China claims Taiwan as its sacred territory, to be taken by force if needed, with President Xi Jinping last year once again proposing a “one country, two systems” model for the island, only to be denounced by both the DPP and Kuomintang. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen won re-election by a landslide by positioning Taiwan as an independent country staunchly defending its democratic system against autocratic China.
Kuomintang chairman Wu Den-yih resigned in the aftermath of the defeat, and the party will vote for a new leader in early March. But it is riven by disagreement over what its policy toward China should be, especially as many people, particularly the young, increasingly identify themselves as Taiwanese, with little connection to China, or even reason to be nice to it.