Very much on the minds of the government as well as residents in Taiwan is the November election in the United States. The question is which candidate, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, will oversee a more friendly policy toward Taiwan?

The debate will certainly increase in the next few months.

A recent poll by TVBS in Taiwan shows residents favour Vice-President Kamala Harris. Her populism strikes a chord among Taiwan’s residents. She is seen as a new and fresh face, vivacious, and more. Recently, she announced support for President Ronald Reagan’s six assurances, which is a plus to Taiwan’s leaders. She has also hailed larger US defence spending, another plus.

Yet Harris speaks of following President Joe Biden’s foreign policy. Biden’s foreign policy has been tainted, as seen from Taiwan, by his dishonourable and embarrassing withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden has also attempted to create an alliance of democratic nations against the China-led authoritarian bloc of nations. He has applied sanctions against China that have not worked well, given China’s current GDP growth is more than double America’s.

Moreover, many countries do not want to adopt a hostile China policy given that China is the largest trading........

© Pearls and Irritations