Kharis Templeman, a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Lecturer on East Asian Studies at Stanford, dives deep into Taiwan's political evolution. He discusses the implications of President Lai Ching-te's policies in a politically divided Taiwan. The conversation reveals Beijing's strategic timelines, particularly the significance of 2027 in military readiness. Templeman also examines the Taiwan independence dilemma and the critical role of U.S. support in maintaining peace amidst growing tensions with China.

Kharis Templeman, research fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, breaks down the recent Taiwan elections. Topics include lack of surprises in election results, subdued campaign vibes, China's response, new Legislative Yuan composition, Taiwan People's Party as gatekeeper, and observations from Templeman's time in Taiwan.

ChinaTalk welcomes Taiwan expert and Hoover research fellow Kharis Templeman. This episode is all things 2024 Taiwan elections — slated for January 13, 2024.In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Kharis is the program manager of the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific, and previously was the program manager of the Taiwan Democracy and Security Project.In this show, we discuss: The frontrunners’ profiles — Lai Ching-te 賴清德, Hou Yu-ih 侯友宜, and Ko Wen-je 柯文哲 — and what makes this three-way race different from previous elections; Why the KMT’s nomination process was somewhat quirky this time around; The importance of party unity, and why some Taiwanese political parties have failed to unify in past election cycles; What’s on Taiwanese voters’ minds — beyond national-security concerns; The CCP’s preferred winner — plus if and how any PRC-based interference may manifest over the coming months; Why Taiwan’s election system is “unhackable”; What to make of the spread of disinformation and hyper-partisanship in Taiwan’s domestic media; And some pro tips on escaping the DC bubble and understanding the Taiwanese populace. Outro music: Bubble Tea, by Mango Street Papa 芒果街老爸Check out our newsletter, too! https://www.chinatalk.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices