ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
Taiwan elections

Taiwan Inc. weighs loyalty to mainland in presidential election

Pro-business crowd has drawn closer to Tsai's DPP amid trade war risks

Pedestrians in Taipei walk past campaign posters featuring President Tsai Ing-wen, left, and her challenger Han Kuo-yu. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

TAIPEI -- With next month's presidential election billed as a referendum on Taiwan's relationship with China, business leaders are reassessing their traditional loyalty to the mainland and the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang as trade war risks grow.

Taiwanese businesspeople operating in China, commonly known as taishang, will shortly begin returning home in droves. They number between 400,000 and 1 million, and about 200,000 are expected to return and vote for Han Kuo-yu, the main opposition Kuomintang candidate, according to a party insider.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more