Lessons from Taiwan's democratic struggle

The island's political record can show Asian neighbors a way out of authoritarian rule

20180808 taiwan protest

Street protests, mostly nonviolent, have been a vibrant feature of Taiwanese democracy.

The most recent biannual survey released by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) revealed that nearly 70% of Taiwanese would be willing to defend their democratic way of life if their authoritarian neighbor, the People's Republic of China, attempted to annex Taiwan by force.

The same survey, conducted by the National Chengchi University's Election Study Center, showed that 76% of Taiwanese, whilst admitting democracy is not without flaws, would choose to live under a democratic system.

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