Key Elections Amid Politics Turmoil featuring Randall Shriver (Partner,
Armitage Associates, and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs), Dr. Shelley Rigger (Brown Associate Professor of East Asian Politics, Davidson College) and Dr. Vincent Wei-sheng Wang (Coordinator of International Studies, University of Richmond).
President Chen Shiu-bian's wife will soon be tried for corruption, and he himself is threatened with indictment upon leaving office. Meanwhile, his principal political opponent, KMT Party Chairman Ma Ying-jeou is under investigation for mishandling public funds. Amid these rolling scandals, on December 9th Taiwan's two largest cities, Taipei and Kaohsiung will elect new mayors. A loss for Chen's Democratic Progressive Party in Kaohsiung, normally one of its strongholds, would have enormous repercussions. Similarly, if the KMT fails to win big in Taipei, that could severely damage Ma's position as Party Chairman and presumptive presidential candidate in 2008.
Join The Heritage Institute as their panel of experts discuss the results of these key elections and their implications for Taiwan's politics and America's relations with the island republic.
Bio
Ambassador Harvey Feldman
Distinguished Fellow in China Policy, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation
Dr. Shelley Rigger
Brown Associate Professor of East Asian Politics,
Davidson College
Randall Shriver
Partner, Armitage Associates, and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs
Dr. Vincent Wei-cheng Wang
Coordinator of International Studies, University of Richmond