Individual Presentation or Panel Title
The Cost of Free Trade: Taiwanese Protectionism and KMT Legitimacy
Abstract
This work analyzes how recent Taiwanese protests against the proposed trade pact with mainland China weakens the legitimacy of the KMT government. By using a discourse analysis and looking at interviews and administrative records I will determine if the protests affect the KMT government’s image as a valid regime. By portraying the trade pact as undemocratic, protestors undermine the idea that the KMT majority party has Taiwan’s best interests in mind. The government supported trade pact is represented as an attack on Taiwan’s sovereignty and thus the government supporting it is deemed to be authoritarian and fiscally irresponsible. A free trade area would not only harm Taiwan’s national industry but also provide China with more control of the state. Because Taiwan’s sovereignty is contested, any policy that realigns the state with China can be seen as an attack on Taiwan’s national identity and political independence. The KMT party has been working to maintain ties with China, which many feel destroys the independence Taiwan has been seeking.
Location
Ballator Gallery
Start Date
3-5-2014 2:30 PM
End Date
3-5-2014 3:20 PM
The Cost of Free Trade: Taiwanese Protectionism and KMT Legitimacy
Ballator Gallery
This work analyzes how recent Taiwanese protests against the proposed trade pact with mainland China weakens the legitimacy of the KMT government. By using a discourse analysis and looking at interviews and administrative records I will determine if the protests affect the KMT government’s image as a valid regime. By portraying the trade pact as undemocratic, protestors undermine the idea that the KMT majority party has Taiwan’s best interests in mind. The government supported trade pact is represented as an attack on Taiwan’s sovereignty and thus the government supporting it is deemed to be authoritarian and fiscally irresponsible. A free trade area would not only harm Taiwan’s national industry but also provide China with more control of the state. Because Taiwan’s sovereignty is contested, any policy that realigns the state with China can be seen as an attack on Taiwan’s national identity and political independence. The KMT party has been working to maintain ties with China, which many feel destroys the independence Taiwan has been seeking.