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Economist Podcasts

Drum Tower: Taiwan goes to the polls

Economist Podcasts

The Economist

News & Politics, News

4.35K Ratings

🗓️ 9 January 2024

⏱️ 46 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

China is watching Taiwan’s next presidential race closely. The results will influence Xi Jinping’s next steps when it comes to resolving the “Taiwan question”. 


Ahead of the vote on January 13th, Alice Su, our senior China correspondent, goes to campaign rallies of the 3 parties in the race. We meet voters, young and old, who each have a different idea of who should win and why. Together with David Rennie, our Beijing bureau chief, they ask: is the election of Taiwan’s next President really a choice between war or peace, as some candidates are saying?


If you’re interested in Taiwan, listen to our four-part series on the future of the island. 


1. What does Taiwan want?

2. How strong is Taiwan’s silicon shield?

3. Is Taiwan ready for war?

4. Could China take over Taiwan without force?


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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello, it's Alice.

0:02.5

You are listening to a free episode of Drum Tower.

0:05.7

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0:09.0

For a free trial, click on the link in the show notes or search online for Economist

0:12.9

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0:18.7

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0:23.6

How will we capture the imagination of tomorrow's consumers?

0:28.6

Overcome operational constraints to focus on future growth

0:33.6

and unlock economic and social prosperity through environmental responsibility.

0:38.3

With EY's full spectrum of services across sectors, we're all in to shape the future with confidence.

0:45.3

Start your transformation journey at EY.com slash transformation.

0:50.3

The economy The Economist

0:57.0

The Economist

0:59.0

204 will be a big election year.

1:13.6

More than 2.7 billion voters in 76 countries will be eligible to choose new leaders.

1:19.6

And first up is one of the most important.

1:23.6

January 13th is Taiwan's election.

1:26.6

And although some of the debate is about bread and

1:29.6

butter issues, this election goes beyond Taiwan's domestic concerns. It's also about how the

1:35.1

island is going to survive amid threats of war from China and tension between China and America.

1:41.2

And it's no secret who Xi Jinping wants to win. This week, we're asking,

1:46.2

what is at stake in Taiwan's elections? Is it really a choice between war or peace, as some

...

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