By Jiang Fang-yu 江芳瑜“Third force” is commonly used to refer to parties outside the conventional blue-green dichotomy in Taiwanese politics. Is it the answer to the nation’s political problems? If Taiwan is to divest itself of its problematic political legacy, it needs a second political force to operate alongside the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), possibly as an even more vociferously pro-Taiwan force resisting China’s influence. There are 224 political parties in Taiwan, with as many as 98 — more than 43 percent — advocating unification with China. A “third force” cannot bring Taiwan the relief it needs.

Source: Taipei Times January 16, 2020 16:07 UTC