Taiwan presidential hopefuls woo Southeast Asian diaspora

Front-runner Lai has set up support bases across region as China influence dims

Lai Wei-hsin, speaking at a Jakarta restaurant, heads the Indonesia chapter of the Trust Lai Taiwan Friendship Association (Photo by Randy Mulyanto)

THOMPSON CHAU and RANDY MULYANTO, Contributing writers

July 16, 2023 13:30 JST

TAIPEI/JAKARTA -- Waving "Team Taiwan" flags, dozens of people at a Jakarta restaurant cheer William Lai Ching-te's bid to become the island's next president. "May you be elected!" The event's emcee shouts of Lai in Taiwanese Hokkien.

Lai, Taiwan's vice president and head of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is leading the pack in the run-up to the January poll, widely seen as a vote on relations with China.