Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has thrown her hat in the ring to become the Democratic Party’s candidate for president in 2016. She made the announcement Sunday in a video posted on social media.
This is Clinton’s second run for president, but this time without any other major contenders so far, she is largely thought to be the presumptive nominee for her party. If she wins, she would become the United States’ first female president.
Hillary Clinton’s announcement, while not a surprise, has spurred a reexamination in Taiwan of her policies toward Taiwan and China. Of note are her policies as secretary of state, and the stances conveyed in her autobiography, Hard Choices, released last June.
Clinton supports peaceful interaction between Taiwan and China, and is opposed to any threats to Taiwan’s independent sovereignty. She has also said that she looks forward to further trade liberalization in Taiwan, and its further integration with the international community.
In her autobiography, Clinton said that some people have questioned the feasibility of implementing democracy in Asia, given the rise of China with its brand of totalitarian state capitalism, and countries with strong and rich leaders.
But Clinton pointed to counterexamples of Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan, which she says prove that people in democratic societies can enjoy the fruits of economic development.