Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

In Taiwan and Hong Kong, residents are identifying less and less as Chinese — a trend that is troubling Beijing, according to a new study by American Enterprise Institute research fellow Michael Mazza.

“To young Hong Kongers, the city [territory] has always been part of China; to young Taiwanese, the idea that the island [sic] is part of China is an anachronism,” Mazza says in the study. “Given these differences, one might expect each community to relate to mainland China in very different ways — [but] one would be mistaken.”

While Taipei mayoral hopefuls independent Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) have voiced consent on holding a debate, it seems that Lien is somehow insincere about his willingness to engage in a debate and reluctant to face voters directly, making it questionable that he would be a good, responsive mayor if elected.

Since earlier this month, Ko has been challenging Lien to a debate on their respective policy platforms, and while Lien quickly agreed to it, his campaign executive director Alex Tsai (蔡正元) has stipulated many conditions for the debate, which seems to be a de facto rejection of Ko’s invitation.