Hyping HK violence won't win Tsai votes

With her ruling Democratic Progressive Party suffering heavy losses in the local elections in November last year, Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen's position has become untenable. She was even challenged by Lai Ching-te in the race to choose the DPP candidate for the island's leadership election.

To retain her leadership position, Tsai is trying to cover her governance failures by shifting the focus to other issues. And the violence unleashed by demonstrators in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region against the now-dead extradition bill suits her purpose, as she probably believes it can be used as a weapon against the Chinese mainland to garner popular support on the island.

Since the DPP came to power in 2016, cross-Straits relations have changed from peaceful development to confrontation, significantly damaging the livelihoods of Taiwan residents. Voters expressed their anger with the Tsai administration by rejecting the DPP candidates in the local elections in November, which dealt a serious blow to Tsai.