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As Taiwan Votes for New President, US Emphasizes Free Process

Nike Ching

   STATE DEPARTMENT - The United States is emphasizing free and fair
   elections as Taiwanese voters head to polls Saturday for presidential
   and legislative elections. The vote follows months of signs that China
   is stepping up political influence and disinformation operations on the
   island Beijing claims as its own.

   The U.S. sees Taiwan as part of a network of Asian democracies, calling
   Taiwan "a democratic success story and a force for good in the world."
   Informal U.S.-Taiwan ties have improved under U.S. President Donald
   Trump.

   "We've been on record that, certainly, we want to see a free and fair
   election in Taiwan," David Helvey, principal deputy assistant secretary
   of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said earlier this week in
   Washington.

   Saturday, Taiwanese voters will choose between Tsai Ing-wen, the
   incumbent president and ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
   nominee; Kuomintang (KMT) nominee Han Kuo-yu; and People First Party
   (PFP) nominee James Soong.

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