Taiwan elections: Andrew Hsia takes KMT message to business faithful in mainland China
- Mainland-based Taiwanese number about 1.2 million and have been strong supporters of the Kuomintang
- Many are willingness to return home to cast their ballots, community members say
In an apparent effort to win over mainland-based voters from the Taiwanese business community, Andrew Hsia Li-yan, vice-chairman of the Beijing-friendly KMT, visited five southern cities to rally support against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Hsia was following in the well-worn footsteps of his party.
According to Taiwanese media estimates, there are roughly 1.2 million people from the island living on the mainland, accounting for about 5 per cent of Taiwan’s population.
Most of the voters in this group tend to support the KMT and party officials often make the trip across the Taiwan Strait before elections.
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People who attended events during Hsia’s trip said this visit was unusually high profile in its push for voters to travel back to the island and cast their ballot.