Voters turned against the ruling DPP due to their dissatisfaction with the party’s domestic performance, not because of their love for China.

Taiwan held local elections for mayor/county magistrates and city council members on November 26. As many had predicted, the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), did not fare well. The number of DPP-controlled cities and counties narrowed further, from six to five, and its vote share drooped by around 5 percent compared to the party’s performance in the last midterm election in 2018.

The 2022 local elections are also the day when a referendum on constitutional amendments for 18-year-old citizens will be held. Although this referendum was unanimously approved by all parties in the Legislative Yuan, President Tsai Ing-wen strongly appealed before the election, and the former Kuomintang opponent Han Guoyu also shouted for it the day before the election. The final result of the referendum was 5.65 million votes in favor and more than 5.02 million votes against votes, but because it is far below the threshold of 9 million (a total of 18 million legitimate voters, half of which need to come out to vote in favor), the referendum case did not pass.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said Monday there is “no room for compromise” over the self-ruled island’s sovereignty but she is willing to work with China to find “mutually acceptable ways” to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait.

On September 12, the Brookings Global Forum on Democracy and Technology will host a symposium to address these and other questions.

Many Americans, like citizens of other countries, go about their daily routines without thinking that their country could be invaded and their freedom could be jeopardized. But that's not the reality in Taiwan, a tiny island off the coast of mainland China.

Many Americans go about their daily routines without fear of invasion or repercussions for acknowledging their own freedom. But an ocean away, that’s the reality for Taiwan, a small island off the coast of mainland China.

U.S. companies with Taiwan-based operations are panicking about the impact of possible Chinese military aggression toward the self-governing island.