By global standards, Taiwan also has a relatively liberal democracy. The press is quite free and competitive, although tilted toward conservative (pro unification or anti-independence) points on the political spectrum. Indeed, Freedom House judges that “Taiwan enjoys one of the freest media environments in Asia, despite some continuing legal restrictions and political pressures”.
Three of the four major television networks are still controlled by the old political establishment (the KMT, the military, and the government). But there is a growing pluralism in the electronic media, generated in part by the explosion of cable television stations. There is extensive freedom of organization and assembly and Taiwan has an active civil society (though not as vigorous as South Korea’s).
Taiwan is one of only three liberal democracies (the other two are Korea and Japan). In all these respects, Taiwan can take pride in its democratic achievements. For a political system that faces a huge and growing threat to its security from the gigantic power in the mainland, Taiwan is amazingly open, competitive, and free. Few observers would have predicted even two years ago that within thirteen years of its founding, and without having revoked its formal commitment to hold a referendum of Taiwan independence, the Democratic Progressive Party and would capture the presidency of the Republic of China.
Permit me to end this by stating that the stranglehold the KMT had on politics in Taiwan ended in 2000 with the DPP victory and since then, the DPP has remained a powerful force in Taiwanese democratic politics , one in which will only gradually move to defending core political belief systems that are paramount in Taiwanese political ideology. One can say that the KMT’s policies had led to the formation of a democratic spirit in Taiwan, and their way of governance o the island is definitely a sharp contrast to the ways things are handled in the mainland. Taiwanese see the paradigm in Hong Kong , and therein is a lesson for all of Taiwan to discern in regards to the context of theoretical total union with the mainland. I shall deign to say that due to these nuances in the region, Taiwan shall remain unchanged in regards to ideological and national pursuits. Perhaps one thing will be seen post 2016 is an even greater rapprochement with Japan, and eventually, the United States.
