The Brookings Institution held a forum in Taipei on Tuesday to discuss Taiwan’s upcoming local elections on November 29.
The US think tank invited experts to analyze recent polling on voter sentiment in Taiwan. It also assessed campaign strategies and tactics, and discussed the implications of the elections on the current government’s ability to govern and on the January 2016 presidential and legislative elections.
US State Department official Christian Castro, Dr. Shelly Rigger from Davidson College, and the former chairman of the board of the American Institute in Taiwan, Richard Bush, all participated in the event.
Bush said he believes Beijing will continue to push its cross-strait agenda forward after the election. He also believes Chinese President Xi Jinping will put out statements in the coming months to reveal Beijing’s attitude towards the new political climate after the election.