Trump-Lai wild card combination stokes fear in Beijing, analyst says

Taiwan president-elect likely to face forceful response from China, experts say

20240116N Trump

Former U.S. President Donald Trump scored a decisive win in the Republican caucuses in Iowa on Jan. 15. © Reuters

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

WASHINGTON -- The prospect of having former U.S. President Donald Trump and Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te in office at the same time is leaving China scrambling to rethink strategies, an analyst said Tuesday after the Taiwan election and the Iowa Republican caucuses.

"Beijing's real nightmare scenario is not necessarily watching Lai Ching-te winning the presidency of Taiwan, but it's the combination of Lai Ching-te and perhaps Donald Trump coming back into the White House," Rorry Daniels of the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis said at the institute's seminar.

Sponsored Content

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