Friend or foe: portrayals of China in the Taiwan 2018 election A discourse analysis of Taiwanese media in relation to cross-strait relations Abstract: This thesis focuses on the 2018 local elections in Taiwan; although the elections were aimed at electing officials at a local level, the relation between Taiwan and China has been heavily discussed. This thesis analyses the way in which the Liberty Times and the United Daily News, as mouthpieces of respectively the DPP and the KMT, have created a discourse on cross-strait relations. In doing so, an analysis is made of Fake News, a topic discussed mostly by the DPP, and the 1992 consensus, a topic mostly discussed by the KMT. This thesis argues that the discourse as created by the DPP-side is less stable compared to the KMT-side, as a result of the traditional viewpoints that both parties adhere to. The image of the DPP as protector of Taiwanese freedom and democracy forces the DPP to a position where they have to paint China as an aggressor, using the issue of Chinese Fake News as one of its tools. In doing so, the DPP itself uses assumptions and exaggerations, thereby becoming a producer of fake news as well. Although the KMT also makes use of assumptions and exaggerations, the fact that the KMT portrays itself as a party aimed at economic progress makes it possible to take a more neutral stance. Name: Erik de Jong Student ID: 1039539 Program: MA East Asian Studies: China track Date: 1 July 2019 Thesis supervisor: Dr. Lindsay Black Word count: 13.721 Table of Contents Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3 1. Literature Review................................................................................................................................4 1.1 The Taiwan 2018 elections................................................................................................................4 1.2 Taiwan’s political history: an overview.............................................................................................5 1.3 The role of media in Taiwan..............................................................................................................7 2. Methodology.......................................................................................................................................8 Timeframe.............................................................................................................................................10 Materials................................................................................................................................................11 3. First analysis: The 1992 consensus...................................................................................................11 3.1 The Liberty Times: before the election..........................................................................................11 3.2 The Liberty Times: After the elections...........................................................................................14 Changes following the election results................................................................................................16 3.3 The United Daily News: before the election..................................................................................16 3.4 The United Daily News: after the election.....................................................................................18 Changes following the election results................................................................................................19 3.5 Comparison between Liberty Times and United Daily News........................................................19 4. Second analysis: Fake News..............................................................................................................20 4.1 The Liberty Times: Before the election..........................................................................................21 4.2 Liberty Times: After the election....................................................................................................22 Changes following the election results................................................................................................23 4.3 United Daily News: before the elections........................................................................................23 4.4 United Daily News: After the elections..........................................................................................24 Changes following the election results................................................................................................25 4.5 Comparison between Liberty Times and United Daily News........................................................25 5. Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................26 Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................29 Appendix: List of articles.......................................................................................................................31 Introduction On 24 November 2018, the local elections took place in Taiwan. These elections, which were accompanied by ten referendum questions that the citizens of Taiwan could vote on, decided which officials would be elected into the local government. Although the elections were focused on the local level, the debates surrounding these elections have revolved around Taiwan’s relation with China. Due to the tense nature of cross-strait relations, the results of the 2018 local elections are of major importance for Taiwan’s future. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which currently holds office, traditionally portrays itself as a protector of political and social rights, focuses on the protection of Taiwanese values and is commonly regarded as a supporter of Taiwanese independence. The Nationalist Party of China (KMT) on the other hand, which is currently the opposition party, is traditionally a more centralized party that strives for economic success, and in doing so is a promotor of relations with China. Since the next presidential elections will be in 2020, the local elections are by many viewed as an evaluation on the current government’s performance, and the elections are expected to portray an image of the future election results. Seeing how the political and economic position of Taiwan is tightly linked to China, a shift in power in Taiwan impacts not only China’s position and influence in the rest of Asia but will also influence the relations between China and the United States. The results of Taiwan’s elections, and a possible shift in power in the future 2020 presidential election, will therefore have an impact spreading much further than just Taiwan. At the same time, Taiwan is a model for successful democratization, and can act as an example for other developing countries (Copper, 2005). The importance of the 2018 elections showed in the attention it received in foreign media, as even Dutch media reported on the election results. Interestingly, the KMT-victory was largely labelled as a win for China, without looking further in the factors leading up to this victory. The way in which the elections were portrayed shows the power media can have. By setting the agenda on relevant topics of discussion, the media is able to not only promote certain topics, but also to ignore certain topics if they are deemed ‘less important’, thereby shaping public opinion (McCombs, 2004). This is even more relevant in Taiwan, where media in many cases are not only highly biased, but also let this bias influence the way in which news is reported (Chen, 1998; Rawnsley & Rawnsley, 2012; Sullivan, 2018). Because of this, it is important to look not only at the topics covered in the discussion of the 2018 elections, but also which topics are not addressed. In looking at the impact of media bias on representation of the 2018 elections, this thesis will attempt to answer the following question: 3 How does the viewpoint of China by DPP- and KMT-favoured media impact the way in which cross-strait relations are portrayed in relation to the 2018 elections in Taiwan? This thesis will be structured as follows: First, the concept of national identity will be discussed in relation to cross-strait relations. Due to the way in which the differences in national identity between Chinese and Taiwanese people as well as the position of these nations in the international political field has developed, this concept of national identity provides an important basis for the political relationship between China and Taiwan. Following this, this thesis discusses the role of media in framing discussion, and the way in which media impacts public opinion. This thesis will then utilize discourse analysis to analyse two newspapers, one supporting the DPP and one supporting the KMT, in their portrayal of two major topics: these topics will be the issue of fake news, and the discussion on the 1992 consensus. The term fake news, which was used mainly by the DPP, shows a new topic in relation to China’s interference in Taiwan’s politics. Even though the notion of fake news has been around in different forms throughout time, the 2018 elections are the first elections in which the DPP has adamantly claimed that fake news was influencing