Taiwan’s ruling party made the country too risky for Taylor Swift to tour with its China-sceptic rhetoric, the island’s political opposition has claimed as it entered a tense final stretch of election campaigning.
In a fiery debate ahead of forthcoming presidential and legislative elections, the Kuomintang (KMT) party’s vice-presidential candidate said the pop star had initially agreed to perform in Taiwan this year but later reversed course owing to “geopolitical risks”.
Jaw Shau-kong argued that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was responsible for Swift’s about-turn because it had increased tensions with neighbouring China, Taiwanese media reported.
China claims Taiwan as its own and has ramped up military and political pressure on the island. The culture ministry quickly rebutted Mr Jaw’s suggestion, saying it did not reflect reality.
It noted that bands including Coldplay, the Backstreet Boys and the Korean girl group Blackpink played in Taiwan in 2023, and that the British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran planned to stop in the southern city of Kaohsiung this year.
“These all serve as the best proof to show that what the KMT vice-presidential candidate said was not true,” a ministry statement said.
Only two Asian nations – Singapore and Japan – are scheduled to host performances by Swift as part of her 2024 Eras Tour. The Telegraph contacted the celebrity’s PR agent for comment on Jaw’s claim.
The KMT has framed Taiwan’s Jan 13 elections in stark terms, suggesting a vote for the party is a vote for peace and warning that backing the DPP could lead to war with China.
The ruling party has meanwhile criticised the KMT for parroting China’s line and argued that the electorate faced a choice between “democracy and autocracy”.
Jaw Shau-kong, the KMT’s vice-presidential candidate, blamed the ruling Democratic Progressive Party for increasing tensions with Beijing
Credit: RITCHIE B TONGO/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK
Constructive relations with Beijing
Ahead of an election poll blackout that began on Wednesday, the ruling party was on track to win a record third straight term in power, reaffirming the electorate’s backing for the status of de-facto independence from mainland China.
However, some surveys put the DPP candidate Lai Ching-te only a few points ahead of the rival KMT contender Hou Yu-ih.
Ko Wen-je, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate, trails in third place and could split the opposition vote to the DPP’s advantage.
The final days of campaigning will probably result in intensifying clashes over which party can best handle relations with China.
The KMT has accused the Democratic Progressive Party of being dangerous supporters of formal independence for Taiwan – a charge the ruling party denies.
It views constructive relations with Beijing as the best guarantee of Taiwan’s security, while the DPP believes pursuing closer ties with the United States is the best way to protect the island from China’s territorial ambitions.
Trading political blows
The dispute over Swift marked the latest example of raucous electioneering ahead of the Jan 13 poll, with candidates exchanging political blows over topics ranging from property disputes to whether drinking whisky is out of touch.
All three main presidential contenders have faced scrutiny over their property portfolios in a country where the younger generation in particular is struggling with the high cost of housing and stagnant wages.
Meanwhile, the TPP has been mocked for being elitist after Cynthia Wu, its vice-presidential candidate, suggested she had grown up drinking a popular Scotch whisky.
“When I was young, everyone loved to drink Johnnie Walker,” she said at a vice-presidential debate on Friday.
The comment prompted the DPP politician Wang Ting-yu to make the swipe that when he was young, “we mostly drank plain water”.
The election comes after Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, said in his New Year’s address that his nation’s “reunification” with Taiwan was inevitable. He did not mention the forthcoming election.
All three political parties reject China’s sovereignty claims and say that only the island’s people can decide their future.
