The right to vote in free and fair elections in Taiwan is the culmination of decades of struggle against dictatorship, and democracy is thus rightfully cherished by Taiwanese.
Many Taiwanese abroad fly back to the country to vote in person in their neighborhood district, as required, in a costly but meaningful election season ritual. It should be no different for Taiwanese Americans – our votes matter.
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing demographic in the US and were the margin of victory in the 2020 presidential election. So who should we help elect in 2024?
Even as democracy thrives in Taiwan, it is threatened in America and is assuredly on the ballot this November. An “American Autocracy Threat Tracker'' maintained by Just Security assesses that “there is a significant risk of autocracy should Donald Trump regain the presidency,” noting that “Trump has said he would deploy the military against civilian protestors,” repeatedly expressed a desire to be a dictator, and had his lawyers argue that a president should be immune from prosecution if he directed SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political opponent - a horrifying scenario that could easily become a reality now that the Supreme Court, stacked with right-wing justices Trump appointed, has ruled that presidential acts are essentially above the law.
Trump-Vance cannot be trusted
Trump’s lack of commitment to our allies is even more concerning. He has tried to withhold military aid to Ukraine and even halted long-standing military exercises in the Pacific in an act of appeasement toward North Korea and China.
His dismissal of Taiwan in particular should frighten anyone who cares about the country's democracy and the Taiwanese. As his former national security advisor wrote, “One of Trump's favorite comparisons was to point to the tip of one of his Sharpie (markers) and say, 'this is Taiwan,' then point to (his desk in the Oval Office) and say, 'this is China.' So much for American commitments and obligations to another democratic ally."
Trump has called Xi of China “smart, brilliant, everything perfect,” in line with his perverse, longstanding admiration of dictators around the world. He owns 114 trademarks in China - double the amount in the US - reflecting substantial financial interests that he did not disclose until after he left office.
Just this year, he unsurprisingly refused to commit to defending Taiwan from an invasion and later suggested that Taiwan pay for defense, likening America to an insurance company - never mind the fact that Taiwan is one of the largest purchasers of US arms.
There is zero mention of Taiwan in the skimpy 16-page 2024 Republican Platform; in comparison, the 92-page 2024 Democratic Platform specifically underscores the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances for supporting Taiwan and pledges to “remain steadfast in America’s commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” This reflects a growing appreciation for Taiwan’s importance in the eyes of the Democratic Party, while Republican interest and support wanes.
And Trump’s very weird running mate, J.D. Vance, is even more isolationist than he is, being one of only 15 Republican senators to oppose an aid package to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.
Harris-Walz will deliver
But more than having a litany of reasons to not vote for Trump and Vance, Taiwanese Americans and Americans, fortunately, have a ticket they can proudly vote for this year: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
In marked contrast to the highly fickle and transactional Trump, Harris has been clear in her support for Taiwan. “We will continue to oppose any unilateral change to the status quo. And we will continue to support Taiwan’s self-defense,” she remarked in a foreign policy speech in Japan in 2022. “Taiwan is a vibrant democracy that contributes to the global good, from technology to health and beyond.”
As recently as October on 60 Minutes, she committed her future administration to “supporting Taiwan's ability to defend itself, including what we need to do to ensure the freedom of the Taiwan Strait.” The Biden-Harris administration has delivered tangible aid for Taiwan too, authorizing multiple arms sales, US$567 million in defense support, and an US$8 billion aid package for both Taiwan and other Asia-Pacific allies, helping ensure their right to self-determination.
While Trump nonsensically accused Taiwan of stealing semiconductor business from the US, the Biden-Harris administration has worked to foster economic ties and shared prosperity through the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade. Biden and Harris’ leadership is paying dividends on both sides of the Pacific.
In Taiwan, Amazon plans to invest billions of dollars over the next 15 years in cloud infrastructure, Google is teaming up with Blackrock to develop 1-gigawatt in new solar energy capacity, and Nvidia plans to build a second supercomputer center and possibly a corporate headquarters.
Here at home, an investment of more than US$11 billion in direct funding and loans through the CHIPS and Science Act has led to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company building a massive manufacturing facility in Arizona; the resulting $65 billion in investment from the company represents the largest foreign direct investment in the state’s history and is expected to create around 6,000 high-wage tech jobs and more than 20,000 indirect jobs in construction and the like.
Biden-Harris administration has also worked to protect the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community.
The administration signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law in 2021 to streamline hate crime reporting, ensure reporting resources are available online in multiple languages, and provide grants to conduct crime-reduction programs to prevent and respond to hate crimes.
Trump helped spur the wave of as many as 100 daily physical and verbal attacks on Asian Americans that prompted the legislation in the first place with his bizarre insistence on calling COVID-19 the “kung flu” and “Chinese virus.”
Trump continually demeans Harris by mispronouncing her name and his disdain for AANHPIs extends to his own secretary of transportation, the Taiwan-born Elaine Chao, who he racially slurred as “China-loving wife, Coco Chow.”
Biden and Harris have delivered for Taiwanese Americans and Americans collectively in many other ways.
They navigated the country through the Coronavirus pandemic. They brought together Democrats and Republicans to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major gun safety legislation in 30 years.
Their administration is making unprecedented investments in domestic manufacturing and workforce development through the passage of the aforementioned CHIPS and Science Act, infrastructure revitalization through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and clean energy production and lower prescription drug prices through the Inflation Reduction Act.
A record almost 16 million jobs have been created since they came into office in 2021. The stock market is also at an all-time high.
The Harris campaign has pledged a new way forward for the AANHPI community with concrete policy proposals to help small businesses, lower healthcare costs, bring down mortgage, rental, and grocery costs for families, and much more.
Only one ticket
Perhaps most importantly, the Biden-Harris administration and Governor Walz have been champions for democracy at home and abroad.
The administration hosted two Summits for Democracy, in 2021 and 2023, to bring global leaders together to take collective action to address emerging challenges to democracy - and invited Taiwan to participate in both over China’s objections.
They have been steadfast in their marshaling of aid for Ukraine, a country whose geopolitical situation bears many similarities to Taiwan - and a country which Trump would abandon to its bullying neighbor’s predation.
As for Tim Walz, Hong Kong democracy activist Jeffrey Ngo recently called him “the most solid candidate when it comes to human rights and China on a major-party ticket in recent memory — if not ever” due to his support in Congress for imprisoned Chinese activists, meeting with the Dalai Lama, and more.
And while Biden and Harris have taken action to protect voting rights, Trump has called for the jailing of his political opponents and laid out an extremist “Project 2025” plan that includes firing up to 50,000 non-partisan government workers and replacing them with his toadies.
He has pledged to appoint Elon Musk, of all people, to head an ominous-sounding “government efficiency commission.” Trump was also infamously impeached for attempting to overturn a democratic election through the Jan. 6 insurrection.
By voting for Kamala Harris, we can elect the first woman and first Asian American president - and also close the book on the chaos of the increasingly erratic, 78-year-old Trump.
“We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world,” Harris observed in her Democratic convention speech, “And on behalf of our children and grandchildren, and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done. Guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love.”
This November, for the sake of safeguarding Taiwan, democracy, and our livelihoods, Taiwanese Americans and Americans alike should vote for Harris and Walz.
