this year. At the end of the day, is the pro-China strategy more beneficial for China or Taiwan?

The scholars called on voters to use their ballots to protect Taiwan’s democracy.

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降低對中國依賴學者發起"民主之盾"守護台灣

2024-01-05

選前關鍵時刻，學者發起「民主之盾」的論述，接力呼籲，投票守護台灣民主，因為歐美都在降低對中國的依賴與風險，台灣更應該與民主國家深化連結，不再走回親中老路。

選前關鍵時刻，多位學者共同發起"民主之盾"，接力提出論述，避免走回親中老路。

[[東海大學政治系教授沈有忠]]
“我們當然也不希望說這樣子的改革路線，會在今年的選舉產生一些變化，在1月13號出來投票，來捍衛台灣得來不易的民主與人權價值，來捍衛台灣得來不易的，在過去八年所累積起來，跟國際持續的深化連結的，這一種民主陣營的一個概念”

[[成功大學政治系教授王宏仁]]
“不要再對中國市場，有一廂情願的看法，歐洲、美國他們其實已經開始，對中國的市場開始去風險化，去風險化的過程就是說，慢慢地把外資移出中國，就認為說中國將來會有黑天鵝事件的發生，那轉而他們看到台灣是一個投資的機會，而不是地緣風險的提升”

學者普遍擔心，台灣在這回選舉，受中國因素干擾，無論是假訊息或是金錢攻勢，都可能影響投票！但選舉結果國際都在看，可以說是對台灣未來的路線抉擇。

[[中經院研究員王國臣]]
“親中的路線，我覺得是已經過去式了，中國現在的經濟已經走向衰敗，最近剛好跨年，所以很多的國際機構都在預測，其實今年中國經濟不是這麼好，擁中、親中路線，到底是幫台灣還是幫中國”

學者們呼籲再呼籲，希望選民以投票守護台灣民主。

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