ANU China Seminar Series, the Australian National University
4pm – 5:30pm (AEDT), Thursday 20 February 2020
Seminar Room A, China in the World Building 188, Fellows Lane, ANU
Taiwan held its quadrennial presidential and legislative elections in January 2020. Barely over a year ago, the incumbent President Tsai Ing-Wen’s Democratic Progressive Party suffered a crushing defeat at the mid-term local elections. The defeat, coupled with the threat posed by the immensely popular insurgent populist challenger in the KMT’s candidate, Han Kuo-Yu, once made the DPP’s 2020 prospects looked dire. And yet eventually the DPP defied expectations, not only retaining a majority in the legislature, but walked away with the highest number of popular votes in presidential electoral history. What happened? What does it mean for the future of Taiwan’s political alignment, cross-strait relations, and regional dynamics more broadly?
About the speaker
Wen-Ti Sung is a Visiting Fellow at the Australian Centre on China in the World at the ANU. He is a recent MOFA Taiwan Fellowship visiting fellow and an Asian Studies visiting fellow at the East-West Center. His research focuses on cross-strait relations, Chinese elite politics, and US-China policy epistemic community. Wen-Ti is also a column contributor to Apply Daily, Liberty Times, Yahoo News Taiwan and Up Media.
Before the seminar
All attendees are invited to join us in the CIW Tea House from 3.30pm for an informal discussion with the guest speaker before the seminar.
This seminar is supported by the Ministry of Education, Republic of China (Taiwan) under the ANU Taiwan Studies Program.
The ANU China Seminar Series is supported by the Australian Centre on China in the World at The Australian National University’s College of Asia & the Pacific.
Please note this seminar will not be recorded.